COURAGE
remembered
Greater Victoria Families Share Stories of
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Tragedy & Triumph
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Special Supplement
November 7, 2014
2 • COURAGE REMEMBERED
Friday, November 7, 2014 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE
If you value your freedom, thank a Veteran.
LET’S MAKE NOVEMBER 11
A DAY TO
REMEMBER In keeping with a tradition since 2001, all Quality Foods stores close each Remembrance Day to pause and reflect on the importance of the role of our past and present service men and women. Whether in times of war or peace, we are ever grateful for these brave souls who put themselves in harm’s way for the greater good of all Canadians.
This year, with continuing turmoil worldwide, the need becomes even more apparent to keep November 11 aside for current & future generations’ to remember and appreciate their courage and sacrifices made in the name of freedom. We believe that when we stand united in acts of remembrance, we can make a world of difference.
All Quality Foods stores will be closed Tuesday, November 11 For the Fallen (excerpt) They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. -Lawrence Binyon
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VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 7, 2014
COURAGE REMEMBERED • 3
Courage remembered Artifacts not all that’s left
Stories abound with Armoury and Genealogical Society Travis Paterson News staff
There is a hunger for history in Victoria that shows not just in Ted Leaker’s work, but with the small army of volunteers around him. Leaker is the director of the Ashton Armoury Museum, where he watches over 130 years worth of military history. This week Leaker is assembling a table’s worth of First World War artifacts on Saturday (Nov. 8), as the Ashton Armoury Museum is teaming up with the Victoria Genealogical Society to honour Remembrance Day with an interactive event at the VGS Resource Centre. The event will focus on the First World War, with members of VGS also contributing a variety of memorabilia and knowledge. “This year is just the start of four years worth of commemorations for centennial anniversary of the First World War,” said Leaker, a former commanding officer of the 11th Battalion at the Ashton Armoury. Leaker will bring items pertaining to the First World War, but his richest offerings, like those members of the VGS, is the stories they offer from Canada’s past.
“This is just one way to look at the war, as each organization has their own way of commemorating it,” he added. For example, Saanich is looking to complete the Saanich WWI Honour Roll it started in 1916 but never completed. Only 355 names are on the original honour roll but upwards of 800 Saanich residents are believed to have served. It’s a complementary initiative to go with the University of Victoria’s popular project A City Goes to War. “We have a lot of commitment in Victoria to history and military history,” said Merv Scott, project director with VGS. “Our society (VGS) has 300 members alone, and we work in partnerships with many organizations around town, such as the armoury museum.” The historical fair at VGS on Nov. 8 will double as the society’s book launch, as VGS member Harvey Buckmaster led the project to collate 10 years worth of documenting by volunteers of all 2,888 buried at the Esquimalt Veterans Cemetery. The resting place is for those who served in Canada’s military since 1868. In 1927, the Gorge Vale Golf Club acquired 150 acres of land surrounding the cemetery from the Hudson’s Bay Company. It became the Veterans Cemetery in 1947. The Remembrance Day
Logging camp an omen for father and son
historical fair funds from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Victoria Genealogical Society Resource Centre, 947 Alston St. Entrance is by donation, with half of proceeds going to the Poppy Fund.
Did you know?
At this time in 1914 the Canadian Forces were mobilizing troops. The first wave of soldiers and about 5,000 horses sailed out of Quebec on Oct. 3, arriving in England on Oct. 14, where they waited three days to unload.
Victoria’s Erma Siteman, 87, can recall the day her 19-year-old brother Robert walked into the family house in Nova Scotia and said, “There will be lots of money here soon, I’ve joined the army.” It was 1940 and Erma, the eighth-born of 15 siblings, was 13 years old. It was the last time she ever saw Robert. Until then, Robert (the seventh born) worked a successful pulpwood logging camp with the father, Horace. “It supported the family, but it was an omen, they were able to work side by side before they both died at war,” she said. Robert died at sea when his boat was torpedoed by Germans in 1941. Horace later enlisted with the Canadian Forestry Corps and died in England in 1943. PHOTO is from Erma’s family collection, self published in her 2007 book Senior Story Telling.
