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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2015-04-22, Page 194 I I I I • ' QUIET AREA OF TOWN A tribute of honour Lynda Hillman-Rapley Special to the Expositor Rest assured that beyond the awards that we bestow today, the most essential thing is our duty to remem- ber, which is naturally extended to all those who took part in D -Day opera- tions –Ambassador Nicolas Chapuis On April 9th Zurich's John Byrne was honoured along with seven other veterans at the French Embassy in Ottawa. In total 650 veterans were awarded this honour to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Normandy. John William Byrne was a young man of 19 in June 1944 when he climbed aboard a landing craft in Southampton England, which his fellow North Nova Scotia Highlanders and set sail for Normandy. He has given up his rank as sergeant and his safe job as a weaponry instructor to re -join an overseas regi- ment as a private. A month later he was sailing for Juno Beach and "a bloody encounter with the Germans." He said as far as you could see the English Channel was filled with ships of all kinds. "A lot of guys got sick, not seasick but from the fuel smell of the self-igniting meals they gave us." He and his regi- ment hit the beaches on what he calls " a typical June morning. It was cold and the sun was shining." "Our Canadian forces were very prominent that day:' That day, as the casualties mounted, Byrne found him- self burying the dead. "I dug the first grave the cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer after D -Day," he sad, "I just hap- pened to be closed to the padre when this young man was killed and I dug a grave in a large filed." "Three weeks later I came back that way for some reason and passed by the field. There was nothing but crosses as far as the eyes could see." Byrne was wounded on two occasions: on June 9th, 1944, in Normandy, and on September 19th, 1944, in Boulogne. The severity of these injuries prevented him from con- tinuing on with the cam- paign for France. Hell was not something the 15 -year old Nova Scotia native knew much about when he joined the army in 1940. His father was proud of him for signing up but his mother was distressed. Once he became a lance corporal at the age of 16 he decided there was no turning back. By the time he arrived in England in 1941 he was 16. He married his wife Teresa in June 1950 and they have been married 65 years this June. They have five children Keith (Lucille), Kevin (Ivy), John, Diane and Denise. Teresa and his children were at last week's ceremony in Ottawa. Ambassador Chapuis wel- comed the veterans to the Embassy of France on April 9th, which was also Vimy Day. "The Battle of Vimy, in 1917, was a symbolic battle for Canada because it was the first time in the history of the Confederation that a Canadian contingent fought—successfully—under Canadian command and under the Red Ensign, Cana- da's flag at the time." "In 2014, in commemo- ration of the 70th anniver- sary of the landing opera- tions that led to the liberation of France, it was decided that France would honour 300—a figure that has been since doubled to 650—Canadian veterans who took part in these operations, awarding them the rank of Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest national order in the Republic of France. This campaign could never have taken place without the cooperation of the Canadian government: Veterans Affairs Canada contributed to the identifi- cation and verification of the backgrounds of veter- ans." he said. The Ambassador said, "This campaign is now closed. We did all we could to honour as many veter- ans as possible: first by extending the submission deadline by one year, then by doubling the number of recipients. We have received many calls and letters from veterans who would like to receive this award. Unfortunately, we cannot follow through on these requests. I hope that they know that my coun- trymen remember and will continue to remember their dedication," he said. Wednesday, April 22, 2015 • Huron Expositor 19 Courtesy of Byrne family John Byrne and Ambassador Nicolas Chapuis Cully: EL ESTATE LTD_ 33 Main St. Seaforth 519.600.1577 Direct 519.272.5413 THE SIGN THAT SA SO_D AMY McCLURE Sales Rep. 519-525-3988 KYLA COOK Broker 519-520-9557 MAUREEN WILDFONG Sales Rep. 519-525-9954 pIGai o Visit www.sellingseaforth.com To V,aew SIF Oi .Ir Usti GREAT FAMILY HOME 140 GODERICH ST WEST, SEAFORTH MLS # 504240 • $159,900 AFFORDABLE HOME 78 DALY STREET, SEAFORTH MLS # 391962 • $124,900 PRIVATE SETTING 29 BRIARHILL ROAD, SEAFORTH MLS # 746020 • $419,900 SPECTACULAR BACKYARD ;l,1' LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES 136 RAGLAN STREET, CLINTON MLS # 896229 • $316,900 MASTER WITH ENSUITE EXCELLENT LOCATION t, Komi • - .„ I "III 1Jo 1 �3 ," J :