Lt Jannah Mead 3rd Field Regiment, 115 Battery 31 May – 11 June 2019 It’s hard to know where to begin when I think back on my experiences with the battlefield tour in France. I arrived at the airport in Saint John NB on Friday morning excited to learn and experience all that France had to offer, while simultaneously feeling very unsure of what to expect and how things would be organized. As a teacher by profession, I generally end up being on the organizational side of things so this was at once a treat and a concern. Would it be everything I was hoping? What would we see? Would I be bored to tears or completely entranced? I didn’t know, but I was ready for anything. Upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, I realized how large our group was – approximately 70 people split into 2 groups: Serving members & Retired Members. General David Patterson (Ret.) was the tour guide for bus 1, and Dr. Alex Souchen and Sara Karn were the guides for bus 2. Fortunately, or perhaps not so fortunately, it was 9am in Paris and the tour started as soon as we were all seated. When we arrived at our first stop of the tour, Historical de la Grande Guerre 1914 – 1918 Museum in Péronne, I was excited. The blend of architecture and history was breathtaking. The weather was perfection and the location was stunning: a castle on a hill with a small lake just behind it. The inside did not disappoint, with open displays that allowed visitors to see artifacts from WWI spread throughout the building with obvious care and purpose. As we visited more and more museums, it was obvious that each one told a story. Although the overarching theme was the same, the story told at each location shone a light on a different aspect of the conflict: Strategy, Vehicles & Equipment, Civilians, Infrastructure, Unit Movements, Weather, etc. No two museums were alike, which made everything new, adding layer upon layer of information, resulting in an increasingly more complete understanding of the magnitude of war. From the first stop right to the final stop, I was completely entranced. Moving from one location to the next, our tour guides filled my mind with details and information that left me in wonder of the courage, the sacrifice, and the sheer reckless abandon of the men that answered the call to war. Looking around at the beauty of France, it was hard to believe that 75 years ago, these same towns and villages had been the battlefields of the Second World War. The numerous cemeteries left a profound impression on me. Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Cemetery, Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, Bény-sur-Mer Cemetery, Brentville-sur-Laize Cemetery, La Cambe German Cemetery, and the Normandy American Cemetery: White marble tombstones as far as the eye could see. Seeing the number 42 000 in a history book and seeing 42 000 tombstones are two extremely different experiences. Each tombstone represented a man who gave his life for a cause he believed in, and each man buried in those cemeteries represented a family and friends that mourned their loss at home. And yet, in spite of the tremendous human loss, the Allies could not be deterred from their task. They continued to press on until peace was finally achieved. The price for our peace came at a great cost, one that every Canadian citizen should have the opportunity to comprehend. I could write about dozens of different things that impacted me during the trip: the sand of the beaches where hundreds were killed, the Mullbury Harbour and the ingenuity of the Allies, the re-enactors and the authenticity that they added to each experience as we listened to the details of the conflicts, the locals that we met who gladly shared their stories of relatives that had fought and how they attended ceremonies each year in their honour. Unfortunately, all these things pale in comparison to the impact the tombstones had on me, and the messages from the families that were carved out with care. To be Canadian is to be free. To be free is to accept the sacrifice of the soldiers that have gone before us. In accepting that sacrifice, we are now tasked with remembering them and making sure our children remember them. To serve my country as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces is a privilege and an honour. I hope and I pray that each time I wear the uniform that I bring honour to the men and women that gave their lives so that I could have the life I have.
I will remember them. Lest we forget.