4 • COURAGE REMEMBERED
Friday, November 7, 2014 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE
Courage Heroism under fire
Victoria Cross winner rescues dozens with his own vessel during First World War Andrea Peacock Victoria News
250.721.4062
www.berwickretirement.com 4062 Shelbourne Street, Victoria BC
One of only four Canadian naval Victoria Cross winners almost never made it to active duty because of his eyesight. Commander Rowland Bourke was born in London, England in 1885. Bourke emigrated to Canada in 1902, and volunteered for the Canadian forces during the First World War. However, when all three arms of service rejected him because of his poor eyesight he returned to England to join the Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve in 1916. “He overcame personal handicaps to achieve his dream,” said Joseph Lenarcik, assistant curator at the CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum. In April 1918, Bourke volunteered his vessel to rescue the crews whose ships were sunk in the effort to block the Belgian harbour of Zeebrugge-Ostend, the most heavily defended of all the German U-boat bases. Yet again, he was rejected because of his eyesight, but Bourke persisted in offering his motor launch as a standby. On April 23, 1918 his vessel rescued 38
Let’s remember. They fought for Canadian values like dignity and human rights. They still do. Let’s honour their service, and sacrifices, by making sure quality public health care remains accessible and affordable for all. A message from the 43,000 members of the Hospital Employees’ Union.
We’re working for better care. www.heu.org
COURAGE REMEMBERED • 5
REMEMBERED VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 7, 2014
sailors from the sinking HMS Brilliant blockship and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for towing the crippled motor launch 532 out of the harbour that day. Bourke’s motor launch was deemed too damaged to participate in the second operation against ZeebruggeOstend. It was eventually accepted as a standby, but Bourke had only 24 hours to completely re-fit his vessel and find a new volunteer crew. On May 9 and 10, his motor launch followed HMS Vindictive into the Belgian harbour. He heard cries from the water after the raid. Under heavy gunfire at close range, Bourke found a lieutenant and two sailors from the Royal Navy ship badly wounded in the water. Even though his own launch was hit 55 times and two of his crew members were killed, Bourke brought out his vessel in one piece. “He excelled at his duties,” Lenarcik said. In recognition of his significant efforts, Bourke received the French Legion of Honour and from King George V, the Victoria Cross. “When they asked him about how he won it, he said his eyesight was so poor he could not see the threat,” said Lenarcik, adding what started out as a handicap for Bourke ended up being an asset. “He knew there was danger, [but] he was fearless.” In 1932, Bourke and his wife moved from Nelson, B.C. to Victoria, where he worked at HMC Dockyard as a civilian clerk. In 1941, Bourke became an active serviceman with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve, serving as Commander at HMCS Givenchy, Esquimalt, and Burrard, Vancouver. Bourke retired from the navy in 1950. He died in 1958 and was buried with full military honours. With files from CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum
Oak Bay drummer pens war memoirs
Christine van Reeuwyk News staff
Like many veterans of the Second World War Charles Bedford worked his way through Europe: Normandy, Hull, Belgium and Germany. When Bedford returned he didn’t really talk much about it. Not until long after he left his home country of England and moved to James Bay. “I wrote a book about it,” he says. “I felt I ought to do something to remember those days. I don’t live the war, I like to remember it. A lot of my mates got killed. I didn’t intend it (to be a book). It satisfied me. I had to get it out of my system.” The 92 year old wrote Me and World War II in 2002 when he moved to Oak Bay from James Bay, after the death of his brother Peter. Self-published through Trafford, it’s a personal account of the Second World War through the eyes of a civilian called up for duty. It includes tales such as a vehicle race for the end of a bridge, braced against death, as Germans fired at the structure. “It’s funny now – it wasn’t funny then,” he said. But many of the stories make him chuckle, in recollection. Near the end of his tenure in the army, he spent a couple of years stationed in the Harz mountains in Germany. There they formed a 10-piece band from all the different units. When it turned out the guy who’d already snagged drummer position could play trombone, Bedford slid behind the drum kit. “We played dances and shows in the theatres. The Germans used to come,” he said. “We travelled around.”
