2024 Remembrance Day Section - Wellington Advertiser
By Bill Harcourt
NETHERLANDS –
Bergen op Zoom is a small city in the Netherlands, about 150km south of Amsterdam.
It’s a beautiful place, its name meaning hills on the Zoom. The city centre is medieval, walled in 1330 and given city rights in 1347.
As with most cities of this type, the main square is in the centre, and roads lead out from there. Its population is close to 70,000, and with over 800 years of history, it has over 600 historic buildings.
The square is beautiful and includes hotels, cafes, city hall a theatre for live plays and music concerts, and a towering church.
The history
The city was occupied by German forces during
the Second World War and life was miserable. When the Allies stormed the beaches in Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944), it set in motion the liberation of Europe and its citizens.
For the next four-plus months, Allied troops slowly made their way north, with Canadians primarily heading to the Netherlands.
In the days leading up to Oct. 27, 1944, the South Alberta Regiment and the Lincoln and Welland Regiments, both with the First Canadian Army, found themselves close to Bergen op Zoom.
They had just fought fierce battles with the Germans and suffered many casualties. They were sure the Germans had retreated, but were leery about advancing after two days of heavy fighting.
The two Commanders were discussing what they should do next, when Lieutenant Colonel Wotherspoon of the South Alberta Regiment said, “Hell Bill, let’s take this damned place.”
A 16-year-old Kees de Waal of the Dutch Resistance said he would lead them in. They hoisted him onto the lead tank and they entered the city to a hero’s welcome.
Residents of Bergen op Zoom now celebrate their liberation on Oct. 27 every year. (The country celebrates liberation on May 5, the day the entire country was officially liberated, but different regions also celebrate on days they specifically were freed).
This year marks the 80th anniversary of Bergen op Zoom’s liberation.
My uncle, William
Reginald Harcourt, was one of the many Canadian soldiers to die in the fighting two days earlier, and he is buried in the Bergen op Zoom Canadian War
Cemetery, just outside the city. He was a machinist working for the Canadian Pacific Railway before enlisting in July 1942.
He lived on Jane Street in West Toronto and attended Humbercrest School. Two of his brothers enlisted also; one was a shoemaker before
Service – Bill Harcourt attended an Oct. 27 remembrance ceremony in Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands. Submitted photo
Arthur Lions honour charter member, fallen veteran Samuel Park
By Robin George
ARTHUR – Dr. Samuel Park was a lieutenant in the Second World War, a charter member of the Arthur Lions, and one of just a handful of doctors in Arthur’s community in the late 1930s.
On Oct. 25, the Arthur Lions Club honoured Park with a small ceremony at the Cenotaph and hanging a banner on Arthur’s main street.
The banner reads: “Lest we forget, Dr. Samuel Park, K.I.A Army WWII, Arthur Lions Club.”
“His dedication to both community and country made a lasting impression” said club president Mike Marshall during the event.
Park’s life illustrated the “deep sense of service” that’s intrinsic to the Lions Club, Marshall added.
The Lions’ work in Arthur includes the Christmas hamper program, which has been going since the club’s inception in 1939.
Park was the first Arthur Lions Club member “to make the ultimate sacrifice during WWII.
“Let the banner remind us all of the profound impact that one person, one club and one community can have,” Marshall said.
Wellington North councillor Steve McCabe and Perth-Wellington MP John Nater were in attendance.
He and his family immigrated to Québec while Park was a child, and he attended Earl Grey School, Montreal High School and McGill University, according to the Canadian Jewish Congress.
His brother, Israel Parkovnick, also served in the army, states David Rome in Canadian Jews in WWII, a memorial book compiled for the Canadian Jewish Congress.
McGill’s records show Park graduated with a medical degree in 1934. After graduating, he worked as an Arthur-area doctor for about three years.
“The motto of the Lions Club is ‘We serve,’ and no one embodies that more than Dr. Samuel Park,” Nater said.
Its because of the “courage and sacrifice of people like Dr. Samuel Park” that Arthur is known as Canada’s most patriotic village, he said.
And its important for people to remember “each person who served was a real person who had a family, had loved ones, and had a life,” he added.
Background
Park was born in Bobroisk, Russia in April 1907 to Max and Margaret Parkovnick, according to the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Original Arthur Lions On Nov. 21, 1939, less than three months after the onset of the Second World War, 46 men, including Park, joined together to launch the Arthur Lions Club.
Marshall described the club’s charter members as “visionary.”
They were “a professional bunch,” Arthur historian Jeff McKee told the Advertiser, including business owners, teachers, a high school principal, post master, newspaper editor, doctors and politicians.
Six were First World War veterans, and seven went on to serve in WWII.
The Mount Forest Lions Club launched the year before Arthur’s and sponsored the Arthur club,
Park honoured – From left: Arthur Lions Laird More, Gail Richardson, Joan Gainer, Mike Marshall and Wayne Horton; MP John Nater; Lions Jennifer McDougall and Alan Rawlins; and Wellington North councillor Steve McCabe were among those who gathered on Oct. 25 to honour Dr. Samuel Park, a charter club member who died while serving in the Second World War.
