mapleridge
friday
pittmeadows
Page 18 Oh what a beautiful play. 604-463-2281
May 14, 2010
Your source for local sports, news, weather and entertainment! www.mrtimes.com
40 pages
Eight are charged in $1 million theft ring
R i d g e Me a d ow s RC M P h a s charged six men and two women in relation to the theft of a semi truck and trailer containing $1 million worth of merchandise. The trailer was reported stolen to Hope RCMP on April 29. On May 1 Ridge Meadows RCMP found the burnt out semi on a property on Lougheed Highway. On May 5 police found the semi trailer, which was empty. The Street Enforcement Unit then began to establish surveillance on a suspicious truck as a result of several leads. On May 6 police stopped the truck in the 21500 block of 127 Avenue, arrested five people and recovering some of the stolen property. Police then executed a search warrant on a residence in the 25300 block of 124 Avenue, arrested two more people and recovered more stolen property. Police have charged 23-year-old Jake Knute Soros and 32-year-old Melissa Dawn Benoit with possession of stolen property. Police haven’t released the names of the other accused in the case because they haven’t made their first court appearances yet. “This is a very complex investigation, and since the matter is going forward in the courts, and is still under investigation, we cannot divulge file particulars. We have received calls that have led to the recovery of more of the stolen property, and I would request our citizens to call us should they come across any items that appear abandoned, or are being sold at unbelievable prices,” said Superintendent Dave Walsh. “I would like to publicly thank our community partners who assisted our investigators, who have spent a great deal of their own personal time working on this case. This file clearly illustrates how the RCMP shares information between our detachments, providing policing services to all communities.”
Veteran James Murphy gets a kiss on the cheek from his wife Joan on Tuesday at their Maple Ridge home. Murphy will lay a wreath on Sunday.
Troy Landreville/TIMES
Legion honours end of the war MARIA RANTANEN mrantanen@mrtimes.com
G
unner James Murphy would have wanted to be in Holland on May 8 to celebrate the victory in Europe. He was there in 1995 for the 50th anniversary and in 2005 for the 60th, but this year he watched the ceremonies on his television at home in Maple Ridge. Watching the ceremony, he didn’t see many veterans and the ones who were there were chauffeured. “If I had been there, I would have been marching,” Murphy said. This Sunday, Murphy will join other veterans at the Royal Canadian Legion in Maple Ridge to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Victory in Europe, and he will lay a wreath on behalf of the army. The event is at 11:30 a.m. On the day of Victory in Europe, May 8, 1945, Murphy was in Hol-
WE’RE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK!
land after a tour of duty in Italy. The crowds were jubilant at the Allies’ victory, but the reality of the conditions the Dutch had been living under was shocking. “The crowds of people (were) coming out and shaking our hands,” Murphy said. The Dutch had been starving all winter, as the Germans took any food they could find. “If we had any extra food, we’d give it out to people,” Murphy said. “Sometimes we’d give our own rations.” Shortly after victory was declared, women who had “fraternized” with the Germans were publicly humiliated, Murphy said, and their hair was cut off. Murphy considers himself lucky to have spent three years in the war and to have come out without any injuries. His brother Jerry also served during the war and managed to come out without a
scratch, Murphy said. Murphy volunteered to join the Royal Canadian Artillery on Nov. 11, 1941. He spent three months in basic training in Chatham, Ont., and three months training to become a gunner in Petawawa, Ont., where he trained on a 5.5inch Howitzer field gun. In April, 1942, he was shipped out to England. There he took a truck driving course and was sent to the 1st Canadian Regiment as a driver joining a group called the B echelons. Murphy and the B echelons followed the Canadian troops through Italy, keeping them supplied with rations, mail and stores for the 1st Regiment. His regiment left England in 1943 just around the time of the invasion of Sicily. By the time Murphy got to Italy via Algeria, Sicily had been taken. “The people were good to us,” Murphy said of his experience in Italy.
As the Canadians kept advancing, Murphy and his group followed the troops to the frontline, keeping them supplied with rations and equipment, including the battle of Ortona. Just before the Canadian reached Rome, they were sent to Marseilles, France, then to Belgium and finally to Holland. During the war, soldiers were told when they returned, they would get good jobs, but that wasn’t how things turned out for Murphy. “There was no one there waiting to hire me,” he said. Murphy had met his future wife Joan in England and after the war they married in England. About six months later, Joan was able to sail on the Aquitania to Canada. The couple moved first to Edmonton and eventually settled in Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast. They moved to Maple Ridge about a decade ago.
on the web
24/7
www.mrtimes.com
Right here at home!
Check out our website’s multimedia centre for photos put to music.
Don’t miss important information from the city on Pages 4 & 6
pages 20 & 21