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Home My WebLink AboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-11-11, Page 7Times -Advocate, November 11, 1987 • Page 7 European pilgrimage evokes memory of brother's sacrifice By Mark Bisset To John Boland, Match 10, 1944, "We have been inspected by Mon- tgomery and the King -- what it means, I don't know, unless they want to see us before they start the second front. But 1 think it will soon be over as far as Germany is concerned. At least I hope so, for l have been really fed up over here, especially since I came back off leave, for there ain't much to look forward to..." ' Corporal Joseph Patrick Boland, of the Essex Scottish Regiment. Joseph Boland wrote those words in what -would be hit; last letter to his brother John *ho was then working on their parents farm in McGillivray Township. Joseph was .in Europe, waiting to go into action against the Nazis. Four months later, after a sleepless night spent crawling on his belly through a French wheat field near Cannes, Joseph was struck by machine gun fire and killed as his regiment tried to take control of a German-occupied road. That was July 29, 1944. Joseph was 24 years old. Last September, John Boland made his own journey to Europe. His son, Captain Bernie Boland, is stationed in Lahr, West Germany with his wife Sharon and two children. Together with John and his wife Marg, the small group made a 4,400 kilometre trek through Western Europe. For John, now aLucan area farmer, it became a pilgrimage to his brother's grave. Joseph is buried in a military cemetery in Brettville, near Ca Like so many of the war cemeteries that the Bolands' visited, it is located' in the country, rows of stones clustered around a towering "cross of sacrifice". It was late in the day.. when the Bolands found the cemetery, sur- rounded by fields of wheat. Buried there are 2,782 known soldiers and 89 unknown soldiers. After two hours of searching, they found Joseph's_ grave. "I couldn't get over it," John says. "I was walking up and down the grave yard, looking at the stones and I couldn't believe how . young they were." John wrote down messages carved in some of the tombstones, things like: "He gave his life today •for our freedom tomorrow" and, on un- marked graves: "Known only to God". John finally found himself in front of Joseph's grave, the first in his im- mediate family to visit the site. "It was a funny feeling, just stan- ding over that grave -- emotional. To think you know :.. I often thought I wpuld like to go but I never got such a good opportunity." John's voice cracks with emotion as he recalls how he felt. "It's quite a feeling --- to think they're that far away and have died with no close friends, no neighbours, no relatives," he says. "It was so quiet, so lonely -- so. quiet." John explains that the sight of so many graves gave him a sense of Canada' monumental sacrifice in the First and Second World Wars. "When I was laying those flowers,' I was laying them for all thesoldiers oyer there. They gave so much for our freedom." The farmer said the journey had a greater impact on him than on his REMEMBERING - John Boland, a Lucan area farmer places flowers on the grave of his brother, Joseph Boland. Joseph is buried in Brettville, near Cannes in France. He was killed in action in July of 1944. Grade seven students poetry Although :he grade seven students at Exeter Public School have never personally experienced war, they were able to evoke the essence of both peace and war in diamante poetic form, using only 16 graphic words. The work of eight of the.budding young poets follows: Peace Freedom; joy Schooling, loving, caring Freedom, Canada --unexpected, bombs Killing, bleeding, crying Pain,:agony War. Heather Wagner Peace Calm, behaved Helping, playing, enjoying Unicef, people --Russia, America Arguing, fighting, shooting Rowdy, disagree War. Steve Farquhar Peace •Happiness, love Loving, laughing, helping Dove, Jesus -enemies, Vietnam Crying, feeling, complaining Pain, unhappiness War. Lisa Rowe Peace Happy, joyful Loving, sharing, safe Freedom, Remembrance Day -- prisoners, endangered Crying, shooting, dying Grief, pain War. Derek Beckett War Dangerous„ injurious Shooting, killing, fighting Domination, battle --together, glad Caring, loving, remembering Safe, quiet Peace. Darcee Chau War Horrible, disgusting Bloody, killing, crying U.S.S.R., Vietnam --Poppies, Remembrance Caring, loving, forgiving Freedom, love Peace. Neil Sadler Peace Quiet, beautiful Loving, caring, sharing Anti -war, life --Noisy, awful Hating, killing, blood -thirsty German, Apartheid War. Jeff Empringham Peace togetherness, freedom loving, sharing, caring people, friendship --soldiers, ammunition fighting, shooting, killing noisy," bloody War. Laurie Coolman Joseph Boland family, because he grew up with Joseph. "It was different for me because JOSEPH BOLAND'S GRAVE STONE-- located near Cannes. we'd done so many things together. The rest of the family, they'd never seen him, but they were sure glad to get there and see where it was," he says, adding that his son plans to return to the grave site before his tour of duty is over in Germany. On the same day that Joseph was killed, a neighbour- and good friend from McGillivray Township. Harvey Lewis, went missing. Lewis was a pilot officer. John was unable to find his grave. John did manage to find the tomb- stone of Joseph's best friend, Matt Brash. Brash, a native of London, On- tario, was killed in the same battle, within a few days of Joseph. After placing flowers on Joseph's grave, the little group continued their tour through France and Italy, stop- ping at various military cemeteries, \ including Vimy Ridge and Dieppe. The sites are cared for by an organization called the Canadian Commonwealth War Graves Associa- tion. The monument at Vimy is located on the land where the original battle was fought almost entirely by Canadians. The French government gave the land to Canada at the end of the First World War. "It's a real credit to Canada -- to go up and see.how beautiful it is," John says of the niemorial. A personal memorial to Joseph was. also arranged by the Federal govern- ment of Canada. A lake in Northern Ontario has been called Lake Boland in his memory. Asked to describe Joseph, John finds it difficult to pin -point the man. "He was quite a good boxer -- so was this Harvey Lewis. They used to box together. Het Joseph) could play the violin, the mouth organ. "He was going to be married when he came back... there's not one specific thing I could say I don't think." To John, March 10, 1944, "...you will be kept pretty busy 1 suppose...) see you have been helping Mac and Jake to cut wood. It don't seem long since you and I cut the wood for Mac -- is he still the same as ever?" Joseph Boland All you need to remember about home comfort is SYSTEMS BY LENNOX INSTALLED BY Serving horn" Lucas to Blyth GBAHEY9 HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING %HENSALL "We're proud to be your Lennox Dealer" AT EXETER'S SUNDAY REMEMBRANCE DAY COME IN AND PARTICIPATE MUM MI6 (TOP SLCRFI SJ%VINGS) am men ewe aim mei 411im mop PM,en, Mn Ceupen a MO pent. pmy in* mel. Iaet one <agan pen /erl We1*4 top Span M , IIS Moose MI meet yap No *aft GO.a.wFO/ WI M, *mum co pn'M Mdhlr a et [«e No lacer Geear* Ref *Mir 04t aunts erode* M. <Mn<e ,e ntu Ity.,n NIS IWO Ilepl See Ito ONerM IN s Casen reM len, *wow.I, INIa Aber, 1S. 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