november 07, 2014

COURAGE rememberedCOURAGECOURAGE

remembered

Greater VictoriaFamilies Share Stories ofTragedy & Triumph

Teamsters Local Union 213

2-802 Esquimalt Victoria 250-758-2314

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is one of the largest labour unions in the world.

We value our Teamsters and....“We win when we stand as one”

250-758-2314

Thank a VeteranEach year Broadmead Care is honoured to provide adult day programs and residential care for hundreds of WWII and Korean War veterans. We thank all veterans for the sacrifices they made for all of us.

To donate, pick up your Thank a Veteran card from any Greater Victoria Thrifty Foods, mail your cheque

or phone 250-658-3274. Thank you!

Special Supplement

November 7, 2014

2 • COURAGE REMEMBERED Friday, November 7, 2014 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE

If you value your freedom, thank a Veteran.

www.qualityfoods.com

A DAY TOREMEMBER

LET’S MAKE NOVEMBER 11

In keeping with a tradition since 2001, all Quality Foods stores close each Remembrance Day to pause and reflect on the importance of the role of our past and present service men and women.

Whether in times of war or peace, we are ever grateful for these brave souls who put themselves in harm’s way for the greater good of all Canadians.

This year, with continuing turmoil worldwide, the need becomes even more apparent to keep November 11 aside for current & future generations’ to remember and appreciate their courage and sacrifices made in the name of freedom.

We believe that when we stand united in acts of remembrance, we can make a world of difference.

All Quality Foods stores will be closed

Tuesday, November 11For the Fallen (excerpt)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morningWe will remember them.

-Lawrence Binyon

VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 7, 2014 COURAGE REMEMBERED • 3

Courage remembered

Travis PatersonNews staff

There is a hunger for history in Vic-toria that shows not just in Ted Leaker’s work, but with the small army of volun-teers around him.

Leaker is the director of the Ashton Armoury Museum, where he watches over 130 years worth of military history.

This week Leaker is assembling a table’s worth of First World War arti-facts on Saturday (Nov. 8), as the Ash-ton Armoury Museum is teaming up with the Victoria Genealogical Society to honour Remembrance Day with an interactive event at the VGS Resource Centre. The event will focus on the First World War, with members of VGS also contributing a variety of memorabilia and knowledge.

“This year is just the start of four years worth of commemorations for centennial anniversary of the First World War,” said Leaker, a former command-ing officer of the 11th Battalion at the Ashton Armoury.

Leaker will bring items pertaining to the First World War, but his richest offer-ings, like those members of the VGS, is the stories they offer from Canada’s past.

“This is just one way to look at the war, as each organization has their own way of commemorating it,” he added.

For example, Saanich is looking to complete the Saanich WWI Honour Roll it started in 1916 but never completed. Only 355 names are on the original hon-our roll but upwards of 800 Saanich res-idents are believed to have served. It’s a complementary initiative to go with the University of Victoria’s popular project A City Goes to War.

“We have a lot of commitment in Vic-toria to history and military history,” said Merv Scott, project director with VGS. “Our society (VGS) has 300 mem-bers alone, and we work in partnerships with many organizations around town, such as the armoury museum.”

The historical fair at VGS on Nov. 8 will double as the society’s book launch, as VGS member Harvey Buckmaster led the project to collate 10 years worth of documenting by volunteers of all 2,888 buried at the Esquimalt Veterans Cem-etery. The resting place is for those who served in Canada’s military since 1868. In 1927, the Gorge Vale Golf Club acquired 150 acres of land surround-ing the cemetery from the Hudson’s Bay Company. It became the Veterans Cem-etery in 1947. The Remembrance Day

historical fair funds from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Victo-ria Genealogical Society Resource Cen-tre, 947 Alston St. Entrance is by dona-tion, with half of proceeds going to the Poppy Fund.

Did you know?At this time in 1914 the Canadian

Forces were mobilizing troops. The first wave of soldiers and about 5,000 horses sailed out of Quebec on Oct. 3, arriv-ing in England on Oct. 14, where they waited three days to unload.

Artifacts not all that’s leftStories abound with Armoury and Genealogical Society

Logging camp an omen for father and son

Victoria’s Erma Siteman, 87, can recall the day her 19-year-old brother Robert walked into the family house in Nova Scotia and said, “There will be lots of money here soon, I’ve joined the army.”

It was 1940 and Erma, the eighth-born of 15 sib-lings, was 13 years old. It was the last time she ever saw Robert. Until then, Robert (the seventh born) worked a successful pulpwood logging camp with the father, Horace.

