EvanL
11-09-2003, 12:47 PM
British remember Canada's contribution
A former Canadian military attache reflects on Remembrance Day ceremonies across the pond
By John Boileau / Special to The Sunday Herald ECHOES OF WAR
FROM 1994 TO 1998, as military attaché at the Canadian High Commission in London, England, I attended several events in honour of Canadians who fought and died as part of our contribution to two World Wars. Even after all these years, new memorials continue to be dedicated to Canadians and annual ceremonies remembering them take place.
My first such experience took place within days of my arrival. I represented Canada at a yearly ceremony in Newhaven, a town on the English Channel. In August 1942, ships carrying soldiers for the disastrous Dieppe raid had sailed from this small port.
At the Town Hall, before the formal ceremonies, I met the mayor and councillors, as well as a large French delegation. After a few speeches, we moved off to a simple memorial where a large number of veterans and others had assembled.
At the monument I laid a wreath emblazoned with CANADA, and I was followed by representatives of Canadian, British, French and Belgian veterans' organizations.
It was my first encounter with the Canadian Veterans' Association - UK; a group I quickly came to refer to as the "war grooms."
Many Canadians are familiar with "war brides," the women of British and other nationalities who married Canadian servicemen and moved to Canada, some 48,000 after the Second World War alone. Few realize another 25,000 Canadian servicemen who married British women chose to remain and live in Britain rather than return to Canada.
By the time I arrived in England, this group had dwindled to around 1,000 surviving members. At events commemorating Canada's war efforts, these old soldiers, sailors and airmen never failed to turn out in as large a number as their advancing age would allow to remember their fallen comrades.
One summer weekend in 1996, I journeyed to the Isle of Wight, off England's south coast. I was guest of honour at the annual reunion of 40 Royal Marine Commando, whose members had trained with Canadians for the Dieppe raid.
Near the village of Shanklin is an interesting geological feature known as Shanklin Chine, essentially a long, narrow, deep, steep-sided gully through which a small brook runs as it drops over several small waterfalls on its way to the sea.
As part of their training, in a daily ritual designed to toughen them up, Canadians and marines ran up Shanklin Chine from the beach, clambering over boulders, up waterfalls and through the stream until they eventually surfaced at the top where the Chine begins.
The Chine today is a remarkably peaceful place, a pleasant tourist attraction where you climb a wooden boardwalk projecting from its sheer sides to view its unique geology and rare plants. Near the entrance, next to a tiny teahouse, is a small memorial over which the flags of Canada, Britain and France fly in perpetual memory of the Dieppe raid.
In a moving ceremony on a bright Sunday morning I placed a Canadian wreath on the monument along with British veterans. All of them had fond memories of their Canadian comrades and told me several stories of their experiences training together.
In 1999, I participated in the dedication of a new addition to the town common in Crowborough, Sussex. During the Second World War, the Lincoln and Welland Regiment from Ontario's Niagara Peninsula was stationed there before crossing to Normandy.
In July 1944, one of Hitler's V-bombs fell on the town, killing a number of residents as well as 14 Canadian soldiers.
A row of maple trees, each with a brass plaque at its base with the name of a deceased Canadian, had just been planted at the edge of the common and a small brick walk laid out between them named Canada Way.
Each May, the Cavalry Old Comrades Parade and Memorial Service takes place at the impressive cavalry monument in London's Hyde Park. The memorial, a statue of St. George, was erected after the First World War. Behind the statue, on a low wall, the cavalry of Britain and the Empire that fought in that war are listed.
Among the regiments I found my own unit, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians).
A member of the Royal Family traditionally takes the salute at the statue, while serving and retired members of British cavalry regiments march past. The military attaches of the "old" Commonwealth - Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Pakistan - are always invited to share the saluting dais with the royal and are presented before the parade.
During my time in London, I stood with the Queen, Prince Charles (particularly appropriate as he is the colonel-in-chief of my regiment) and the Queen Mother, among others. The procession normally takes about 30 minutes to march past and I was astonished to see the Queen Mother, 97 at the time, stand for the entire parade.