Photo by Robin George
By Robin George WELLINGTON COUNTY
– Many people from across Wellington County have died while serving in the Canadian military.
Each of them left lives and loved ones behind, and though information can sometimes be limited, each had a story to tell.
The following information about fallen soldiers from Wellington County was complied from information gathered from Veteran Affairs Canada’s Canadian Virtual War Memorial (CVWM), unless otherwise stated.
John Aikens
Puslinchborn Private John Wilson Aikens was the son of Thomas H. and Adelaide E. Aikens, of 2nd Concession 2 in Puslinch.
He enlisted in London, Ontario and served in the Western Ontario Regiment of the Canadian Infantry, 18th Battalion, during the First World War.
Aikens was wounded on three different occasions while serving.
In 1916, Aikens was shot in his leg and left hand, and died as a result of the injuries on Sept. 15 at a British war hospital (49th Casualty Clearing Station).
Aikens is buried in the Contay British Cemetery in Somme, France.
Flying Club’s mechanical club, played interfaculty water polo, and enjoyed tennis and swimming.
While studying at U of T, Harris worked at Hydro Electric, Massey Ferguson, and Proctor and Gamble.
Harris’ parents were Wasley and Annie M. Harris and his sister was Clara Louise Harris.
He married Katherine Louise McIntosh and they had twin children, Wasley
He died less than a year later, on Feb. 9, 1943, at 23 years old.
According to a research document completed by Margaret Rose Gaunt and included in the CVWM, Harris was on a cross-country training flight with two students when icing led his plane, Anson II 11532, to hit some trees, burst into flames and crash while flying over Manitoba.
The students in the plane, leading aircraft men Duncan MacKenzie and Peter Nicholls also died in the crash, at 21 and 20 years old.
Harry Saunders Cadet
Harry Creighton Saunders lived in Erin for most of his life, and was the son of Archibald and Margaret Saunders.
According to the Erin Advocate , Saunders “was respected by a large circle of friends, both in Erin and Listowel.”
He served in the 91st Training Squadron of the Royal Air Force during the First World War.
Gordon and Katherine Louise Harris.
The U of T yearbook entry said Harris had hopes of joining the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and encountering the Luftewaffe – the aerial-warfare branch of Nazi Germany’s unified armed forces before and during the Second World War.
Saunders “met a terrible death in the air near Leaside RAF Camp,” stated a clipping from the Toronto Star
“While flying about one thousand feet aloft his machine caught fire and shot to the ground a roaring mass of flames,” the paper continued. “Saunders was burned to death.”
Wes Harris Pilot Officer Wasley “Wes” Pasmore Harris grew up and attended public school in Rockwood. For high school, Harris attended Guelph Collegiate.
He then went on to study mechanics at the University of Toronto (U of T), graduating in 1941.
According to a U of T yearbook, Harris was a member of the Toronto
Harris travelled to Hamilton on May 18, 1942 to enlist. He served in the reserve prior to joining the RCAF.
It was Sept. 17, 1918, and Saunders was 29 years old. He was well advanced in his training and flying alone,
Lest We Forget
We pause at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month to refect on the memory of our brave servicemen and women.
Observe a moment of silence on November 11 to mark the sacrifce of the many who have fallen in the service of our country, and to acknowledge the courage of those who still serve.
We say a heartfelt thank you as we “remember”.
Remembrance Day
By Georgia York
CENTRE WELLINGTON
– On Oct. 20 at the Wellington County Museum and Archives, Bob Foster shared stories about his father’s journey as a soldier during the Second World War.
Verdon Stuart Foster was a well-known veterinarian in Fergus. He often went by Stu Foster or Dr. V.S. Foster.
His story begins in Saskatchewan, where he lived on a farm with his mother, father and brother.
In 1926, when the boys were only six and four, their dad died, leaving their widowed mother to continue with the farm duties.
“My grandma continued to farm on her own, which as a woman was extraor-
dinary at that time,” Bob Foster told the Advertiser
The boys grew older, tending to the farm and helping their mother through The Great Depression.
Verdon finished high school in 1939 and decided he wanted to become a veterinarian. And because Guelph had the only school at which to study veterinarian medicine at that time, he applied there.
Enlistment
The Second World War began on Sept. 1, 1939, and by the time Verdon was 22 the threat of Nazi Germany became much more serious.
After three semesters studying at the Ontario Veterinary College, Verdon joined the army on Feb. 18, 1943.
He and his brother, like many Canadians, volunteered to serve.
“Casualties were high [and] it appeared Germany was winning the war at that time,” Bob noted.
Verdon began his journey in Regina, Saskatchewan, where he received basic military training. He finished training in July of 1943 and got leave to return home to help his mother with the harvest.
“Because food was in short supply and the harvest had to happen; the army recognized that,” Bob explained.
Verdon was only allowed four weeks at his mother’s farm before returning to training in Shilo, Manitoba.
He arrived in October and was taught how to handle different types of guns and he completed other intermediate military training.
Verdon then got back onto a train and travelled to Debert, Nova Scotia for more training. The base there also served as the final staging area for troops embarking from Halifax.
