HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-11-07, Page 9Candians we r e truc
As die ereller yam mem Ohms
ehreeit damn hlhda &net. traffic
snooped mai w►aithed tram
the air *elks. Same Moa/ In
sheat A kw wept. Same
cheered a ba of aided est to
waders they knew - w as officer
who bind for yaw devoted his
spare dna to the rigida battery,
to a genial gauge drags the alssaas,
to a farnsbuy► tram Taylor Village,
w a swan milli a polka record, to
a teenager leaving the prettiest
girt la towa.(NC)
Whoa war dune, Canadians
volunteered readily 10 serve sties
country y ask oris of liberty.
cynic nic marfames, from small
towns and large cilia across the
country, riding high on the initial
wave of uddignatwn, cxcittanent and
patriotism They joined Canada's
war a fun prepared to defend. to
THE mstoet ExPOINTOR reuVENBEltt )91113-0
chanuioii, of libert
use for the wounded, 10 prep me
ora vials of war, attd to provide
eanowx. and nasal wippun.
Wier has always SSW *Stk.
8cwuc:twtn, abreact eros bared
ones, but w the initial merge of
patriotic tenor these played a
secondary role. For dee anal aid
woman who rallied to support their
nation's cause, the threats of war
seamed far away and unreal in the
fall of 1914 as the First Contingent
on imgent
of Canadians left the shelterof the
St. Lawrence for the open Adauuc:,
some of the realities urate uha
focus. Nursing Sister Constance
Bruce wrote:
''Thuat who can forward had
not stropped to count the coact, fear
the exciseman was thnlling, the
lottery alluring, and the cause
glorious; but now that the confusion
was passed and the fulfillment of
Wartime sa
By 1915, more than 425,000
Canadian troops had been sent
overseas from a country whose
population was eight mullion.
The Canadian soldiers faced the
first attack of poison gas in history
at Ypres, Belgium. Yet, they stood
up united and held their position
against the Germans.
It was also the Canadians, who at
dawn on the rainy Easter morning
of April 9, 19-17, fought the Ger-
mans and won the strategic hill
called Vimy Ridge. 11 was the
Canadian troops who were vic-
torious against the Germans where
the British and French troops had
once failed. The Canadian forces
fought for five long days to secure
the ridge.
It was then time to take account
of the dead.
Out of the 100,000 Canadians
who took part in the battle, 3,598
were killed and 7,004 soldiers were
wounded.
Canada was called to war again
in 1939. This time, however, the
war received more exposure, so in
addition to the countless dead.
crifices
Canada lost its innocence as wen.
At dawn on August 19, 1942,
6,000 soldiers prepared to invade
the beaches of Dieppe. Five
thousand of those soldiers were
Canadian.
Dieppe proved, however, to be
one of the worst battles Canadian
troops faced. Many assault troops
approaching from the sea never
made it to the shores, and those
troops that did make it were under
constant fire from the heavily
defended Germans. There were also
many troops who were killed by
hidden mines etc... and never made
it to the fortifications.
After the bloody battle ended,
Canada once again took account of
her dead - 900 killed, 500 wounded
and more than 2,000 soldiers taken
prisoner.
All across Europe, there are
monuments commemorating the
Canadian dead. At the Vimy Ridge
monument, 51,000 of Canada's
dead are carefully cared for in
remembrance of their supreme
effort and sacrifice for world peace.
was aiusc ,cvmuwd to be ta►,od.
things wok as a grease samba
amtv..."
cxxild they knave diet four
� �
death aid destructions
Again in 1939, when tate
mobilization orders case for the
Second World War, Canadians
flocked to Cairn. They included
veterans of earlier wars, boys still
in high school. and thousands of
unemployed. The recruits caste
from many regions aid from varied
backgrounds. Aubrey Covets, 18
years of age, a railway section hand
at Pearyuis Junction, Ontario was
rejected by the RCAF but did get
into the Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders. Robert Gray, oe
on from the University of
nosh Columbia, joined the Navy,
John Foote, a 35 -year-old Pres-
bytenan minima, joined the
chaplain carps. All were typical
Canadians and all distinguished
thanselves and won the Viclona
Cross.
Even as they experienced one
brutality of the war, some men took
time to question the forces which
had brought the hostility between
countries to its present state, and to
ponder on the ability to return to
normal. Donald Pearce wrote these
words from a front line dugout:
"Why will it a• ate rr y
and the tanks. the dyisi dyawg
assn, tsc dsalrucous of hams. at
ctucs, sIwvauoa, esharse ion.
disease, dailies parader ads/ bit.
caps hill of siiivenog atarwg
promos. long hues of civilians
pkoddieg through mud. the codices
powid of the ladle -Liao."
For those who witness first herd
the barbaric realities of combat, the
desire for reason and for peace was
domino. Yet sol $cf w years
latter, in 1950, C�atadtan»► were
again called to uphold the cause of
peace and freedom. The an and
woman who served under the
United Nations flag in Korea
included new recruits as well as
veterans from the previous war.
Along with various army units, the
navy and the airforce provided vial
support and endured months of
hardship in the hope of mfg
world peace.
For all of these conflicts fought
in far-off lands, there is much to
remember. Foremost art the popole,
the men and woman who served
wherever they were needed. They
faced difficult situations bravely
and brought honor to t►amaelves, to
their loved ones, and to their
country. They were ordinary
Canadians who made extraordinary
sacrifices.
Remember
(NC) — Every November 11th,
Canadians across the country pause
in a silent moment of remembrance
for the men and women who served
our country during wartime. We
honour those who fought for
Canada — in the First World War
(1914-1918), the Second World War
(1939-1945) and the Korean War
(1950-1953). More than 1,500,000
Canadians served overseas — more
than 100,000 died. They gave their
lives and their future so that we mav
live in peace.
NOVEMBER 11
Take time
to pause
and remember
'Greater love hath no man -
than he who would die for a friend..."
And we honour, today, our Veterans:
Those courageous women and men..
All of the "Brave' who did "Battle":
Our Heroes of Yesterday:
And we gather at the Cenotaph
To honour The Valiant,- The Brave...
These were the "Defenders of Freedom
Who fought so "Man' might live free:
And we honour, - November 11th, -
Our 'Fighters for Liberty".
'Neath November skies, - cold and grey, -
At the Eleventh Hour -
Of the Eleventh Day,
As "The Last Post" fades, soft, away,
"In Memoriam" we quiet pray
For those who defended the "Land"...
Defenders of faith and freedom:
Veterans: Now grown old...
But, their hearts are young, -
And their memories clear
Of a Battle, brave and bold...
A Battle fought!
And a Battle won!
"...and at the rising of the sun
and at its going down..."
WE SHALL REMEMBER...
-Julia Eckert -MacLean
A moment to
remember
those who
gave their lives
STEDMANS
"Where Service Is Always In Style"
Main St. Seaforth 527-1950
REMEMBERING
THE VETERANS
ROSS RIBEY, DIRECTOR
WHITNEY-RIBEY
FUNERAL HOME
Goderich St. W., Seaforth 527-1390
They Fought
For
Our Freedom
Seaforth
527-1610
SPONSORED BY THE STAFF
OF THE
HURON EXPOSITOR