Remembrance Day

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 |

a tribute to our

COUNTRY'S HEROES ON NOVEMBER 11 WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

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On November 11, we will remember them

OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

Remembering and honouring Indigenous veterans

MINA KERR-LAZENBY

MKerrLazenby@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

In the lead up to Remembrance Day on Saturday, Nov. 11, much of the country will be taking moments to pause and remember the work of the armed forces members who died in the line of duty.

Among them were sacrifices made by First Nations, Métis and Inuit soldiers.

Sacrifices, says Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) elected council member Sxwíxwtn (Wilson Williams), we would do well to remember.

Last month, Williams returned from a trip to the Netherlands where he had been representing the Squamish Nation as part of Veteran Affairs Canada’s Indigenous Legacy Project.

The initiative identifies and marks the graves of Indigenous soldiers who fought for the liberation of the Netherlands – one of Canada’s major contributions during the Second World War. “It’s a research- and

remembrance-based initiative, to recognize, honour and educate on the Indigenous soldiers who sacrificed their lives,” said Williams, adding how, of all the “million-plus Canadians” who served in the Second World War, 3,000 of those were identified as Indigenous soldiers.

Williams visited four cemeteries, one being the Holten Canadian War Cemetery where 17 Indigenous graves have so far been identified. Among those 17 lay Pte. Daniel Cheer, a Squamish Nation member and Williams’ distant relative.

“I think the project has done this in a good way, reconnecting soldiers with their families. Now we know Daniel Cheer was one of 30 Squamish Nation members who volunteered to serve overseas in the war, we know all his stories and all about who he was,” said Williams.

A commemoration ceremony began at daybreak. A “sacred circle” where he and family members of the other Indigenous soldiers introduced themselves and shared the history of the serviceman they were Continued on page B3

Squamish Nation’s Wilson Williams pays respect to Squamish Nation veterans at their war memorial outside St. Pauls Church. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN

Never Forget, Always Remember NOVEMBER 11, 2023

Thank you to all who fought for our freedom and to those who continue to serve to defend it.

KARIN KIRKPATRICK

JORDAN STURDY

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OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES Continued from page B2 connected to. It was a moving moment for all involved, he said, one made especially so when time came for him to share his own words.

“I was one of the last two to speak and, by this time, it was brisk with only a slight drizzle. Just after I introduced myself the rain picked up like a storm,” he said.

“Through our culture and teachings, when the weather changes dramatically or drastically, it’s telling us something. Mother Nature, the creator, was telling us that we were meant to be there. We were meant to be there to support each other.”

Prior to the creation of the Indigenous Legacy Project, no one had been to visit Cheer since he perished in action in 1945, said Williams. Such had been the case for many of the Indigenous soldiers buried there.

As the family members laid down their offerings of flowers and tobacco upon the graves, Williams, wearing his Nation’s regalia and with drum in hand, took a quiet moment at Cheer’s final resting place.

“I spent quite some time with our loved one there. I laid our Squamish Nation flag

down over his grave site, and laid the offerings. I shared a song with him, and spoke prayer in our language. I spoke of connectivity, and being reunited, and said how his family in our community are thinking of him.”

Williams said there is still “a long road to go” in terms of ensuring Indigenous soldiers are given the same recognition and respect as their comrades, but projects like Canada’s Indigenous Legacy Project are vital to bridging that gap.

Education could be improved, he said, by having curriculum in schools include more engagement with Indigenous communities. He envisions a future where students can take part in an exchange program and spend a week or two in a country more connected with the Second World War. “War was never in our backyard. You go to Europe, and war is everywhere. Here we undermine the value and the commitment and the heart and the soul that went into going overseas,” he said.

“We need to do more. We need to travel.

We need to see what resources are out there Continued on page B12

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LEST WE FORGET

Remembrance Day Ceremony

Victoria Park

Saturday, Nov. 11 10am – Noon

PARADE TO FOLLOW

Organized by the North Shore Veterans’ Council

cnv.org

R E M E M B R A N C E

D A Y

11

NOV E M BE R

Teachers and students honour the sacrifices of the past and work for peace in the future.