Heading overseas Verdon stayed in Debert between January and March of 1944 before departing for Europe. He arrived in England on March 15 at one of the various military “headquarters,” said Bob.
From March to May Verdon was in England training and waiting to fight. The soldiers were days away from the Normandy landings on D-Day (June 6, 1944).
“Just before my dad was to go on the D-Day assault [commanding officers] realized they didn’t have enough infantry signalmen,” said Bob, noting they needed more people trained in the operation of radios, two-way radios and communications.
Officers asked if any soldiers had any science training, so Verdon stepped forward and explained his experience in school.
“He was held back from the D-Day assault in order to take this technical signals training,” said Bob.
“Because dad had a high school diploma and three semesters of training it
have served.
probably saved his life.”
Verdon learned how to use communications equipment from September to November of 1944, as soldiers were liberating parts of Europe.
Operation Veritable
He then got sent to Ostend, Belgium on Dec. 31, 1944. Allied soldiers had regained control of the region and were now developing Operation Veritable (Battle of the Reichswald).
The large-scale operation aimed to seize the left bank of the Rhine River, which forms the SwissLiechtenstein border and partly the Swiss-Austrian and Swiss-German borders.
“There was a little bit of a lull in January of 1945 to give soldiers a rest after five or six months of fighting,” Bob explained.
“Dad fought in the Rhine campaign … in the region of Germany so now you’re fighting on German soil.”
The operation began on Feb. 8, 1945. Verdon was fighting with a radio on his back and a rife in his hands.
Ultimately, on May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered and fighting in Europe ended.
Between May and August, Verdon was still on duty, guarding prisoners of war, burying the war dead and keeping peace and order in the cities.
“You’ve got pure chaos; cities are in ruin everywhere in Europe,” Bob said.
Returning home
After almost three years of service, Verdon got sent back to Halifax in September of 1945. He returned home to Regina in November and got discharged from the army in December.
Verdon had no physical injuries upon his return, according to his son.
After the war he got accepted into the Ontario Veterinary College, studied for four years and earned his degree in veterinary medicine.
Verdon met his wife in 1947 in Guelph and the pair moved to Fergus, where he would work as a vet from 1950 to 1987.
“I know it [the war] bothered him; you can’t be human if it didn’t bother you,” said Bob. “But he managed to be a veterinarian and get through school and raise
Honouring dad – ABOVE: Bob Foster at the tree and plaque placed in honour of his father, Verdon Stuart Foster, in Fergus on Nov. 1. BELOW RIGHT: The plaque notes Verdon “touched the lives of many school children in [the] community.”
a family … he was maybe one of the lucky ones.”
Bob noted his father never used to speak about the war, suppressing his feelings and memories – like countless others – to “get on with life.”
“How am I supposed to remember what my dad wanted to forget?” he asked.
40th anniversary
In 1985, around the time of the 40th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands, a “switch had been flipped” inside of Verdon, his son said.
Verdon and his wife travelled to battlefields in Europe and upon their return, Verdon decided to dedicate his retirement to remembering the past.
He experienced survivor’s guilt about the war, given he had survived and got to live out a “good life.”
“He just kind of unleashed what happened; he wanted people to remember; he wanted my generation [and] your generation to know what happened,” said Bob.
Verdon remained dedicated to remembrance by speaking at schools, organizing dinners, and selling poppies and wreaths.
He was also a Fergus Legion member for 10 years, including two as president.
Verdon Stuart Foster passed away in February of
"And they who for their country die shall fll an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave."
—Joseph Drake
Lest We Forget
1995, leaving behind a legacy in Fergus.
Later that year a tree was planted alongside a plaque in his honour near the Fergus cenotaph.
It’s been a “lifelong study” of Bob’s to try to understand what happened to his father during the Second World War.
“If we want to remember, we need to learn our veteran stories so that we can tell the story,” he said.
Photo by Georgia York
By Ellouise Thompson
EDEN
MILLS – Local artist Janet Wilson is reflecting on her time illustrating the
1995 book In Flanders Fields, the story of the poem by John
McCrae
Written by American author Linda Granfield and published just in time for Remembrance Day in 1995, the bright red book is quite familiar to many young adults today, as it has become a Remembrance Day staple in classrooms across the country since its release.
“Everybody called it the Red Book,” Wilson told the Advertiser
“So, when I go to visit schools, I put the picture up and ask, ‘Does anybody recognize [this]?’ and, of course, they immediately do, I ask, ‘when do you see this book?’ And they say Remembrance Day.”
Granfield approached Wilson about the book during a routine business book function.
“It happened very quickly. It was just at one of those business book functions, and Linda Granfield mentioned that she had the idea
of writing a book about in Flanders Fields, because she’s American from Boston, and ... a lot of her family were in the military, and she was surprised that we really didn’t have anything, any material for kids about this very famous poem and this very well-known poet,” said Wilson.
“So, it was just one of those ideas that as soon as it was out of her mouth, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, you’re so right. This is so necessary, and I want to do it.’”
The duo got to work right away and what should have taken at least a year, was completed in a few short months.