“It supported the family, but it was an omen, they were able to work side by side before they both died at war,” she said.

Robert died at sea when his boat was torpedoed by Germans in 1941.

Horace later enlisted with the Canadian Forestry Corps and died in England in 1943.

PHOTO is from Erma’s family collection, self pub-lished in her 2007 book Senior Story Telling.


Courage

Andrea PeacockVictoria News

One of only four Canadian naval Victoria Cross winners almost never made it to active duty because of his eyesight.

Commander Rowland Bourke was born in London, England in 1885. Bourke emigrated to Canada in 1902, and volunteered for the Canadian forces during the First World War. However, when all three arms of service rejected him because of his poor eyesight he returned to England to join the Royal Naval

Volunteer Reserve in 1916.“He overcame personal handicaps to

achieve his dream,” said Joseph Lenarcik, assistant curator at the CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum.

In April 1918, Bourke volunteered his ves-sel to rescue the crews whose ships were sunk in the effort to block the Belgian harbour of Zeebrugge-Ostend, the most heavily defended of all the German U-boat bases. Yet again, he was rejected because of his eyesight, but Bourke persisted in offering his motor launch as a standby.

On April 23, 1918 his vessel rescued 38

Heroism under fireVictoria Cross winner rescues dozens with his own vessel during First World War

Let’s remember. They fought for Canadian values like dignity and human rights.

They still do.

Let’s honour their service, and sacrifices, by making sure quality public health care remains accessible and affordable for all.

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Christine van ReeuwykNews staff

Like many veterans of the Second World War Charles Bedford worked his way through Europe: Normandy, Hull, Belgium and Germany.

When Bedford returned he didn’t really talk much about it. Not until long after he left his home country of England and moved to James Bay.

“I wrote a book about it,” he says. “I felt I ought to do something to remember those days. I don’t live the war, I like to remember it. A lot of my mates got killed. I didn’t intend it (to be a book). It satisfied me. I had to get it out of my system.”

The 92 year old wrote Me and World War II in 2002 when he moved to Oak Bay from James Bay, after the death of his brother Peter.

Self-published through Trafford, it’s a personal account of the Second World War through the eyes of a civilian called up for duty. It includes tales such as a vehicle race for the end of a bridge, braced against death, as Germans fired at the structure.

“It’s funny now – it wasn’t funny then,” he said. But many of the stories make him chuckle, in recollection.

Near the end of his tenure in the army, he spent a couple of years stationed in the Harz mountains in Germany. There they formed a 10-piece band from all the different units. When it turned out the guy who’d already snagged drummer position could play trombone, Bedford slid behind the drum kit.

“We played dances and shows in the theatres. The Germans used to come,” he said. “We travelled around.”

Married twice, once before the war, but not one to talk about it and now single, Bedford continues to fill his time with drumming and music.

“I went to some of the dances over there (at Monterey Rec-reation Centre). Now I play with six different groups there,” he said. “It varies, but sometimes it’s six times a week. I want to be busy all the time. It’s made all the difference to me. I can do all the things I want to do. How can it get better?”

[email protected]

REMEMBEREDOak Bay drummer pens war memoirs

sailors from the sinking HMS Brilliant blockship and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for towing the crippled motor launch 532 out of the harbour that day.

Bourke’s motor launch was deemed too damaged to participate in the second operation against Zeebrugge-Ostend. It was eventually accepted as a standby, but Bourke had only 24 hours to completely re-fit his vessel and find a new volunteer crew.

On May 9 and 10, his motor launch followed HMS Vindictive into the Belgian harbour. He heard cries from the water after the raid. Under heavy gunfire at close range, Bourke found a lieutenant and two sailors from the Royal Navy ship badly wounded in the water. Even though his own launch was hit 55 times and two of his crew members were killed, Bourke brought out his vessel in one piece.

“He excelled at his duties,” Lenarcik said.In recognition of his significant efforts, Bourke received

the French Legion of Honour and from King George V, the Victoria Cross.

“When they asked him about how he won it, he said his eyesight was so poor he could not see the threat,” said Lenarcik, adding what started out as a handicap for Bourke ended up being an asset. “He knew there was danger, [but] he was fearless.”

In 1932, Bourke and his wife moved from Nelson, B.C. to Victoria, where he worked at HMC Dockyard as a civilian clerk.