A message from the North and West Vancouver Teachers’ Associations

B4 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023

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On November 11, we will remember them

OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

Bomber pilot’s son traces his father’s wartime legacy

JANE SEYD

jseyd@nsnews.com

Roddy MacKenzie still remembers the day when he was 11 and his dad burst out of the front door of their Calgary home, telling him to get in the car. The year was 1961 and his dad had heard a Lancaster airplane was approaching.

They sped up to Nose Hill, a high point overlooking the city, and watched through binoculars as the Lancaster approached.

“He watched that plane with incredible intensity,” said MacKenzie. “That was the last time he ever saw a Lancaster in the air.”

MacKenzie’s father Roland MacKenzie was a Canadian pilot in the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command during the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross but didn’t talk about his experiences while MacKenzie was growing up.

“What I knew about the war was my dad was a pilot who flew a Lancaster that dropped bombs,” said MacKenzie, a retired lawyer and West Vancouver resident. “I really didn’t know anything else.”

His dad was highly respected in his

community, MacKenzie recalled, but he was quiet and could be hard on his son.

That person was very different from the man described by those who knew him – including MacKenzie’s uncle – before the war, “a guy who was funny and relaxed and generous,” said MacKenzie. “Someone who was quite different from the person raising me.”

MacKenzie’s quest into his dad’s wartime history – that this year resulted in a book on Bomber Command – was partly a way to understand what had happened to change his father.

Search for father’s wartime history The older MacKenzie had signed up for RCAF in 1941 at the age of 29. He knew nothing about flying, said MacKenzie, but graduated from his training at the top of his class, eventually going on to instruct other pilots at a training school in Alberta.

In 1944 he was sent overseas, and was attached to Squadron 166 of Bomber Command, flying 34 bombing missions over Germany.

Continued on page B5

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Parade & Ceremony in West Vancouver N O V E M B E R 1 1 AT 1 0 : 4 5 A . M .

Honour our veterans and those currently serving in the military.

The parade will begin at 10:45 a.m. at 18th and Marine Drive, and lead to the Memorial Park Cenotaph, where a ceremony will immediately follow.

We will remember them.

Roddy McKenzie of West Vancouver wrote the book Bomber Command in honour of his father Roland MacKenzie, a Lancaster bomber pilot in the Second World War. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN

Lest we forget.

Honouring the heroes among us.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 |

OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES Continued from page B4 MacKenzie said he came to appreciate that his dad’s perfectionism – so hard on his son – was the only thing that had kept him and his crew alive in a squadron with a horrifying number of casualties. That came at a cost, however. Post-traumatic stress wasn’t on the radar then, but men like his father came home with huge emotional wounds, said MacKenzie.

In the years after, Bomber Command was pushed further from the public mind by discomfort with the civilian deaths that were also part of its record.

“Bomber Command got totally trashed after the war,” said MacKenzie. Brian McKenna’s 1991 CBC film Death by Moonlight explored some of those controversies, stirred fierce historical debate and offended many veterans.

For a number of years, MacKenzie’s quest to find out about his father’s wartime record was stymied by his own lack of information from his dad.

But in 2017, a clue from the Royal Air Force in Britain led MacKenzie to RAF Kirmington, site of a once-abandoned wartime air base. As it turned out, Kirmington

had been the home base for his dad’s 166 Squadron. MacKenzie flew there to visit. In a local pub, he found memorabilia dating back to the wartime days of the squadron and a guestbook chronicling reunions dating back many years.

From his hotel room, MacKenzie began sending out emails to pilots and crew who had left contact information in the guest books.

That opened a world of information and forged new friendships that would continue over the years, said MacKenzie.

Father flew iconic Lancaster bomber He learned about the iconic Lancaster plane, the amazing resilience of the aircraft and the near-suicidal conditions with which many of the night-time bombing raids over German weapons factories were conducted.

Years earlier, a Lancaster had been the key to the only time MacKenzie heard his dad talk about the war. They had stopped near a Lancaster on display near Nanton, Alta. On that day, someone had keys to the plane, and MacKenzie and his dad were allowed to sit inside.

Continued on page B12

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On November 11, we will remember them

OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

West Van 101-year-old recalls service in bomber squadron BRENT RICHTER

brichter@nsnews.com

Gordon Cowley knows there aren’t many folks left who can share stories like his own.

The 101-year-old West Vancouver resident served in the Second World War and still dons a poppy.