“We really wanted it to be out for Remembrance Day, and so we just worked really hard and got it done in a matter of months,” said Wilson.
“World War One or World War Two really wasn’t discussed in schools that much for the younger kids, but they did recite the
poem,” said Wilson.
“That would be the limit of their services or, you know, what they did in school, and I think most of the kids didn’t really even know what the poem was about. And I think having pictures really helped.”
Despite already being an accomplished artist, Wilson felt a sense of insecurity about illustrating the book.
“It’s an interesting story but because I was so insecure about it, I felt like I needed to go to Flanders and see the area,” said Wilson.
“My husband and I took a battlefield tour. So, we went all around with an expert on World War One. We actually visited the place where the poem was written.”
Wilson said the trip helped her with the perspective of the images and seeing just how many crosses and grave sites there were.
She noted that by the time the trip ended, she felt qualified to complete the
Illustrator reflects on Flanders Fields book
Important project – Artist Janet Wilson took a trip to Flanders to prepare herself to illustrate the book. Submitted photo
By Brent Bloch
MOUNT FOREST –
Remembrance Day is celebrated every fall, but soon after forgotten.
In schools, children are marched into gymnasiums and taught the importance of Remembrance Day. Poems are recited, war histories are chronicled and dramatic interpretations are witnessed.
Crimson poppies are pinned above hearts and silence is observed.
Then students return to their everyday lives of trigonometry and Shakespeare.
As an educator, traveller and history enthusiast, I have endeavoured to honour Canada’s fallen soldiers through pilgrimages to sites of the great wars on my own and with my students.
I have walked the trenches of Vimy Ridge and stood in the pouring rain on a frigid day; but I have not done so with muck and grime stuck to my uniform, or with the cavalry charging straight at me with bayonets brandished.
I have not stormed machine-gun nests where
the rat-a-tat of fired ammunition reverberated in the air. I have not breathed my last breath on the ridge in Vimy with 3,598 of my countrymen.
I have faced the imposing, impenetrable cliffs of Dieppe and imagined the impossibility of scaling them; but I have not done so as hot metal ripped through my comrades beside me.
I was not mowed down like ripe grain when my landing craft boat lowered its ramp to the delight of waiting enemy guns.
My dead body was not washed away by the waves on the beach like some of the 907 Canadian soldiers who died during the raid on Dieppe.
I have celebrated the anniversary of D-Day with Canadian war veterans, eagerly drunk up their stories of war like a thirsty school boy, and admired them as they paraded through the streets of Bayeux.
I spilled tears with these veterans on Juno beach in Normandy; but I did not spill my blood with them 70 years earlier when the smell and fear of death were lingering near.
I did not pay for the feeling of the white sand between my toes, unlike the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, where the battle for the beachhead cost 340 Canadian lives.
Despite my pilgrimages and hunger for history, I have come to realize that I have no idea what it must have been like to claim Vimy Ridge, raid Dieppe, land on D-Day or literally stand on guard for my country.
I have never looked death in the eye, starved, suffered torture or felt true fear – and for that I am thankful.
Just as the maple leaves sacrifice their existence each autumn so that the tree
with Wilson
has a better chance at survival in the winter, so too did Canada’s soldiers give up their lives for us so that we might have a better chance to weather the storms of discrimination, tyranny and hatred that periodically batter our world.
Let us not only remember our past when the bloodred poppies appear momentarily between Halloween pumpkins and Christmas cards.
Let us also remember the sacrifices of our fallen Canadians every time we see a maple leaf fly.
* * * Brent Bloch is principal of Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest.
» FROM PAGE 7
illustrations.
Wilson explained one illustration in particular has stuck with her.
“Having had two boys, I just really felt like, how would I have felt if my boys had to go to war. So there was that one picture that was painted from ... the bedroom in the McCrae house, with all ... the furniture and everything was the same ...
“I had some of his war toys and Teddy bear, you know, possessions that from that era, but in the reflection, in the mirror, I had a mother on a bed … grief stricken and the father was in the doorway, so that’s the one that really stuck with me,” said Wilson.
“I did want to be able to put in something that it wasn’t just about soldiers fighting or politicians planning battles and things, it
was also that it devastated families.”
Wilson told the Advertiser she believes that educating children on war and this aspect of Canadian history is essential to their development and their outlook on
the world as they grow older.
“I think that we have to teach that (WWI and WWII) to children,” she said.
“They have to understand what it means and the devastating consequences ... the solution to problems around the world is through education, through child education.”
Those interested in obtaining a copy of the book can find them at amazon.ca.
Banners – St. John’s Anglican Church in Elora started making these banners with knitted and crocheted poppies a few years ago and now have fashioned several banners that hang throughout the village for Remembrance Day. ABOVE: Volunteers help get the first banner up. From left: Barb Dunsmore, Gordon Bristowe, Dinah Bristowe, Gary Canton and Ken Edwards lend a hand. RIGHT: The second banner at the church goes up. Each of the banners is rolled in sheets and carefully labelled to ease installation. Last year the group added some black poppies to commemorate the death of Queen Elizabeth. Photos by Joanne Shuttleworth
Arthur veteran honoured with banner
» FROM PAGE 2
Marshall said.