In 1941, Bourke became an active serviceman with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve, serving as Commander at HMCS Givenchy, Esquimalt, and Bur-rard, Vancouver. Bourke retired from the navy in 1950. He died in 1958 and was buried with full military hon-ours.

With files from CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum

Carole James MLAVICTORIA – BEACON HILL

[email protected]

Maurine Karagianis MLAESQUIMALT – ROYAL ROADS

[email protected]

Lana Popham MLASAANICH SOUTH250-479-4154

[email protected]

John Horgan MLAJUAN DE FUCA250-391-2801

[email protected]

Rob Fleming MLA VICTORIA – SWAN LAKE

[email protected]

Y O U R S O U T H I S L A N D M L A S

Honouring our Veterans

5MLAs-Nov11-1410.indd 1 2014-10-22 9:59 AM

On Remembrance Day

We Salute our Nation’s Heroes — both past and present.

GREATER VICTORIA LOCATIONS:

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LANGFORD West Shore Town Centre 250.474.2291

ROYAL OAK 801 Royal Oak Drive 250.727.6561

VICTORIA 2959 Douglas Street 250.361.3152

VIEW ROYAL 1519 Admirals Road 250.381.5055


Courage remembered

Angela CowanNews Gazette staff

A century ago, Malcolm Cann, John Hatheway, William Palmer and Arthur Silver became the first Canadian casualties of the First World War when they perished aboard HMS Good Hope in the Battle of Coronel on Nov. 1, 1914.

All of them under 20, the midshipmen were in the first entry class at the Royal Naval Col-lege of Canada in 1910, and volunteered for duty aboard Admiral Cradock’s ship when it stopped in Halifax just months before the battle.

“They had just graduated and were excited to join the flagship of an admiral,” says Dave

Bindernagel, who served as the last commandant of Royal Roads Uni-versity. “And then, a month and a half later … “ He trails off.

The Good Hope and fellow armoured cruiser Monmouth were destroyed by the German fleet, with over 900 casualties just on the one ship and Admiral Cradock himself

going down with the Good Hope. The loss was devastating, but as in any tragedy, it’s when the names and faces of a few are singled out that the grief is distilled down and the heart can comprehend the depth of tragedy.

Royal Roads commemorated the loss of the young men in a heartfelt ceremony Nov. 1, remembering their sacrifice, and remem-bering the moment that our country lost its first heroes to the devastation of world war.

Although they have no graves to mark their passing save the strip of ocean off the coast of Chile, the four midshipmen have been “well and truly recognized and commemo-

rated here and in Halifax,” says Bindernagel, adding that Royal Roads named the Coronel Memorial Library for the young men in 1974. Now a century gone, the passage of time doesn’t minimize the importance of recogniz-ing these men’s service.

“Especially in light of recent events, it’s critical for us to remember dedication, cour-age and the giving of oneself in protection of the country. These four midshipmen, young kids really, did that,” says Bindernagel. “It’s important as well to identify with historical events that had an impact on us as a nation, and as people.”

This year is a momentous one, 100 years after the start of the First World War, and 75

years after the start of the Second World War. These markers of time remind us

of how far we’ve come from two of the most impacting events in our history, and offer an opportunity to reflect on how we want our future to unfold.

[email protected]

The Battle of Coronel rememberedYoung Naval College graduates memorialized at Royal Roads University

Trevor Anderson, Wireless Operator Air Gunner, USA 12th Bomb Group, 82nd Squadron, North Africa 1941-43

Living in northern BC and then Vic-toria, Trev Anderson joined the RCAF 1941 at age 21 to serve as Radio Oper-ator with US 12th Bomb Group, 82nd Squadron, North Africa for 2 years.

On his fourth mission, Trev survived an ocean ditching, completed 51 more bombing missions and awarded seven medals including Distinguished Flying Cross.

After interceptor controller, he retired 1959 to become westcoast lighthouse keeper. Trev and Flo celebrated their 70th anniversary this May.

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COURAGE REMEMBERED

Andrea Peacock Victoria News

Oct. 19, 1950: This is our 106th day from Esquimalt. During this time, we’ve had 69 days at sea.

Ed Chadwick, an electrician with the Canadian Navy, wrote in his diary every day while at sea during the Korean War. He recalled the day’s activities, where he was and what was happening.

Chadwick, now 85, joined the navy when he was 17. He was born in Van-couver in 1929, and was 20 years old when he was shipped off to the Korean War from Esquimalt.

In addition to his electrical responsi-bilities on board, duties included patrol work along the Korean coast.