“I’m probably one of the very few that are still around,” he said. “I’ve lived a long, long time.”

Cowley was born in Winnipeg in 1922, although most of his growing up was in North Vancouver. He remembers an idyllic childhood, despite the Great Depression.

“Nobody had very much money and everybody was very happy,” he said.

After war was declared in 1939, Cowley recalls life at North Vancouver Secondary became a “quasi-military” experience, involving training and drills. At 17, he was his cadet platoon’s commander.

When they were of age, Cowley and three close friends all went to the Royal Canadian Air Force recruiting office together to enlist to be flight crew. At the time, volunteering to serve was more of a fact of life than it was a decision made out of patriotism, he said.

“We were all swept up in the war effort and so you wanted to be a part of it,” he said.

Cowley’s friends passed the Air Force physical exam but he did not. The military assessed his lungs weren’t up to the standard.

“The war was on and we all wanted to fly.

That’s what we were going to do,” he said.

“And that really upset me.”

Dejected, Cowley went to work for BC Electric but in less than a year, he felt compelled to go back, even if it meant serving on the ground.

Gordon Cowley, a 101-year-old West Vancouver man, is one of the few remaining local Second World War veterans.

PAUL MCGRATH / NSN

“I thought I can’t just not be a part of this,” he said.

He shipped off to St. Thomas, Ont. for training before being assigned to No. 10 Bomber and Reconnaissance Squadron at the massive Air Force base in Gander, N.L. No. 10 Bomber and Reconnaissance Over the course of the war, the squadron logged about 30,000 hours of patrol work in the air, eight to 10 hours at a time, escorting Allied convoys, scouting for German U-Boats and attacking them on sight, according to Jerry Vernon, president of the Vancouver

chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society.

But for every hour in the air, many more were spent on the ground, keeping the planes in flying condition and prepping them for their next mission, which was Cowley’s task. Cowley remembers it as a busy time but not overly difficult.

No. 10 Squadron was a relatively safe posting for the war, but not without risk.

They lost seven aircraft and 25 crew members. Other squadrons at the same base would have lost more, Vernon said, noting that Gander has its own cemetery just outside the main entrance.

“It’s rather sad, because quite often you can see they’ve got the remains of a pilot and a navigator, quite often in the same grave,” he said. “Most of those were lost at sea and never found again.”

Soon after Germany surrendered in May of 1945, Cowley and the rest of the squadron were told they were to be redeployed to the Pacific theatre. While they were on their way to Halifax and then Singapore, they received word that Japan had surrendered.

“Our whole crew was disbanded and our crew went home,” he said.

In the years since, Cowley, like a lot of veterans, sees his role in the war as small.

“I was just part of a big contingency,” he said. “I can’t say I felt proud. I felt thankful it was over.”

Vernon said No. 10 Squadron and those like them were critical in the Battle of the Atlantic, keeping shipping lanes open and allowing supplies to reach the Allies in Europe.

A relatively small group compared to other squadrons, No. 10 had three confirmed U-Boat sinkings, although their mere

presence on patrol would have sent submarines diving for safety, making them less of a threat, Vernon said.

“The convoys were very, very important, of course,” he said. “The Battle of the Atlantic was quite a battle, and the Air Force had their part to play in it.… The convoys, I’m sure it felt very reassuring to have an airplane circling over them.”

After the war All three of Cowley’s friends he tried to enlist with were sent to different theatres of war, and all survived.

When he returned home to North Vancouver, he quickly returned to his old job with BC Electric. He married his wife Peggy in 1946 and they started a family.

Cowley said he sometimes thinks of the chapter of his life spent during the war and the members of his squadron, all of whom are gone now.

If you’ve attended a Remembrance Day ceremony on the North Shore, you’ve more than likely been in Cowley’s presence.

“Oh yes, I wouldn’t miss them. My father was in the First World War and I used to go to the cenotaph in North Vancouver every Remembrance Day with him. That activity was quite important to me,” he said.

“After the war, I made sure I went to every Remembrance Day service.”

While his lungs kept him out of an RCAF cockpit where he felt he belonged during the war, they do serve him well today. For the last 30 years, he’s been a regular at the West Vancouver Community Centre three times per week to work out with the Fit Fellas, a fitness group of men of a certain age.