During the two World Wars Britain was more deeply affected than Canada, coming under attack by German aircraft and ships on numerous occasions. Thousands of civilians were killed or wounded and many buildings destroyed or damaged.
Because of this, I was surprised to learn Remembrance Day is not celebrated on Nov. 11, but on the Sunday closest to that date, known as Remembrance Sunday. Annually on that day I attended the Royal Artillery service at the imposing gunner memorial at Hyde Park Corner to lay a wreath in memory of Canada's gunners.
But my most striking memory of a British tribute to Canada is that of Shorncliffe, a little town on the Kentish coast west of Dover, and the site of a large Canadian convalescent hospital during the First World War. Several soldiers evacuated from the front died here and are buried nearby.
Shorncliffe Military Cemetery is hidden away in a natural bowl tucked into the cliffs overlooking the English Channel, oriented towards France and Belgium, where the soldiers had been wounded. It is a perfect little suntrap, unusually warm and pleasant.
A service that has taken place there every year since 1919, on the Sunday closest to July 1, is one of the most touching ceremonies I have ever witnessed. Young children from various local schools, chosen on the basis of a poem, drawing or story about Canadian soldiers, participate in it.
Outside the cemetery, I joined the mayor, councillors, British army officers, Canadian veterans and others as we formed a small procession and proceeded to the cemetery. After wreath laying by myself and others, the mayor made a short speech, specifically addressed to the children, one standing behind each Canadian grave, about the sacrifice of those buried in the cemetery so many years ago.
When the mayor finished, each child then laid a posy on a Canadian grave. The competition is intense among the children to be chosen to take part. In many families it has become generational, with boys and girls honouring Canadians in the same way their parents and grandparents did.
After the service in 1995, I met a man who told me it was the first time his mother, now in ill health, had missed the ceremony in 85 years. She had been one of the original children laying flowers in 1919.
These are just a few of the many occasions during my time in England that showed me how the British continue to honour the commitment and sacrifice Canadians made in two World Wars.
They still remember.
John Boileau is retired from the military. He lives in Glen Margaret and contributes occasional articles about military history to The Sunday Herald.
A former Canadian military attache reflects on Remembrance Day ceremonies across the pond
By John Boileau / Special to The Sunday Herald ECHOES OF WAR
FROM 1994 TO 1998, as military attaché at the Canadian High Commission in London, England, I attended several events in honour of Canadians who fought and died as part of our contribution to two World Wars. Even after all these years, new memorials continue to be dedicated to Canadians and annual ceremonies remembering them take place.
My first such experience took place within days of my arrival. I represented Canada at a yearly ceremony in Newhaven, a town on the English Channel. In August 1942, ships carrying soldiers for the disastrous Dieppe raid had sailed from this small port.
At the Town Hall, before the formal ceremonies, I met the mayor and councillors, as well as a large French delegation. After a few speeches, we moved off to a simple memorial where a large number of veterans and others had assembled.
At the monument I laid a wreath emblazoned with CANADA, and I was followed by representatives of Canadian, British, French and Belgian veterans' organizations.
It was my first encounter with the Canadian Veterans' Association - UK; a group I quickly came to refer to as the "war grooms."
Many Canadians are familiar with "war brides," the women of British and other nationalities who married Canadian servicemen and moved to Canada, some 48,000 after the Second World War alone. Few realize another 25,000 Canadian servicemen who married British women chose to remain and live in Britain rather than return to Canada.
By the time I arrived in England, this group had dwindled to around 1,000 surviving members. At events commemorating Canada's war efforts, these old soldiers, sailors and airmen never failed to turn out in as large a number as their advancing age would allow to remember their fallen comrades.
One summer weekend in 1996, I journeyed to the Isle of Wight, off England's south coast. I was guest of honour at the annual reunion of 40 Royal Marine Commando, whose members had trained with Canadians for the Dieppe raid.
Near the village of Shanklin is an interesting geological feature known as Shanklin Chine, essentially a long, narrow, deep, steep-sided gully through which a small brook runs as it drops over several small waterfalls on its way to the sea.