Sgt Robert Doherty 3rd Field Regiment, 89 Battery Before I begin, I want to thank all those involved in organizing and pushing for all of us to get on the Normandy tour, and special thanks to MWO MacLean for giving up his spot for me. It had been on my bucket list for the past twenty plus years to travel to Europe, and probably would have been twenty more without this opportunity. It is an exciting and solemn feeling to have walked over the ground of so much history. To see where our family, our neighbours, and countrymen’s boots once marched. To see some of the towns and places often read about, and how little some have changed or have been rebuilt on the old foundations. Watching videos and seeing pictures pale in comparison to actually being there. Being able to absorb the countryside, the lay of the land, and imagine how it must have been was simply awesome and indescribable. Being close to where my maternal grandfather’s brother fell in 1916 was a humbling experience as well. My grandfather spoke little of him or his other brother, who survived, leaving a bit of a blank spot in that family history. What I have learned of him is solely from official records. He was with 2nd FD Amb. and was killed by arty shrapnel. It’s kind of neat given my currant occupations. Our tour stopped just shy of his grave, but too far for a lone trip. Another bit of personal info, my paternal grandmother’s brother landed on Juno beach with the 17th Duke of York’s Hussars. He carried with him at that time a little New Testament bible. Just two days prior to our departure, it was given to me. It had just been found a week earlier while moving my grandmother, who had a few of his possessions and war relics, as he passed away some time ago. For whatever reason, I brought it with me to Juno beach, to kind of retrace his steps. The tour was a great opportunity to meet fellow Gunners from across the country. It did not take long to make connections from others mutually known, and get to know one another. One of the Sgts even grew up two houses down on the same street from where I currently live. Small world. Getting to know our regimental peers better was a great opportunity as well. We often get acquainted with each other during work, but lack time to socialize outside of work. Overall it was definitely a worthwhile trip, learning opportunity, and an exciting time.
Bdr Jacques Hébert 3rd Field Regiment, 89 Battery This past June 2019, I experienced the trip of a lifetime. We flew from Saint John, NB to Paris, with a lengthy layover in Toronto. We landed in Paris early in the morning local time, giving us most of the day to explore. I remember thinking, finally I’m here, in Paris. I was very tired after a long trip, but we jumped on the tour bus as soon we got there and the tour began. Our first stop was the Museum of the Great War (Péronne, France). I found it very interesting. I loved all the arches, the doorways, the worn-down steps. Over the 10 days in France, we visited multiple museum and sites. The Juno Beach D-Day ceremony was one of the most emotional parts of my trip. When visiting Normandy, I paid my respects to the French, British, Polish, Canadian, and American forces that were involved in the Battle of Normandy and the D-Day landings. What surprised me the most was the number of soldiers and military personnel that had also come from all corners of the world to pay their respects. I was touched by this act of affection and appreciation. It’s sometimes easy to forget just how many families and individuals were affected by the war, and continue to be affected today. One of my favorite things about my trip was not just seeing a new Country, but it was seeing and meeting new people. It’s a strange thing to meet people from across the world only to find out you are so much alike. The people I met in Normandy were truly some of my favorite. The food in France was incredible. Just their pastries alone were amazing! You can’t really overeat there because everything is perfectly sized…unless maybe you order two of everything. Their crepes are to die for! I only wish I could snap my fingers and be there again. It was such an incredible experience; truly amazing. Thank you to all those that made it possible for me to take this trip. I am forever thankful for being chosen, and I am grateful to have lived this once in a lifetime experience.
MBdr Shawna Patterson 115 Bty When I had first found out about this trip for the 75th anniversary, not only was I excited about going to France as I had never been there, but I was excited because it was a big ceremony for D-Day; one of the most important battles in WW2. I was excited about walking the countless battlefields and museums, as well as the beaches that the soldiers have fought on. Nothing can really prepare you to experience the battlefields, however it does give you a sense of what had happened there. When we got there, it was a long flight, and on the first day we went to Peronne to see Historical de la Grande Guerre Museum. There we learned about the First World War, and because we got done a little early, we took a little detour to Parc Memorial National Terre-Neuvien (Newfoundland Memorial Park) Baumont Hammel. There, we visited our first of many battle fields, seeing the old trenched from WW1, and our first CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) Cemetery made up of (now) Canadians, most of which were Newfoundlanders. Not only did we see Beaumont Hammel, we enjoyed the battlefields of Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Point 67, Carpiquet Airfield, Battle of Verriere Ridge, and the Fallais Gap. All of these were very important battles throughout WW1 and WW2. Learning about not only what happened during these battles, but the tactics, and everyday life of the soldiers, definitely made this trip a worthwhile experience. We not only got a chance to see some of the battlefields, but we walked some of the cemeteries as well. We got a chance to see the Beaumont Hammel, Vimy Ridge Memorial, Notre Dame de Lorette, Ring of Remembrance, Cabaret Rouge, Beny-sur-mer, Brentville-sur-Laize as well as a German, and an American cemetery. The one that hit home with me is Abbaye d’Ardenne, where there was 20 Canadians executed by the Germans for war crimes during WW2. Most of the Burials at Beny-sur-mer cemetery was from the thousands of soldiers who gave their life at Juno Beach. Learning about a lot of the WW2 battles, and how all of the allies took the beaches was not only interesting, but it was the beginning of the end of WW2. Learning about how the Americans took Utah, and Omaha beach, the British took Gold Beach, Canada took Juno Beach, and France took Sword Beach, was not only interesting, but seeing just how big the beaches were and all of the effort to take these beaches was mind blowing. Seeing Canada House was an amazing experience as the house is still owned by the children of the original owner. Hearing the stories, and the ceremony the family holds there every year on D-Day to remember what had taken place there, is an honor not only to the veteran’s, but the soldiers today. The dedication of the Gun on Point 67, and the Juno Beach Ceremony was an honour to be a part of. All of these ceremonies was a great part of the trip and I believe they need to keep happening as not only a way to honour the veterans that were present that day, but to teach younger people about these very important World Wars. Overall, it was a great trip. Walking the battlefields, beaches, and cemeteries was sobering. It was an honour to be present for the D-Day ceremonies, and the dedication of the Gun on Point 67. - Ubique!