“The early focus of the club and all of its charter members was the war effort,” Arthur Lions Club secretary and second vice president Jen McDougall told the Advertiser “They played an instrumental role in our village’s designation as Canada’s Most Patriotic Village.”
Park’s service Park volunteered for active service early in the war and was posted to Military District No. 1 (renamed Canadian Forces Base London) in London, Ontario on Sept. 10, 1940, according to Lions Club officials. He was appointed to the Canadian Active Service Force as a conducting medi-
Thank you Veterans
cal officer in September 1940, states a May 1941 clipping from the Owen Sound Sun Times
The same clipping states Park was “believed lost at sea due to enemy action.”
The Department of National Defence announced Park was reported missing and presumed dead on May 5, 1941, after the troopship S.S. Nerissa sank, McGill archives state.
According to the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, (MMBC) German submarine U-552 sank S.S. Nerissa on April 30, 1941.
“The Nerissa was the only troopship carrying Canadian Army troops to be lost during the Second World War and resulted in the third largest loss of life (207) for a ship sunk by U-boats in the approaches to the British Isles.”
According to MMBC, this
included 83 Canadian military personnel. There were 84 survivors.
Park was 34 years old when he died. The voyage was his fifth trip overseas, the Canadian Jewish Congress states.
After Park’s death, he was promoted from lieutenant to captain, according to McGill archives.
His name is inscribed on the Arthur cenotaph as well as the Halifax Memorial in Nova Scotia, the Jewish Canadian Veterans Memorial in Toronto’s Mount Sinai Memorial Park, and the War Monument in Baron De Hirsch Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Montréal.
Following the speakers, a small group gathered to watch Troy Weber from Wellington North Power install Park’s banner on a George Street lamp post.
Local men made the ultimate sacrifice
grave 1).
the Star states. According to the Erin Advocate, Saunder’s funeral “was one of the largest seen here for years.
“He was buried with Masonic honours, but Chaplain Morris of the RAF camp at Leaside conducted the burial service. He was accompanied from the camp by six cadets, who acted as pallbearers.”
Laurence Harrison
Aubrey Woodham
Master Corporal
Aubrey Allen Woodham, from Moorefield, enlisted in the RCAF as a steward in 1964.
His parents were Aubrey and Hilda Woodham.
Vincent Hanson
Sapper
Vincent James Hanson was the son of Annie Jamieson (formerly Hanson), of Kenilworth, and John Hanson.
Bracey was 25 years old.
He is buried in the Mount Forest (Holy Cross) Cemetery.
Hugh Wilford
Private Lawrence Tolmie Harrison lived in Fergus before enlisting with the 153rd Battalion in March, 1916, at just 16 years old. He later served with the Canadian Infantry (Western Ontario Regiment), 18th Battalion.
His parents were Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Harrison, from Acton.
Harrison died on Aug. 8, 1918, at 18 years old.
According to the Toronto Star, he was “later honoured by being made a sergeant on the field.”
Jack Stafford
Private John “Jack”
George Stafford lived in Elora before serving in the Midland Regimant, RCIC, during the Second World War.
He was married to Mary Georgina Stafford of Orton and his parents were John and Annie Stafford.
Stafford died on Feb. 9, 1943, at 23 years old. He is buried in the Elora Cemetery (lot 44, section B,
He had three children, Alan, Leeanne and Carol, with his wife Carolyn Constance Agnes (nee Safriuk) Woodham.
They married on May 18, 1968 at the Canadian Forces base Portage la Prairie, in Manitoba.
Woodham reassigned to traffic technician in 1973.
He was flying in a Canadian Forces Hercules plane on Oct. 15, 1980, as part of a search for a civilian helicopter “that had vanished in the wilderness about 300 miles north of Montreal,” according to the Toronto Star.
Eight crewmen died in the crash. There were two survivors. Woodham was 33 years old.
Harold Downey
Private
Harold Bertram
Downey was the son of David A. Downey and Ethel W. Downey of Drayton.
He was married to Evelyn Downey, also of Drayton.
He served in the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, RCIC.
Downey died on Dec. 6, 1943. He was 37 years old.
He is buried in the Drayton (Victoria) Cemetery (lot 26, range L, grave 1).
Hanson served in the Canadian Engineers and died on Dec. 19, 1919, at 22 years old.
He is buried in the Arthur (St. John’s) Cemetery (lot 16).
Thomas Bracey
Leading Aircraftman
Thomas Stafford Benedict
Bracey was the son of Dr. John F. Bracey and Mary Bracey of Mount Forest.
He was born on Dec. 12, 1919 and was brother to John F. Bracey, who lived until 1986.
Bracey was in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and suffered multiple gunshot wounds in Belgium on Sept. 9, 1944.
He was evacuated to the Royal Air Forces Hospital Northallerton, and then repatriated to the Christine St. Hospital in Toronto, where he died more than six months later, on March 20, 1945, as a direct result of his wounds.