“And I’m still in very good shape,” he says.

Remembrance Day parades and ceremonies begin at 10:30am at these locations WEST VANCOUVER MEMORIAL ARCH Marine Drive at 20th Street NORTH VANCOUVER VICTORIA PARK Keith at Lonsdale Avenue LYNN VALLEY LEGION Branch parking lot at 1630 Lynn Valley Road Veterans and all members of the public are warmly invited to our Legions

West Vancouver Branch 60 580 -18th St., West Van North Vancouver Branch 118 123 W.15th St., North Van Lynn Valley Branch 114 1630 Lynn Valley Rd.,North Van

We would like to thank all the contributors to the Poppy Campaign and thank volunteers for all their hard work.

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OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

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On November 11, we will remember them

Our cashless society is hurting poppy sales, volunteer says BRENT RICHTER

brichter@nsnews.com

North Shore residents aren’t filling the Royal Canadian Legion’s poppy boxes the way they used to.

Since the pandemic, people have preferred to pay for everything with cards, says West Vancouver Legion volunteer Graham Mackintosh, who is responsible for more than 100 poppy boxes sitting neglected next to retailers’ tills.

“I was reloading poppies and emptying the boxes and it was awful. Just dismal,” he said. “Usually they’re very, very generous every time I go in there, but there’s just very, very little and I’m positive it’s because they don’t carry cash.”

The Legion deploys poppy “taggers,” as they’re called, with machines that allow people to tap donations with their credit or debit cards. Those tend to be larger donations than what would appear in the boxes, but there aren’t enough volunteers in the Legion’s ranks to offset the declining revenue in the boxes, Mackintosh said.

All of the funds raised by local volunteers stay within the community, Mackintosh said, but he’s worried there will be a lesser amount for the Legion to contribute this year.

“I think we’re going to be way down,” he said.

Mackintosh said he doesn’t think the community is shirking its responsibility of remembrance for those who fought and died in war. While some new Canadians may not be familiar with the poppy and its symbolism, the number of people who turn out to the Remembrance Day ceremony at West Vancouver’s memorial is only going up, Mackintosh noted.

Recognizing that people mostly prefer to pay with a card these days, Mackintosh has a helpful suggestion: Ask retailers at the till if they’ll do cash back so shoppers can have something to stuff into the poppy box.

“It’s a wonderful thing to do and people will get good karma,” he said with a laugh. “They’ll feel good.”

Legion North Shore/Howe Sound deputy zone commander Stephen Cochrane, West Van Legion volunteer Graham Mackintosh and Fresh Street Market store leader Alex Lee team up on the Remembrance Day poppy campaign. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN

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Thank you for your service, your courage, your sacrifice and for our Freedom.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

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The World They Gave Year after year we mark this day; We speak their names and then we lay Upon the stones a blooming flower To recall their lives this fateful hour, It’s their memory we can’t betray.

But it’s not enough, we must do more; Lest we forget what they fought for.

We know they died; we must know why, We must know they were not born to die, But gave their hearts to something more.

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They gave their lives so we might live And that is a gift we cannot give, For now we have the world they sought; We’ve seen the end that they cannot And known a life they’ll never live.

Your life. Your legacy.

Plan to make it right.

We may recall the lives they gave, But they are more than just their grave: They are this world that now we know It’s through their hearts that we might grow And in this truth, their lives we save.

Your final resting place TAKES PLANNING.

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So let us watch that sunset glow, And see the light new dawns might show, Let’s live the life for us they sought And share the love that they cannot Because the world they gave is ours to grow.

Dignity Memorial is a division of Service Corporation International (Canada) ULC.

Gabriel Gonzalez

Mulgrave School, Grade 12

Each Remembrance Day, we commemorate the bravery and dedication of those who have served and continue to serve our nation.

Lest we forget.

Jonathan Wilkinson

Member of Parliament, North Vancouver

Hollyburn House

remembers

We recognize the brave men and women who served for their country and fought for our freedom. We are proud to serve the many Veterans who now call Hollyburn House home.

On Remembrance Day, we thank you.

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On November 11, we will remember them

OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

Lawrence Ovid (Smitty) Allard

1916-1994. Born in Sardis, BC. Served 1939-45 Canadian Army.

