D-Day: 72 Years Later
On 6 June we marked 72 years since D-Day. On this day in 1944, Allied Forces, including 83,000 British and Canadian personnel, stormed the beaches of Normandy.
While the campaign would prove successful, it would come at a great cost. Three hundred and forty Canadians would die on D-Day alone and the Canadians would suffer the most casualties of any division in the British Army Group during the Battle of Normandy.
100 Years Of The Tank: The Battle Of Flers-Courcelette Remembered
15 September marked 100 years since tanks were first used in combat at the Somme during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. Both Canadian and British soldiers were there.
Remembering 'The Few'
On 18 September in Ottawa a ceremony was held to mark the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The UK was represented by Royal Air Force Wing Commander Simon Hulme who joined the crowd in remembering the Canadian and British airmen who sacrificed their lives to defend Britain during the Second World War.
Remembering the Fighting Newfoundlander
To mark 100 years since the Battle of the Somme, we held a special screening of the 1916 film 'The Battle of the Somme' with accompaniment from the Memorial University Chamber Orchestra on September 30.
As a British dominion in 1916, 708 soldiers from the Newfoundland Regiment went over the top on 1 July 1916 at Beaumont-Hamel. Only about 110 would survived unscathed, of whom only 68 were available for roll call the following day. The unit as a whole suffered a casualty rate of approximately 80%.
Remembering the Piper
The story of Piper James Cleland Richardson is one of bravery and perseverance, as the video above describes.
On October 8th, 100 years after his death this Canadian/Scottish war hero was remembered in his hometown of Bellshill, North Lanarkshire.
Piper Richardson was one of 70 Canadians awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry, during the First World War.
Rededicated in their name
70 years after he lost his life, Canadian Royal Air Force crew member P/O Stephen Rose was one of six Royal Air Force crew members to have their graves identified and rededicated after they lost their lives in May 1940.
Born on 20 May 1915 in Alberta, Canada, P/O Rose was the son of Dr William Rose. He was accepted in Canada for a Short Service Commission with the Royal Air Force.
Sadly, it was not been possible to trace any of his family to invite them to the moving rededication ceremony on 25 October at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Choloy War Cemetery, France.