As part of their training, in a daily ritual designed to toughen them up, Canadians and marines ran up Shanklin Chine from the beach, clambering over boulders, up waterfalls and through the stream until they eventually surfaced at the top where the Chine begins.
The Chine today is a remarkably peaceful place, a pleasant tourist attraction where you climb a wooden boardwalk projecting from its sheer sides to view its unique geology and rare plants. Near the entrance, next to a tiny teahouse, is a small memorial over which the flags of Canada, Britain and France fly in perpetual memory of the Dieppe raid.
In a moving ceremony on a bright Sunday morning I placed a Canadian wreath on the monument along with British veterans. All of them had fond memories of their Canadian comrades and told me several stories of their experiences training together.
In 1999, I participated in the dedication of a new addition to the town common in Crowborough, Sussex. During the Second World War, the Lincoln and Welland Regiment from Ontario's Niagara Peninsula was stationed there before crossing to Normandy.
In July 1944, one of Hitler's V-bombs fell on the town, killing a number of residents as well as 14 Canadian soldiers.
A row of maple trees, each with a brass plaque at its base with the name of a deceased Canadian, had just been planted at the edge of the common and a small brick walk laid out between them named Canada Way.
Each May, the Cavalry Old Comrades Parade and Memorial Service takes place at the impressive cavalry monument in London's Hyde Park. The memorial, a statue of St. George, was erected after the First World War. Behind the statue, on a low wall, the cavalry of Britain and the Empire that fought in that war are listed.
Among the regiments I found my own unit, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians).
A member of the Royal Family traditionally takes the salute at the statue, while serving and retired members of British cavalry regiments march past. The military attaches of the "old" Commonwealth - Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Pakistan - are always invited to share the saluting dais with the royal and are presented before the parade.
During my time in London, I stood with the Queen, Prince Charles (particularly appropriate as he is the colonel-in-chief of my regiment) and the Queen Mother, among others. The procession normally takes about 30 minutes to march past and I was astonished to see the Queen Mother, 97 at the time, stand for the entire parade.
During the two World Wars Britain was more deeply affected than Canada, coming under attack by German aircraft and ships on numerous occasions. Thousands of civilians were killed or wounded and many buildings destroyed or damaged.
Because of this, I was surprised to learn Remembrance Day is not celebrated on Nov. 11, but on the Sunday closest to that date, known as Remembrance Sunday. Annually on that day I attended the Royal Artillery service at the imposing gunner memorial at Hyde Park Corner to lay a wreath in memory of Canada's gunners.
But my most striking memory of a British tribute to Canada is that of Shorncliffe, a little town on the Kentish coast west of Dover, and the site of a large Canadian convalescent hospital during the First World War. Several soldiers evacuated from the front died here and are buried nearby.
Shorncliffe Military Cemetery is hidden away in a natural bowl tucked into the cliffs overlooking the English Channel, oriented towards France and Belgium, where the soldiers had been wounded. It is a perfect little suntrap, unusually warm and pleasant.
A service that has taken place there every year since 1919, on the Sunday closest to July 1, is one of the most touching ceremonies I have ever witnessed. Young children from various local schools, chosen on the basis of a poem, drawing or story about Canadian soldiers, participate in it.
Outside the cemetery, I joined the mayor, councillors, British army officers, Canadian veterans and others as we formed a small procession and proceeded to the cemetery. After wreath laying by myself and others, the mayor made a short speech, specifically addressed to the children, one standing behind each Canadian grave, about the sacrifice of those buried in the cemetery so many years ago.
When the mayor finished, each child then laid a posy on a Canadian grave. The competition is intense among the children to be chosen to take part. In many families it has become generational, with boys and girls honouring Canadians in the same way their parents and grandparents did.
After the service in 1995, I met a man who told me it was the first time his mother, now in ill health, had missed the ceremony in 85 years. She had been one of the original children laying flowers in 1919.
These are just a few of the many occasions during my time in England that showed me how the British continue to honour the commitment and sacrifice Canadians made in two World Wars.
They still remember.
John Boileau is retired from the military. He lives in Glen Margaret and contributes occasional articles about military history to The Sunday Herald.