Descendant of Ovid Allard of Hudsons Bay Co. Loved his “maple leaf forever.” Was/is loved with much affection by his niece Naydeen.

Philip F Blades

March 24th 1924-December 16th 2006 Served in the Canadian Army World War II, 2nd Field Regiment, 10th Battery First Canadian Division 1942-1946 front line service as a Dispatcher in Sicily and then in occupied Germany.

Flying Officer Jack Alton

Served with the RCAF during WW2 as mid upper gunner in Bomber Command.

Jack passed away on September 15, 2012

Captain Chard Brimacombe

102nd New Westminster Regiment.

He received the Military Cross for service with the Canadian Forces at Vimy Ridge, and raised four sons in North Vancouver.

“

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Edward Ange

WW II Vet. Motorcycle Dispatcher.

Killed in Action.

Rafe Brimacombe R.C.A.F.

1920 -1942 While practicing in a fog off the Devon coast in the U.K. his plane touched the water and lost an engine, it crashed into the downs. RAFE was brought up in North Vancouver the youngest of four sons and raised in a home on Grand Boulevard.

Oliver Ange

WWII Veteran.

Canadian Army Infantry.

Albert Carnelley Brook

Flight Lieutenant Albert Carnelley Brook, Distinguished Flying Cross Served RCAF as Navigator based in England World War II. Died, Winnipeg January 26, 2010, age 93.

John Antone Johnny AntoneSr. Sr.

Served StateMaritime Maritime Servedin in the the US US State Service. woundedtwice twice Service. He He was was wounded while the South SouthPacific.

Pacific. whileserving serving in the He withseveral several Hewas was decorated decorated with medals, the Purple PurpleHeart.

Heart. medals,including including the

Sgt. William (Bill) Cathcart

Born Winnipeg 1900; died in North Vancouver 1973. Served as a Bugle Boy 1915-1917 and with Regina Rifles Regiment 1939-1945 (England & Europe). Enlisted with 7 brothers and 1 sister (aka the Fighting Cathcarts).

Chuck Billy

Joined the army at age 17 in 1943.

He trained at Camp Borden, Ontario as a Machine Gunner. Chuck was on Embarkation leave when V.E. Day was declared May 7, 1945.

Daniel Ted Cheer

Volunteered at age 18 in 1943 with the Seaforth Highlanders. He served in France, Germany, Italy and Holland. He was killed in action in 1944.

Thank you Veterans and active military members for your sacrifice and our freedom

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS, BUT FREEDOM IS WHAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE. Thank you to the heroes who sacrificed for our freedom and safety serving this nation.

604-230-1068

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On November 11, we will remember them

OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

Pte. John Vernon Darney

Pascal Cortez

Joined the Canadian Army at age 27 in 1942 and was discharged in 1945.

Flight Sergeant Les Davis RCAF World War 2

Larry Jack

Peter Garcia Canadian Army.

Beverly Guerin Beverly Guerin WW II Vet. WW II Vet.

Harry Pascoe Pascal Duplissie Duplissie

Reginald Dominick

WW1- Royal Army RASC/England.

L/Cpl. John Vernon Darney WW2 - Canadian Army/RCCS Died: 1977 Forever missed, forever loved.

Rest In Peace, Dear Dad.

Volunteered in ’39, age 29. Served with the Westminster Regiment in England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, North Africa & Italy.

Received 6 medals. Served with the 5th Canadian Division, under the 8th British Army.

Cpl Maurice Duruisseau

1885-1917 1885-1917 Killedininaction action in in WWI and Killed andburied buriedinin France.He Hesaid, said,unless unless he France. heoffered offeredhis his servicestotohis his country country he services hecould couldnot not occupy the same place in his community. occupy the same place in his With Love community.

With and LoveRespect, and Respect, NormDuplissie.

Duplissie Norm

Volunteered at age 21 in 1941. He served with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps in England, France and Holland. Reginald was killed in the line of duty in Holland in 1945.

Jimmy E. Johnston

Roy Jones

Joined the Canadian Army at age 21 in Nov. 1944. Trained with the #11 Platoon, C Coy Petawawa Regiment.

He was in transit on the Atlantic Ocean when the war was declared over.

