NOVEMBER 4, 2016 | THE WELLINGTON ADVERTISER | 23
LEST WE FORGET
A parachute pioneer: Remembering Garnet Wilson MOUNT FOREST Garnet Wilson was only 19 years old when he enlisted in the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. He was among the first in Canada to be part of the airborne regiments, which gained an international reputation for courage and tenacity. This is his story. Wilson was born on May 19, 1923 in West Luther Township, now Wellington North. He was one of 15 children. Wilson was working as a truck driver when he and his cousin Doug Wilson signed up for service in September of 1942. He applied for the new parachute recruiting campaign. He was accepted after rigorous fitness and endurance testing. He, along with 550 other recruits, travelled by train to Georgia for training, as there was no Canadian facility for the new battalion. In Georgia, he endured gruelling physical exercise, daily runs, parachute drills
and many practice jumps, first from a tower and then an aircraft, to qualify as a paratrooper. By March 1943, Canada had established its own training center at CFB Shilo, Manitoba. By the end of June, the Canadian government decided the paratroopers would travel overseas to join the British Airborne. On July 20, Wilson and the other paratroopers left for Halifax before crossing the Atlantic to England on the Queen Elizabeth. Paratrooper training wasn’t easy. After joining the 3rd British Parachute Brigade, the paratroopers started on a program of extreme physical and mental training. This included a 10 mile run in under two hours, carrying 60 pounds of gear; compass and map reading; navigating for night movement behind enemy lines; learning to fight in the woods; and more. In September 1944, the Canadians had to take the British parachute conver-
sion training. This included jumping with one parachute and no spare. They jumped first from a tower, then a moored training balloon, and lastly, from a Whitley Bomber. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion adopted the British Pegasus symbol and maroon berets. During his time in England, Wilson experiences the blackouts in London, air raids and bombings.
On June 7, in complete darkness, Wilson crossed the English Channel. After a year of training, Wilson and the rest of the battalion were to be deployed as part of Operation Overlord, which would be known as D-Day. The paratroopers’ mission would be to land on June 5, 1944, one day prior to the full scale invasion. The Canadians’ mission was to secure the drop zone,
then destroy bridges over the Dives River and neutralize strong points at Le Mesnil crossroads. Wilson never made it to that deployment. During a training jump, Wilson broke his ankle and was hospitalized just months before the battalion was to leave. He was not cleared to parachute, so instead, on the morning of June 7, in complete darkness, Wilson crossed the English Channel. He told his family he remembered the ear piercing sounds of guns and the noise of the planes overhead. Upon reaching the shore, he and the others used their compasses to locate the meeting place of the battalion, at the Germancontrolled Le Mesnil crossroads. They secured the area for three months, when the Germans began to withdraw from the area. Of the 516 men who took part, only 173 returned. Wilson also took part in the Battle of the Bulge in
Airborne - West Luther resident Garnet Wilson (right and above, middle) was part of the pioneer 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion that served in the Second World War. He survived the war, but many of his comrades did not. Submitted photos the Ardennes, Operation Varsity in the Rhine area of Germany and the final push operation to Wismer. He took many photographs of his time in the army. His last roll of film was taken for development, but he never saw it again. On June 21, 1945, Wilson was back on Canadian soil. The paratroopers were the first to be repatriated, but were disbanded in September of that year. In 2004, 60 years after the battle on D-Day, Wilson
returned to Normandy with his family. Wilson passed away peacefully at the family farm on Aug. 18, 2013 at the age of 90. Wilson’s story was taken from a 2015 collection compiled by Barbara Jones.
Remembrance services ABERFOYLE Nov. 11 at 10:30am at the Puslinch Community Centre. ABOYNE Nov. 5 at 10:30am, ceremony on the front lawn of the county museum. Nov. 10 at 5:30pm, candle-lighting tribute begins on lawn of the museum. ARTHUR Parade starts at Legion on Nov. 11 at 10:30am. Cenotaph service to follow. BELWOOD Nov. 6 at 12:30pm at the cenotaph. CLIFFORD Nov. 6 at 2:15pm at the cenotaph.
DRAYTON Nov. 11 at 2:30pm at cenotaph. Parade forms at 2pm, leaves Legion at 2:15. ELORA Nov. 11 at 11am at the cenotaph. ERIN Cenotaph service on Nov. 6 at 10:45am, followed by parade to Legion and nondenominational service at Legion hall. Nov. 11 at 10:45am at the cenotaph. FERGUS Nov. 6 at 12pm, church service at Bethel Baptist Church, preceded by Legion colour party parade. Nov. 11 at 11am at the cenotaph. Parade forms at Legion at 10am.
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GRAND VALLEY Nov. 11 at 10:30am at the cenotaph. GUELPH Nov. 11 service at the Sleeman Centre at 10:20am. Parade leaves the Armoury (7 Wyndham Street) at 9am. Service at John McCrae’s birthplace, 108 Water Street, on Nov. 11 at 9am. Woodlawn Memorial Park service on Nov. 11 at 10:45am. Gather at the Veterans’Area of cemetery at Canadian flag. HARRISTON Nov. 11 at 11am at the cenotaph. Parade from Legion starts at 10:30am.
THANK YOU to our veterans for their sacrifice. We remember the fallen and are grateful for our freedom.
MOUNT FOREST Nov. 11 at 10:30am. Parade starts at Legion. Cenotaph service to follow. PALMERSTON Nov. 6 at 10:30am at Palmerston United Church. Nov. 11 at 11am at the cenotaph. ROCKWOOD Nov. 5 at the cenotaph at 10:45am, with reception to follow in St. John’s Anglican Church Hall. Nov. 11 service, in partnership with Rockwood Centennial Public School, at the cenotaph at 10:50am. SALEM Nov. 11 at 9:30am at the cenotaph.
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