Private Hugh Denzil Wilford “lived in Palmerston practically all of his life,” according to a clipping from the Toronto Star
He was the son of councillor Neil Wilford and Isabella Matilda Wilford, and worked as a locomotive foreman at the Grand Trunk Railway.
“On the outbreak of the war, [Wilford] immediately decided to go to the front,” states a clipping from the London Free Press
He married Anna Smith days before leaving for Valcartier training camp.
Wilford enlisted with the Grey’s Horse in Brantford and was transferred to the 48th Highlanders, and then later to the Divisional Cyclist Corps.
Wilford received a gunshot wound and was taken to Victoria Hospital in London, England, where he died of his injuries on Aug. 9, 1915.
He is buried in the Palmerston Cemetery (lot 32, Blk M).
infantry training, and my dad served with the First Canadian Engineers, mainly in Belgium.
William Reginald Harcourt left behind his mother, another brother and three sisters (his late father was a veteran of the 95th Battalion in the First World War).
He was 24 when he was killed.
The ceremony
My wife and I decided to make the journey to take part in the ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen op Zoom.
When we arrived, we were first taken by the beauty of this town, but also amazed that every building had a least one Canadian flag hanging from it.
They put the flags up every October, to pay homage to the brave soldiers that died while helping liberate them. Their goal is that no citizen will ever forget what happened.
Their children are taught about it from an early age, and complete projects on the soldiers buried there.
In the days leading up to Oct. 27, students staged moving theatre, where a guide would take groups of people on a tour of the path taken by the Canadians. They tried to make it
as real as possible, telling everyone to be quiet while the guide listened for the enemy.
They recreated the “Hell Bill” line, which all Dutch people seem to know.
I introduced myself to a couple of different Dutch people, and when I told them my name was Bill, they smiled and said the line. It is on a sign that shows where the Canadian and the British Cemeteries are situated. There is a “you are here” mark, and a “Hell Bill” mark.
These theatres also told the story of Canadian
Sergeant Charles Kipp coming face to face with Lieutenant Carl Heinz Hulst, their rifles pointed at each other.
Neither wanted to kill the other, so they slowly lowered their weapons and turned and left.
In 1986 they both attended a WWII memorial service in Bergen op Zoom, and actually recognized each other. They embraced and after that day became good friends. They even vacationed together with their families.
The moving theatre also reenacted the aforementioned story of Kees de Waal helping the Canadians.
Wellington heroes
On Oct. 25 we went to the cemetery, 80 years to the day my uncle was killed. While there, we found and paid our respects to five Wellington County residents that were also buried in this cemetery.
We found out about them due to the incredible tribute annually displayed on the lawn of the Wellington County Museum and
Archives in Aboyne.
Each year leading up to Remembrance Day, museum officials put out a memorial marker for every Wellington County soldier that has been killed in war.
Sadly, there are more than 550 of them. It is quite moving, especially when they light a candle at each marker and leave it lit until after Remembrance Day.
Below are some details about five heroes whose graves we visited.
Private Clarence Albert Shaw of the Royal Regiment of Canada was survived by his parents Harold Walter Shaw and Dora Lavinia of Kenilworth. He left his job as a labourer to serve his country and was killed on Oct. 28, 1944 at the age of 23.
Lieutenant John Trelawney Scudamore of Mount Forest was with the British Columbia Regiment when he was killed on Oct. 29, 1944. He was in charge of a tank crew that suffered hits in a huge day-long battle. He was 21 years old.
Nicknamed “Scud,” he was survived by his parents, Reverend Harold Burt Scudamore and May Trelawney Scudamore.
Gunner Edward James Patterson, also from Mount Forest, was with the Royal Canadian Artillery, 19 field regiment, and was 21 when killed on Nov. 7, 1944. He was survived by his parents Harold Dufferin Patterson and Sarah Patterson of Guelph.
Lieutenant Austin Michael Heffernan of The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, was 25 when killed by a roadside bomb on June 6, 1945. He was the son of Charles and Margaret Heffernan of Arthur.
Private Ernest Cornelius Gibbs of Fergus enlisted in October 1943 and went overseas in August 1944. He was with the Argyll and Southern Highlanders of Canada, and was 20 years old when killed on Oct. 29, 1944. He was survived by his wife, Harriet Jane Gibbs, his parents Ernest and Beatrice Gibbs of Long Branch, and a brother William and sister Viola Cole, both of Toronto.
‘Never forget’
On the evening of Oct. 25, the Royal Dutch Air Force band played a concert in the Theatre de Maagd titled Sounds of Freedom. It was a tribute to the Canadians who fought there. They played songs from the 1940s as well as some more contemporary ones.
A video played during some songs, with actual footage of the fighting, and people cheering as the Canadians came into town.
The street where the Canadians first gathered before entering the city has been renamed Canadalaan or “Canada Lane.”
Saturday morning there
was a very touching service to dedicate a park on Canadalaan, renaming it South Alberta Garden.
The South Alberta honour Guard was there. A local band in period costume played hits from the 40s. Thousands of locals came out to cheer the new name.
When the Germans retreated from Bergen op Zoom, they blew up the main bridge into the town.