On Remembrance Day We Salute our Nation’s Heroes — both past and present.
Honouring our Veterans
John Horgan MLA
Rob Fleming MLA VICTORIA – SWAN LAKE
VICTORIA – BEACON HILL
250-391-2801 John.Horgan.MLA@leg.bc.ca
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Married twice, once before the war, but not one to talk about it and now single, Bedford continues to fill his time with drumming and music. “I went to some of the dances over there (at Monterey Recreation Centre). Now I play with six different groups there,” he said. “It varies, but sometimes it’s six times a week. I want to be busy all the time. It’s made all the difference to me. I can do all the things I want to do. How can it get better?” cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com
Maurine Karagianis MLA ESQUIMALT – ROYAL ROADS
Carole James MLA
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6 • COURAGE REMEMBERED
Friday, November 7, 2014 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE
Courage remembered The Battle of Coronel remembered
S ubm i ss i ons from our r e ad e rs
Young Naval College graduates memorialized at Royal Roads University
Angela Cowan News Gazette staff
A century ago, Malcolm Cann, John Hatheway, William Palmer and Arthur Silver became the first Canadian casualties of the First World War when they perished aboard HMS Good Hope in the Battle of Coronel on Nov. 1, 1914. All of them under 20, the midshipmen were in the first entry class at the Royal Naval College of Canada in 1910, and volunteered for duty aboard Admiral Cradock’s ship when it stopped in Halifax just months before the battle. “They had just graduated and were excited to join the flagship of an admiral,” says Dave
Bindernagel, who served as the last commandant of Royal Roads University. “And then, a month and a half later … “ He trails off. The Good Hope and fellow armoured cruiser Monmouth were destroyed by the German fleet, with over 900 casualties just on the one ship and Admiral Cradock himself going down with the Good Hope. The loss was devastating, but as in any tragedy, it’s when the names and faces of a few are singled out that the grief is distilled down and the heart can comprehend the depth of tragedy. Royal Roads commemorated the loss of the young men in a heartfelt ceremony Nov. 1, remembering their sacrifice, and remembering the moment that our country lost its first heroes to the devastation of world war. Although they have no graves to mark their passing save the strip of ocean off the coast of Chile, the four midshipmen have been “well and truly recognized and commemo-
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rated here and in Halifax,” says Bindernagel, adding that Royal Roads named the Coronel Memorial Library for the young men in 1974. Now a century gone, the passage of time doesn’t minimize the importance of recognizing these men’s service. “Especially in light of recent events, it’s critical for us to remember dedication, courage and the giving of oneself in protection of the country. These four midshipmen, young kids really, did that,” says Bindernagel. “It’s important as well to identify with historical events that had an impact on us as a nation, and as people.” This year is a momentous one, 100 years after the start of the First World War, and 75 years after the start of the Second World War. These markers of time remind us of how far we’ve come from two of the most impacting events in our history, and offer an opportunity to reflect on how we want our future to unfold. acowan@goldstreamgazette.com
Trevor Anderson, Wireless Operator Air Gunner, USA 12th Bomb Group, 82nd Squadron, North Africa 194143 Living in northern BC and then Victoria, Trev Anderson joined the RCAF 1941 at age 21 to serve as Radio Operator with US 12th Bomb Group, 82nd Squadron, North Africa for 2 years. On his fourth mission, Trev survived an ocean ditching, completed 51 more bombing missions and awarded seven medals including Distinguished Flying Cross. After interceptor controller, he retired 1959 to become westcoast lighthouse keeper. Trev and Flo celebrated their 70th anniversary this May.
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Remembering those who have given their lives for our freedom.
With respect and gratitude we reflect on the sacrifices made by our Forces.
