To see all the pictures from this event, CLICK HERE:
When one mentions “D-Day”, no further explanation is required as the day and its meaning is ubiquitous and requires no explanation. Everyone knows that on June 6th, 1944, the Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, opening up the second front of the war (assuming you don’t include Africa, Italy, Burma and the Pacific Theatre, which many didn’t at the time) and signalling the start of the end of the German occupation in Europe. For Canada, their part in this landing took place at Juno Beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer, France where 14,000 men stormed ashore and 359 were killed, 574 wounded, and 47 captured before the day was done and won.
To that end, there will be numerous ceremonies celebrating and remembering the day to come but this first event marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day took place on 13th May, 2024, sponsored by Veterans Affairs Canada and hosted at Beechwood Cemetery with Robert Lӧken from Veterans Affairs as the master of ceremonies. This was not a remembrance ceremony, per se, although remembrance is a part of it as the guests would be hearing the stories of events from 80 years ago from those that lived them. The Government of Canada will host an official delegation in Moncton, N.B., which will host a series of events from the 4-7 June, 2024, with veterans from the D-Day landings, WWII veterans, along with parliamentary, indigenous and youth representation. This delegation will be mirrored for official events held at Juno Beach in France.
Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, was the first to deliver remarks which was followed by videos of D-Day war footage with stories from veterans who landed that day. These videos were supplied by Veterans Affairs Canada – The Memory Project, as well as the Juno Beach Centre, France. Nick McCarthy of Beechwood Cemetery followed making reference to some of the war dead buried in Section 27, the Field of Honour, of Beechwood Cemetery. Names of great soldiers such as Gen Harry Crerar, who commanded the Canadian Army in WWII, and Gen Charles Foulkes who accepted the Nazi surrender in the Netherlands were specifically mentioned but the great masses of non-famous war dead, as most are, were also remembered.
One of the more interesting videos was of Norman Harold Kirby who, at 17 years old, wanted to sign up in 1943. Too young to do so, and his mother declining to sign permission, he went to his father, who signed immediately. It turned out that Kirby was not good at shooting so he was trained in the light Bren gun instead as well as the PIAT (Projectile Infantry Anti-Tank Weapon). By circumstance, in May, 1944, he found himself in England with the 2nd Platoon, A Company of the North Shore Infantry Regiment and in June became one of the thousands to go ashore on Juno Beach.
Now, the troop landing craft were not made for heavy swells, and the seas that day were not calm. Kirby had some experience on boats so that didn’t bother him too much. However, he did assess, properly so, what could happen if this craft was sunk, given that he had a Bren gun, bandoliers of ammunition, and a cotton sack on his chest and back, each with a 20 pound steel plate in them (Kevlar was not a thing yet) but no life preserver. He threw the steel plates overboard, divested himself of his weapon and ammunition and waited for the landing. As it happened, the landing craft hit a mine and sank but Kirby was able to get ashore without his kit or weapon, but at least he had his knife, fork, and spoon with him. He was kidded about being ready for some of the famous French cuisine but admits that he did nothing of importance that day.
Kirby’s short military career is too interesting to capture here. He started out as a private and wound up as an acting platoon commander, and a one point, disabled a Tiger tank by himself. By the time the war ended he had been awarded (medals are awarded, not won – it’s not a contest!) the Field-Marshal Montgomery Award for Gallantry, the Ordre National de la Légion d’honnour, a Knighthood from the Republic of France, and other decorations. When he got home in 1945, he couldn’t vote nor could he have a drink in a bar with his father. He was only 19 years old.
The last speaker was Karen Hunter of the Canadian Remembrance Torch non-profit. Karen’s grandfather and father were veterans (WWI and WWII respectively) and she had other family military involvement. Her father wrote his memoirs before his passing and this inspired her to do something to carry on the memory of lost soldiers. She initially created the “In Our Fathers’ Footsteps” in which people would cover the path of Canadian soldiers in WWII through the Netherlands. This went well the first year but then Covid hit and the next years were cancelled. In Sept 2022, Karen partnered with McMaster University and they created a torch and that torch would be carried in the next Footsteps tour through the battlefields and cemeteries of the Netherlands.
The physical torch serves as Canada’s National Symbol of gratitude for peace and freedom and was present at this ceremony along with two smaller companion flame containers that are perpetual and carry a flame gathered from the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill. The torch and the two companions will travel to Normandy where they will be used to light the torches for the official Juno Beach ceremony as well as torches at other events in towns and cemeteries important to the Canadian story.
This night, the torch was lit outside of the Silver Cross Memorial Building at Beechwood from the companion flames and then passed to a cadet to lead a procession from the building, down the path through the RCMP National Memorial Cemetery to the Cross of Sacrifice in the Field of Honour (section 27). At that point, the torch was placed in its holder and the cadets, each of which held a candle, placed their candles on the Cross base as well as on the headstones of the deceased. Once completed, everyone gathered around the Cross of Sacrifice for a moment’s reflection and the ceremony was completed.
Unfortunately, there was still some light outside so the effect of the lights on headstones and the Cross was not as evident or profound as it could have been. However, once the sun went down, looking across the Field of Honour reminded one of fireflies flitting across the field. Alas, there was no one left to see it.