Joined the RCAF in WW2, later serving in the tank corps.

Born & lived in North Vancouver; he left us July 21, 2003.

Served in World War II with Royal Canadian Engineers 9th Field Squadron. Killed in action in Germany on April 20, 1945.

Nadine Joseph

After leaving St. Paul’s Residential School she volunteered at age 18 in 1941 to serve with the Canadian Women’s Corps. She trained in Vermillion, Alberta. She was stationed in Victoria until 1945.

We Remember.

Together we give thanks to veterans and remember the brave souls who fought for our freedom.

Remembrance Day Holiday Hours

Serving friends and families since 1926

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Saturday, November 11 12 noon to 5pm

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Remembering those who served our country with Bravery and Honour

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WE REMEMBER SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11 10:45 a.m.: Ceremony at Memorial Arch followed by a reception in the Library 1 – 5 p.m.: Library open Sammy Lewis

Norman Lewis Jack Kelly

WW II Vet (Kelly Boys)

WW II Vet. Joined in April 1945 at 24 years of age.

Paddy Kelly Canadian Army.

Anchil “Ducky” Mack

Henry F. Lopez US Army Mid-1960’s, 4 Years of Service

James H. Ma

Served in the Pacific unit #280 of the Army, Navy, and Air Force Veterans of Canada

Volunteered at age 40 on Dec. 6, 1941. He was trained in small arms and demolitions, but served with the Canadian Forestry Corps in Glasgow. The C.F.C. produced railway ties.

Served in France, Germany, Italy and Holland. He was active in the “D” Day Invasion and was awarded 5 medals. Wounded in ’44. Pretended to be dead while Nazi’s ripped off his dog-tags and went through his pockets. Crawled back to Allied lines, his only ID was his Cdn. uniform.

1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver westvanlibrary.ca | 604.925.7400

Silver Harbour Seniors’ Activity Centre remembers and honours those who served

Milton Miranda

Volunteered at age 18 in 1941. He served with the Sea Forth Highlanders in Italy and France. Milton drove a supply truck in the convoys and was also an ambulance driver. He was wounded when his truck went over a land mine.

144 East 22nd St, N Van 604-980-2474 silverharbourcentre.com

Remembering those who fought for the freedom that we enjoy today.

Donald Moody

Volunteered in ’42 age 22 with the Algonquin Regiment in England, Belgium, France and Germany. Was stretcher bearer in Medical Corps when wounded & his buddies killed.

Later recalled a dream his friends were calling him to go with them.

Joseph Moody

Edward Nahanee

Volunteered at age 27 in 1941.

He served in Canada, The United Kingdom and Europe. He was discharged in Vancouver in 1946.

PVT. 1st Class, 334th Infantry.

Volunteered ’42 at 20, served with the American 9th Army in Europe.

Received Bronze Star in ’44, Silver Star and the Purple Heart. Fought in Battle of the Bulge, killed in action in Holland, February 28, 1945.

James P. Nahanee

Served in England, France, Belgium & Holland. Medals awarded: Cdn Voluntary Service Medal, Civilian Medal, Cdn Centennial Medal (’67), Outstanding Service Medal in organization work among the Native Indian Communities in BC.

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“Honouring the sacrifices of our men and women in the spirit of peace and freedom.”

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On November 11, we will remember them

OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

Carole Newman Carole Newman

JoinedCanadian Canadian Navy Navy in Joined in January January’57. ’57.

Basictraining, training, CFB CFB Cornwallis Basic CornwallisNS, NS, thenEsquimalt Esquimalt for for medical then medicaltraining training fornursing. nursing.Worked Worked at for at military militaryhosp. hosp.

Esquimalt, then then transferred transferred totoHMS ininEsquimalt, HMS Stadacona military hosp., Halifax.

Stadacona military hosp., Halifax.

Servedin in the the military military for Served for22years. years.

Lionel Rosebourne

1891-1970 Flight Sub-Lieutenant, Royal Naval Air Service Emigrated to Canada in 1912; returned to England to serve in the Royal Navy.

Victor Maurice Terry

Royal Canadian Airforce from 1939-1946. Served in the 113th Fighter Squadron. Stationed in England as a flight instructor. Retiring with the rank of Wing Commander.