Bdr Andrew Williams 3rd Field Regiment Band I was given the opportunity to take a tour to follow the steps of the RCA during the Invasion of Normandy. I walked the sand on Juno beach. I stood on Point 67, saw four weeks of fighting unfold. I saw where the Canadians closed the Falaise gap. This also afforded me my first trip outside of North America. It was simultaneously exciting and humbling. Two scenes continue to come into my thoughts and stop me for a moment, reflecting on the terrible price paid for our freedom. While trying to find my great-uncle Kenneth in the Ring of Remembrance at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette I found a panel with my entire family listed, Grandfather, uncle, father, brothers and myself. I know it’s not us, but to see our names, and know that it could have been us, is a dreadful and chilling feeling, especially at a place where, if you stand in certain spots, there are graves as far as the eye can see. The other was the German cemetery at La Cambe. It is a very understated place. You pass through a door, one person wide, unlike every other cemetery we saw, and the first thing you see is the tumulus, a mound 20 feet high, surmounted with a black stone cross with a statue of a mother and father on either side. Around this are clusters of five small basalt crosses and between them small brown grave markers, flat on the ground, in pairs. When you read the graves, you see each stone has two names. Then, as the realization of what this stone means, you look at the rest of the cemetery and see thousands of these stones, that initially go completely unnoticed. When this shock subsides, and you read the names, you see the names of fanatics and war criminals. Beside them you see names of people that you know were conscripted, forced to fight at gunpoint. This cemetery shows the human cost, the multifacetedness of war. That we must be ready to protect our country, friends and family, but not forget that there is a human, their friends and family on the other end of the muzzle. Le musée de la grande guerre has a novel layout. The walls of each of the several rooms are covered in cultural artifacts, while the center of the rooms have weapons and uniforms laid out on the floor, uncovered. Their message is concerned with the causes, and the civilian impact of the first World War. Towards the end of the displays, they have tables of uncurated, unrestored artifacts. Shells, casings, parts of rifles, daggers, jars, bottles, egg beaters, cookware. It’s easy to say, “a division fought here,” but it’s even easier to forget that that means “10 000 men lived and died here.” The D-Day academy, in Rots, was the most memorable museum of the tour. It gave you the chance to feel much closer to the soldiers than ever before. A warehouse, filled to the brim with relics, artifacts, weapons and vehicles. The owner wants you to be able to use all five senses: working the action on a Lee-Enfield, getting into the cockpit of a Hawker Hurricane, sighting a 25-pounder field gun. This experience brought everything you see in other traditional museums onto a personal level, much like standing in the Newfoundland trench with someone standing in the German trench at Vimy Ridge and throwing rocks at each other. The thing that brought both sides of it together was walking through the sand and surf at Juno beach, seeing Canada house, and touching the Mulberry Harbour at Gold beach. Knowing the sacrifice made on those beaches, walking where my grandfather and so many others walked, the threat of rain instead of bullets. Words fail to encompass the feeling; you really have to be there. It is very deeply and with a greatly increased sense of humility that I thank the Association for this opportunity, this once in a life time chance. I would also like to Recognize Gen. Patterson (Ret.), and our guides Sara Karn and Dr. Alex Souchen for explaining everything, answering our questions, and without whom the significance of most everything we saw would have been missed.