The Canadians quickly put up a Bailey Bridge, and when a permanent bridge was finally built, it was renamed the Lincoln Bridge, after the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.
Saturday afternoon there was a parade through the square featuring bands and WWII vehicles. Temporary bleachers were set in the square and they were full, with many more standing around the perimeter.
Saturday evening there was a Taptoe, or Tattoo, with the Lincoln and Welland Band and seven other marching bands. They were all great and very entertaining. After the bands finished, the pubs were overflowing onto the square. It was a real street party and dance.
I spoke with many residents, and they all kept
thanking me for what our soldiers did for them. It was very touching.
Sunday was the 27th, and a very sombre and moving service was held in the cemetery.
Hundreds of people attended; most rode their bicycles out from town. The Lincoln and Welland Band played the anthems of Canada and the Netherlands.
Ambassadors from a dozen countries attended and laid wreaths. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands also attended, and also laid a wreath.
The Canadian Ambassador gave a moving speech, thanking the Dutch for remembering the sacrifice of Canadians, and for their commitment to ensuring that it will never be forgotten.
The only Canadian Legion branch in the Netherlands is located in Bergen op Zoom, Branch 005. Its members served as the honour guard at the service, and also paraded the Canadian Remembrance Torch, a flame kept burning for everyone to remember the events of 1944.
Bergen op Zoom will never forget the sacrifices of Canadians, and I’ll never forget the events of this amazing week.
* * *
Bill Harcourt is a resident of Alma who travelled to the Netherlands and was in the city of Bergen op Zoom from Oct. 24 to 28.
Services
Legions to host services across
By Advertiser staff
WELLINGTON COUNTY
– Remembrance services will be held throughout the county, both on and leading up to Nov. 11.
Aberfoyle
The Puslinch Optimist Club is once again organizing the ceremony for Remembrance Day this year.
Events get underway at the Puslinch Community Centre in Aberfoyle at 10:30am on Nov. 11, and there’s often a short processional from the building to the cenotaph on the grounds in time for the 11am minute of silence.
It’s a non-denominational service with many churches participating.
The Optimist Club also holds a dinner each year to honour area veterans.
Cadets are invited to help serve the meal and to hear first hand accounts from the veterans.
Arthur
The Arthur Legion will honour those who have served in Canada’s military with a service at the local cenotaph on Nov. 11 at 11am.
A parade including Legion members, cadets, emergency services personnel and local dignitaries will precede the service, with the parade forming at the Legion at 10:40am
The Legion will host its Remembrance dinner on Nov. 9 at 7pm in the upstairs hall of the Arthur Legion. People must reserve tickets in advance by calling 519-
848-2622.
Belwood
On Nov. 10, the Fergus Legion will host a Remembrance service at the Belwood cenotaph at noon.
Clifford
In Clifford on Nov. 10 at 2pm a ceremony will be held at the cenotaph by the Harriston Legion Branch 296, for those who want to remember those who have fallen.
The cenotaph is located at 8 Clarke Street North in Clifford.
Drayton
Drayton Legion, Branch 416 will be holding a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Drayton Memorial Park and Cenotaph (45 Wellington St. N.).
At 2pm on Nov. 11, a parade will make its way from the Legion to the Cenotaph. The ceremony is set to begin at 2:15pm.
Refreshments will be served at the Legion after the ceremony.
Elora
Elora Legion Branch 229 will participate in a service in Elmira on Nov. 10 and the Elmira Legion will join in Elora’s service on Nov. 11 at 10:45am at the Elora cenotaph.
Also on Nov. 11, the Elora Legion is hosting a veteran’s dinner. Reception at 5pm and dinner at 6pm.
Erin
Erin Legion Branch 442 (12 Dundas Street East) will be hosting a Remembrance Dinner on Nov. 9. Doors will open at 5:30pm for cocktails with dinner at 6pm.
Light memorial candles for county museum display Nov. 10 to 12
ABOYNE – The County of Wellington is once again honouring people from the county who have died in conflicts with a display of memorial markers on the lawn of the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
More than 500 memorial markers have been placed on the lawn commemorating the contributions of those who died in conflicts
from the First World War to Afghanistan.
On Nov. 10 at 5:30pm, people are invited to place candles in tribute on each of the memorial markers.
“This informal and poignant tribute takes place at dusk on Nov. 10 and the candles will remain lit until Nov. 12,” the event announcement reads.
Candles are provided and everyone is welcome.
CORPORATION OF The Town of Grand Valley
REMEMBRANCE DAY
Remembrance Day Service at the Grand Valley Cenotaph
November 11, 2024 at 10:50 A.M.
In the event of inclement weather the service will be held in the Grand River Room at the Grand Valley & District Community Centre, 90 Main St. N.
REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED AT THE COMMUNITY CENTRE FOLLOWING THE SERVICE.
On Nov. 10 the Legion will be hosting a cenotaph service at 10:45am with a parade back to the legion at 11:30am. A light lunch after the service with the veterans and legion members will be included after the parade.
On Nov. 11 at 10:45am the legion will host another ceremony at the Erin Cenotaph. with no events following the service.