Matthew G. Valencia US Navy 1998 - 2004 USS Constellation

Peter Rivers

Isabelle Garcia Phillips WWII Vet. Canadian Army

Private Catherine N. Schaff

Served in the Canadian Army during WWII. Bomb Girl in Ajax Ont., Motor Pool Halifax and Vancouver.

Honoured by her 8 children.

Flight Sgt. Fred Rannard Sr.

Enlisted in Lethbridge AB. Flew with the RCAF during World War II, over the Pacific, as a wireless air gunner. Passed away September 9, 2015 at the age of 92.

Volunteered at age 33 in 1943 with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He arrived in Liverpool on Jan. 17, 1945, on the SS Mauritania. In the early morning hours he heard the bombing of V-2 rockets in the distance. Peter served in England for 20 months.

Fred Stokes

Cpl. John Schaff

1920 to 2005. Served in the Canadian Army during WWII. Member of 16th L.A.A. Battery, RCA. Beloved father, remembered by his 8 children and wife of 59 years.

North Vancouver resident proudly served in the Second World War and was the last living member of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion in this area. Long-standing legion member of Branch #8 Bornewest and Branch #118 North Vancouver. Died in February 2018 at age 93.

The Fighting Cathcarts All eight brothers and one sister served active duty in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1939-1945 Left to right in picture: Bill, Dave, Red, Gene, Margaret, Ed, Bob, Tom, & Bert Cathcart.

Private Albert Walker

WW1- Canadian Expeditionary Force Canadian Railway Troops Served in France Died: 1972 Forever Missed, Forever Loved Rest In Peace, Dear Grandad

Sgt Rochford Underhill

Served in the RAF as a Link Trainer during World War II, 1940 to 1946.

Lived to the ripe old age of 95. What a life!

David F. Valencia US Army Corps 1980 – 1986

Private Norman Walker Royal Canadian Corps of Signals Killed in action in Valguarnera, Sicily 18 July 1943, Age 26 Laid to rest in Agira Canadian War Cemetery, Agira, Sicily R.I.P. dear Uncle Norman

Walter Williams Canadian Army ‘Died in Action’

Continued from page B3 from Veteran Affairs Canada, and bring these stories alive.”

We should also, points out Williams, be giving just as much consideration to the wounded, injured and sick servicemen who made it home.

Following his time in the Netherlands in September, the Squamish Nation councillor visited Germany’s Dusseldorf for the closing ceremony of this year’s Invictus Games.

Representing the Four Host First Nations, he gifted a ceremonial paddle to Team Germany and received the flag alongside Team Canada, taking the torch, as it were, and setting things in motion for the 12-day Invictus Games set for Vancouver and Whistler in 2025.

During an event at the Canada House a few days later, a visiting Prince Harry, founder of the Games, asked Williams to make a speech. He would be the best person, the monarch explained, to touch on the importance of remembering those who had lost their lives in the line of duty.

“I was quite overwhelmed, because I really wanted to do it right and in a good way, and really empower the heart of why we were all there,” said Williams.

“I wanted to talk about how symbolic and uniting it is, those Games. But not only that, how much healing can be found in recognizing the soldiers that made it back, and recognizing the soldiers who didn’t.”

Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

Continued from page B5 “He showed me where each of the seven crewmen sat.

And he showed me a little bit of what he did as a pilot,” said MacKenzie.

As they got out of the plane and started driving, his dad started talking about the Lancasters, how they would fly in the dark with no radio contact and no lights on, toward a target. How they would corkscrew to escape the fire from German aircraft once the bombs were dropped.

“What these guys did was simply unbelievable,” said the younger MacKenzie.

Author says Bomber Command should be remembered MacKenzie said his own belief, based on research conducted over the intervening years, is that Bomber Command’s efforts in knocking out munitions factories remained key to ending the war.

The cost in lives of Canadian airmen was huge, he said.

In his dad’s squadron – which operated from January 1943 to April 1945, 944 airmen were killed. Of those, 155 were Canadian.

“I think that Bomber Command needs to be known. It played a decisive role in World War Two. And it’s important that we be aware of this incredible part of our heritage,” he said.

MacKenzie’s book, Bomber Command: Churchill’s Greatest Triumph, was published this year by the U.K.-based Pen & Sword publishing house.