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COURAGE REMEMBERED • 7
VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 7, 2014
COURAGE REMEMBERED
Diary recalls service memories for Korean War vet Andrea Peacock Victoria News
Oct. 19, 1950: This is our 106th day from Esquimalt. During this time, we’ve had 69 days at sea. Ed Chadwick, an electrician with the Canadian Navy, wrote in his diary every day while at sea during the Korean War. He recalled the day’s activities, where he was and what was happening. Chadwick, now 85, joined the navy when he was 17. He was born in Vancouver in 1929, and was 20 years old when he was shipped off to the Korean War from Esquimalt. In addition to his electrical responsibilities on board, duties included patrol work along the Korean coast. Being out at sea on a ship with 270 other people made for some interesting living conditions, Chadwick remembers. “We were very crowded.” While out at sea, Chadwick remembers having the showers turned off. “Ships couldn’t make a lot of fresh water; they needed water for the boiler room.” Instead, there were 10 wash basins in the washroom for 150 men. Each person got a sponge and a pair of sandals to
use. “That was the worst thing,” Chadwick says. Being far away from home at sea during the war, one of the most crucial factors was food, he recalls. “When you’re in a situation like that, food becomes very important. Go out for a month somewhere and you’ll start to notice that meals become very important.” Usually, there was enough food on the ship, he says, adding they picked up many of their supplies in Japan. The ship would receive trimmed beef, coffee and powdered milk, among other things. Almost every night around 8 p.m., the ship would be filled with the smell of bread. “We had a little bakery on board that made great bread.” However, at times, the food situation was not as good. Chadwick recalls being out at sea for 52 days straight during one patrol. The only food they received was from a provision ship. “But that wasn’t great,” he says. Reading from his diary, Chadwick recalls one time when food was getting a little scarce on board.
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“We haven’t had butter for two days, and we ran out of sugar yesterday,” he read. Part of being in the navy then was the daily dose of rum at noon if you were 20 years of age or older. “Every day we got our two and a half ounces of rum. If you didn’t get a tot, you got six cents a day,” Chadwick says. “I don’t know if they ever did pay it, but you were supposed to get six cents a day.” (The Canadian Navy eliminated this rum ration in 1972.) Chadwick returned to Canada from the war in May 1951. After a yearlong electrician course in Halifax, he returned to Victoria, where he met his now wife, Patricia, at a roller rink. The two have been married for 61 years.
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We join in Remembrance of those who fought for our freedom and give heartfelt thanks to our peacekeepers and veterans.
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8 • COURAGE REMEMBERED
Friday, November 7, 2014 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE
COURAGE REMEMBERED High school war stories compelling
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Don Descoteau News Gazette staff
The halls of Victoria High School generally echo with the sounds of students going from class to class, socializing together and engaging in learning experiences. When those students are gone and all is quiet, the ghosts of the past remain. As the oldest high school in Greater Victoria, Vic High is unique in the region for its ties to the First World War. The school originated in 1876, but the current school building was opened in 1914, the year the Great War began in Europe. As such, the young men who were graduating from the school, or close to it, and the younger teachers at the school, went off to fight alongside British forces. Many never made it home. Those young people are memorialized on the many plaques and other items located in the main foyer and other places in the building. Historian and author Barry Gough, a former Vic High student and teacher and the current chair of the school’s alumni association board, has explored the history of those who went to war and the students and staff left behind. His new book, ****From Classroom to Battlefield: Victoria High School and the First World War (Heritage House Publishing), draws from the school archives to relay the experiences of 20 young men and women associated with the school. Some served on the front lines in some of the bloodiest battles of the war: the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Ypres, and others.