Fergus
On Nov. 9 Legion members will take part in the opening ceremonies for the Mustang Girls Remembrance Day Classic hockey tournament, at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex at 11am.
On Nov. 10 the Legion hosts a Remembrance dinner at the Legion Hall. Reception at 5:30pm; dinner at 6:30pm.
On Nov. 11 the Remembrance Day parade departs the Legion at 10:45am and marches to cenotaph for 11am service. The public is encouraged to attend. In the event of very bad weather, the service will be held in Legion hall.
Harriston
The Harriston Legion will be holding a ceremony on Nov. 11 at 11am at the Harriston cenotaph on Elora Street.
Mount Forest
Members of the Mount Forest Legion have two services planned to mark Remembrance Day; though, one happens the day before.
The Legion will hold a service on Nov. 10 at 2pm at the cenotaph in Holstein, in Southgate Township.
The main service will take place on Nov. 11 in Mount Forest, with a parade starting at 10:40am, making its way from Parkside Drive along Highway 6 to the Cenotaph.
county
Legion members, local dignitaries, and current military service members from Camp Borden are expected to take part.
Highway 6 is expected to be closed between 10:40 and 11:30am for the event.
Palmerston
On Nov. 11 the Palmerston Legion will be leaving the Legion at 10:30 am with a parade marching to the cenotaph (located next to the Wellington County Library branch). After the ceremony the parade will walk back to the Legion for a lunch around noon.
That same day the Legion will be hosting a Remembrance Day supper at 6pm. Tickets can be purchased at the Palmerston Legion.
Palmerston Knox Presbyterian Church will be holding a service of remembrance on Nov. 10 at 10am.
Rockwood
Local elementary school students and member of the community will gather together to honour the contributions of veterans in a Remembrance Day service in the village on Nov. 11.
The service begins at 10:55am and will be preceded by a parade. People wishing to join are asked to assemble at the Rockwood Post Office on Guelph Street between 10:30 and 10:40am.
Following the service, attendees are invited to gather for refreshments at St. John’s Anglican Church.
Salem
Elora Legion Branch 229 will host a Remembrance Day service in Salem on Nov. 11 at 9:30am at the Salem cenotaph.
The Salem ceremony remembers soldiers from Salem and the Township of Nichol who served and some who died while serving.
Fergus Legion Br. 275
Remembrance Day Activities
Monday, November 11, 2024
Remembrance Day Service at 10:45AM at the Fergus Cenotaph
The parade leaves the Legion at 10:30 for those wishing to join parade to cenotaph.
All wreaths will be at the Cenotaph prior to the service.
The names of the Veterans will be read out as usual and the Fergus Bell from Branch 275 will sound following each name.
Remembrance Dinner - November 10th Limited tickets are $25 each and available at The Legion.
Br. 275 Fergus
Remembrance Day Services
November 11, 2024
9:30am Salem Cenotaph | 10:45am Elora Cenotaph Light refreshment at the branch after Elora service
Remembrance Day Dinner in the Maple Leaf Room
Everyone Welcome
Social 5:00pm | Dinner 6:00pm
Member & Speaker: David Elloway CD, M.A.-DEM, Topic: Cadets Program Tickets $25 Elora Legion Branch 229 519.846.9611 | eloralegion.ca 110 Metcalfe Street Elora bookings@eloralegion.ca
Remembrance Day Service, Monday, November 11th, 2024
The Township of Guelph/Eramosa invites our community to come together for a special day of remembrance as we honour the courage and sacri ces of those who have served and continue to serve our country. This year, we will hold one uni ed service with the participation of students from Rockwood Centennial Public School, making it a heartfelt tribute to our veterans.
Date: Monday, November 11, 2024
Time: 10:55 a.m.
Location: Rockwood Cenotaph (Main St. South & Guelph St.)
Parade Information:
Participants will gather at the Rockwood Post O ce on Guelph Street between 10:30 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. The parade will proceed to the Cenotaph, where the service will take place.
After the ceremony, everyone is warmly invited to join the Rockwood Fire Department for refreshments at St. John’s Anglican Church Hall.
Please Note: Temporary road closures, including a portion of Highway No. 7, will be in e ect during the service. We thank you for your understanding and support as we gather in gratitude and re ection.
We remember all of those who risked – and lost – their lives ghting for the freedoms we enjoy today.
Lest we Forget.
REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICES
Sunday, November, 10th & Monday, November 11th, 2024 at the Erin Cenotaph at 10:45am
Ecumenical Church Service at the Erin Cenotaph during Sundays service and we will parade back to the Erin Legion for light refreshments in the downstairs lounge.
All are welcome.
242 Ross Ferguson Cadet Squadron will be holding a Vigil at the Erin Cenotaph from 8:00pm Nov 10th until 8:00am Nov 11th , 2024. Please take a moment to stop by and witness this beautiful tribute to our Veterans.
REMEMBRANCE DINNER
Saturday, November 9th, 2024
Social 5:30pm | Roast Beef Dinner 6:00pm Guest Speakers
Tickets $25 Available at the Erin Legion until November 4th, 2024