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“I was surprised at some of the indi- as in the second battle of Ypres and viduals that have been lost to history,” at Vimy Ridge, plans were made to Gough says. He spent hours sifting start memorializing the losses, Gough through documents and correspond- says. The roll of honour began in 1917 ing with community members to paint and the permanent memorials were a picture of some of the roughly 500 installed immediately after the war. Pre-war Victoria was a kind of utostudents and teachers who joined up for the fight – and some of the 80 or pian place in many ways, he says, with prosperity and growth happening at a so who died. People like Maj. John Angus Mac- good pace. “May 1, 1914 the school opened donald, a Military Cross winner who died in the Battle of The Somme in for public education and within four months war is upon them and 1916. “He was a graduate of Queen’s it changes the culture for good.” The University, born in Montreal, who book, Gough says, tells the unusual came out to Victoria in about 1908 story of this age of innocence in Victoand became the French master at the ria that comes to a terrible termination. The war had other effects as well, school,” Gough says. “He became the he says. “It’s a very sad story. You can qualified instructor for the imagine the despair of cadet battalion. He was the females at the school one of the most promisto see most of their male ing young teachers, plus he classmates going off to was a fine athlete and a war. As soon as they hit wrestler.” 18 they signed up. It was Losing such quality a catastrophe for women individuals, as well as the and accounts in part for talented young men just this grey generation of finishing off their studies, single women, some of had a serious effect on whom I had as teachers the makeup of the school when I was at the school.” and the community, he The book is being adds. released Nov. 7 and Gough “These boys wanted is the keynote speaker at the to go to war. They wanted to serve king and country and they Vic High Remembrance Day assembly were the cream of the crop. The boys on Nov. 10 in the school auditorium, from Victoria were almost all urban, starting at 10:25 a.m. A reception with almost all from the professional or a public unveiling of the book will folbusiness classes and almost all bright low at 11:15 in the school library. Vic High is located at 1260 Grant St. in graduates.” When the news of the deaths of boys IfFernwood. you have friends or family who were veterans are interred in our cemetery, please visit our from the school began coming in, such and editor@goldstreamgazette.com
HONOUR OUR VETERANS office on November 11th so that we may give you a rose and a flag to place on their grave for Remembrance Day.
Honour our Veterans The roses and flags are complimentary. It’s our way of saying… We Remember. Staff will be available to serve you between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
HATLEY MEMORIAL We all have friends or familyGARDENS who were 2050 Sooke Road Tel. interred 250-478-1754 veterans. Some of them• are in A division of Arbor Memorial Services Inc. our cemetery and we invite you to visit on Remembrance Day. In their honour we have placed Crosses and Canadian Flags along the border of Hatley Memorial Gardens.
Lest we Forget.
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2050 SOOKE ROAD • TEL. 250-478-1754 A division of Arbor Memorial Services Inc.
COURAGE REMEMBERED • 9
VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 7, 2014
Fairgrounds turn training grounds for First World War Oak Bay one of three camps created in region
Thanking all Veterans and their Families
Randall Garrison, MP ESQUIMALT–JUAN DE FUCA
250-405-6550 Randall.Garrison@parl.gc.ca www.randallgarrison.ndp.ca 2014-10-20 1:42 PM
RG_BPCourage-5x3-1410.indd 1
Christine van Reeuwyk News staff
When World War I broke out, Willows fairgrounds transformed into a base for regiments training for combat. Gone were the horse races and festive air, replaced by mounted soldiers training at nearby Willows Beach with drills performed on the racetrack. The agricultural building became headquarters and tents filled the surrounding fields as regiments from around the province stopped in Oak Bay, on before, deploying overseas. “We’re working on building a roll of honour for World War I,” said archivist Jean Sparks. They know the population in 1911 was 1,600 and by 1928 it had risen to 5,500, so the 168 residents known to be on active duty during the 1914 to 1918 war was a hefty percentage of the population. They do have files on many who served, but continue to work toward fleshing those out. There was no formal cenotaph built to honour those who from Oak Bay who died during the First World War. Well-known
resident Frederick Barnard Pemberton, who lost two sons during the conflict, financed the large marker near the legislative buildings in Victoria, where thousands gather each Remembrance Day. The youngest, Warren Colclough Pemberton, died in a training flying accident with the Royal Flying Corps on April 25, 1916. His older brother Frederick Despard Pemberton was declared killed in action in France on Aug. 21, 1917. Both previously belonged to the 50th Highlanders that trained at the Willows camp. “The war effort was all-encompassing,” Sparks said. Oak Bay, incorporated in 1906, was still a young community at the time and the Willows camp was owned by the City of Victoria. It was one of three in the area, with camps at McCauley Point and Beacon Hill. “It was part of the whole effort,” Sparks said. The site of the former fairgrounds again transformed in the early 1950s when it became what we know it as today, Carnarvon Park subdivision. cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com
SUBMISSIONS FROM OUR READERS
William Pearce (right)
We were at 2300 feet when our starboard inner engine suddenly ran wild and caught fire. Our Halifax flipped over plunging us down to 15000 feet. We put the fire out but it caught again. There was no way to save the plane. Steve, our pilot, asked, do we bail out or ditch? He ditched in 9 foot rollers off Aberdeen Scotland and saved us all. A real tribute to his piloting skills. —F/O Bowles
William Pearce was a Ist world war veteran and my father-in-law. He was a warm andgenerous host and I knew him over the last 25 years of his life. He fought in all the mainterrifying battles- Pashendale, Ypres, the Somme and Vimy as an officer in the CanadianMachine Gun Corps.On the evening before the taking ofVimy Ridge, all bands were playing “troops to thetrenches which instilled the old do or die feeling” everybody whooping and yelling. The cost in Canadian casualties there, for the month of April was 13,477 killed and wounded.Buck told my husband of a terrible incident near the end of the war. His men were encamped in a shell hole and as an officer, he was in a tiny concrete pillbox. An incoming shell nicked the roof of the pillbox and exploded mid-air, killing nearly all hismen. The memory of this remained forever imprinted on his mind. He fought a total of 37months in the trenches. —Julie Beaudoin Pearce
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Events
speed review as many books and films as they can in an hour. No registration required. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
Victoria Nov. 5 – Royal BC Museum’s Live @ Lunch: The Great War of 1914 – 1918: British Columbia Vignettes, 12 to 1 p.m. in the Newcombe Hall. Dr. Lorne Hammond, Curator of History, shares stories on the contribution of British Columbians and the impact of the war on our province; free or by donation. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca Nov. 5 – Booksmacked! at the Royal BC Museum, 7 to 8 p.m. Enjoy an evening of great book and film recommendations related to the First World War as a team of librarians and a museum curator will
Nov. 8 – Royal BC Museum’s Community Speaker’s Series: World War I – A Local Perspective, 1 to 3 p.m. A series of 30-minute Powerpoint presentations features The Ones Who Have to Pay: The Soldiers – Poets of Victoria, BC in the Great War 1914 -1918, with author Robert Ratcliffe Taylor, 1 to 1:30 p.m.; In That Distant Land: Touring the Great War, with historian Paul Ferguson, 1:30 to 2 p.m.; The Bantams: Victoria’s Unknown Soldiers, with author and historian Sidney Allinson, 2 to 2:30 p.m.; William Rochfort: A Victoria Architect Goes to War, with Joanne Barnard,
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1:45 to 2 p.m. at the Royal BC Museum. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
Nov. 8 – Veterans’ Week edition of Wendy Morton’s Get Poemed! program, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Esquimalt Branch, Greater Victoria Public Library. Bring in a related personal picture, memento or story for inspiration, and Wendy will compose an original poem for you! All welcome. No registration required. FMI: events. gvpl.ca
Nov. 11 – The Call Goes Out: Story Theatre Company and the Royal BC Museum present music, songs and poetry of the period mixed with letters from the young men who travelled to the trenches, 1 to 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. FMI: royalbcmuseum. bc.ca
Nov. 9 – The Naden Band presents Lest We Forget: A Musical Tribute to The Great War, 1:30 to 3 p.m. on the main level of the Royal BC Museum; free. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
Nov. 11 – Music of Peace: Remembrance Day with CapriCCio Vocal Ensemble, 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Christ Church
“Nous nous souvenons”
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Oak Bay Hundreds will gather Tuesday (Nov. 11) at 11 a.m. in Uplands Park to honour the
The Oak Bay Remembrance Day Ceremony is organized by the Oak Bay Police Department and includes participation from the Oak Bay High Brass Choir, Victoria Male Choir, various Oak Bay clergy, the fifth and 12th Garry Oak Scouts, Girl Guides and the Oak Bay Fire Department. The ceremony takes place at the Oak Bay Memorial Ceno-
Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day at Royal Canadian Legion Branch #292 Trafalgar/Pro Patria-411 Gorge Rd. East, 12:15 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 11 – Victoria Children’s Choir performs music on themes of war and peace, 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. and
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Nov. 11 – In That Distant Land: Touring the Great War: Military historian Paul Ferguson leads a journey of commemoration to the Great War sites of France and Flanders, 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the Royal BC Museum. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
memory of those who served Canada in the First and Second World Wars, Korea, Afghanistan and in peacekeeping forces.
Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day Service, 10 a.m. at God’s Acre Veteran’s Cemetery, 1200 Colville Rd., and 11 a.m. at Esquimalt Memorial Park. Open house follows at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #172 at 622 Admirals Rd.
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Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph, BC Legislative Grounds, 10 a.m.
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“We at the Howard Johnson Hotel and Suites” respect and honour the brave who served to protect our freedom. Thank You!
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A time to remember those who battled for our freedom.
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With deepest respect and gratitude for our veterans
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“They Gave Their All for Our Freedom.”
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taph, in the 2800-block of Beach Dr., beginning just before 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. Limited seating is available.
Saanich Nov. 8-9: The Ashton Armoury is hosting Remembering in Scale, featuring naval and military models on display, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov 13: Victoria Genealogical Society hosting a presentation in the Gordon Head United Church Hall with Jim Kempling from A City Goes To War, 7:30 p.m.
Westshore
Metchosin Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day parade begins at 10:45 a.m. behind the fire hall on Happy Valley Road. Military colour guard, veterans, RCMP, scouts and guides march to St. Mary the Virgin Heritage Church, 4125 Metchosin Rd. Service follows at the cenotaph at 11 a.m.
SUBMISSIONS FROM OUR READERS
My father was a member of the Fusilier de Mont-Royal in the commando unit, which was eventually involved in the Dieppe invasion. Although he never spoke of it before, one day we had a conversation a few years before he died at age 71 (he died 25 years ago). His recollection was that the original plan intended to strike on the beach just before dawn with the element of surprise on their side; unfortunately , their “armada” was spotted by a German U boat in the Channel in the middle of the night. While the military brass debated whether or not to proceed under these new circumstances, time rolled on. By the time the fateful decision was reached, it was mid-morning. By then the Germans, (I imagine them having just finished their morning coffee and croissants), were set comfortably in position in their pill boxes, overlooking the beach and waiting for my father and all the other’s arrival. Although some historians refer to the
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid
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Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day Ceremonies at 10:45 am. Veteran’s Memorial Park, Goldstream Avenue at Veteran’s Memorial Parkway.
Captain (N) Cedric Steele, MSM, CD Honorary Captain CFB Esquimalt
many learnings from that experience, it was by most accounts a disaster. While seeing many of his buddies fall on the battle field, my father was wounded by shrapnel shells exploding on the rocky beaches. He was eventually captured while floating unconscious in the English Channel; he woke up in a German military hospital, bandaged all along his left side where the bits of metal did their damage. As his farming family had not had any communications from him for over 2 years, they presumed he had died in Dieppe. So they held a memorial service for him in a huge catholic church in his small home town in northern New Brunswick. As he was about to be released from the concentration camp in a prisonerexchange program, the war ended; he and his other campmates were returned home. Although he came back to a war hero’s welcome, he never really felt that way. Dad said that he was just doing his job, but did admit that he missed the many buddies he left on those beaches of northern France back then. Over the years, he had many bouts of anxiety and depression, (now referred to as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) but managed to build a career in home construction industry and support his family. From time to time, he was also treated for the wounds he suffered as bits of shrapnel worked their way to the surface of this muscles , needing surgery to remove them. Dad had been awarded 5 medals for his services which he had tucked away in his sock drawer in a boarding house in a small town in near the.....
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We join in
2x3 remembrance for those who fought for our freedom.
Paul King (Right)
My Grandfather, Paul King, left Victoria and went to war as a boy stretcher-bearer. He saw action in some of the most horrific battles of WWI, including Vimy Ridge. His mates gave him this watch in 1917 when he left the trenches to become a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps. —David King
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the guns below. —John McCrae
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