Being out at sea on a ship with 270 other people made for some interesting living conditions, Chadwick remembers. “We were very crowded.”

While out at sea, Chadwick remem-bers having the showers turned off.

“Ships couldn’t make a lot of fresh water; they needed water for the boiler room.”

Instead, there were 10 wash basins in the washroom for 150 men. Each per-son got a sponge and a pair of sandals to

use. “That was the worst thing,” Chadwick says.

Being far away from home at sea during the war, one of the most crucial factors was food, he recalls.

“When you’re in a situation like that, food becomes very important. Go out for a month somewhere and you’ll start to notice that meals become very important.”

Usually, there was enough food on the ship, he says, adding they picked up many of their supplies in Japan. The ship would receive trimmed beef, coffee and powdered milk, among other things.

Almost every night around 8 p.m., the ship would be filled with the smell of bread. “We had a little bakery on board that made great bread.”

However, at times, the food situation was not as good.

Chadwick recalls being out at sea for 52 days straight during one patrol. The only food they received was from a pro-vision ship. “But that wasn’t great,” he says.

Reading from his diary, Chadwick recalls one time when food was getting a little scarce on board.

“We haven’t had butter for two days, and we ran out of sugar yesterday,” he read.

Part of being in the navy then was the daily dose of rum at noon if you were 20 years of age or older.

“Every day we got our two and a half ounces of rum. If you didn’t get a tot, you got six cents a day,” Chadwick says. “I don’t know if they ever did pay it, but you were supposed to get six cents a day.” (The Canadian Navy eliminated this rum ration in 1972.)

Chadwick returned to Canada from the war in May 1951. After a year-long electrician course in Halifax, he returned to Victoria, where he met his now wife, Patricia, at a roller rink. The two have been married for 61 years.

Diary recalls service memories for Korean War vet

903 Yates at Quadra250-381-6000

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We join in Remembrance of those who fought for our freedom and give heartfelt thanks to our peacekeepers and veterans.

~ Remember ~

School District No. 62 (Sooke)Board of Education

For our tomorrows their today they gave,

And simply asked that in our hearts they’d live.

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At dusk & dawn- we will remember them!

Respecting our Veterans, past and present.

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COURAGE REMEMBERED

Don DescoteauNews Gazette staff

The halls of Victoria High School generally echo with the sounds of stu-dents going from class to class, social-izing together and engaging in learning experiences.

When those students are gone and all is quiet, the ghosts of the past remain.

As the oldest high school in Greater Victoria, Vic High is unique in the region for its ties to the First World War. The school originated in 1876, but the current school building was opened in 1914, the year the Great War began in Europe.

As such, the young men who were graduating from the school, or close to it, and the younger teachers at the school, went off to fight alongside Brit-ish forces. Many never made it home.

Those young people are memorial-ized on the many plaques and other items located in the main foyer and other places in the building.

Historian and author Barry Gough, a former Vic High student and teacher and the current chair of the school’s alumni association board, has explored the history of those who went to war and the students and staff left behind.

His new book, ****From Classroom to Battlefield: Victoria High School and the First World War (Heritage House Publishing), draws from the school archives to relay the experiences of 20 young men and women associated with the school. Some served on the front lines in some of the bloodiest battles of the war: the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Pass-chendaele, Ypres, and others.

“I was surprised at some of the indi-viduals that have been lost to history,” Gough says. He spent hours sifting through documents and correspond-ing with community members to paint a picture of some of the roughly 500 students and teachers who joined up for the fight – and some of the 80 or so who died.

People like Maj. John Angus Mac-donald, a Military Cross winner who died in the Battle of The Somme in 1916.

“He was a graduate of Queen’s University, born in Montreal, who came out to Victoria in about 1908 and became the French master at the school,” Gough says. “He became the qualified instructor for the cadet battalion. He was one of the most promis-ing young teachers, plus he was a fine athlete and a wrestler.”

Losing such quality individuals, as well as the talented young men just finishing off their studies, had a serious effect on the makeup of the school and the community, he adds.

“These boys wanted to go to war. They wanted to serve king and country and they were the cream of the crop. The boys from Victoria were almost all urban, almost all from the professional or business classes and almost all bright graduates.”

When the news of the deaths of boys from the school began coming in, such

as in the second battle of Ypres and at Vimy Ridge, plans were made to start memorializing the losses, Gough says. The roll of honour began in 1917 and the permanent memorials were installed immediately after the war.

Pre-war Victoria was a kind of uto-pian place in many ways, he says, with prosperity and growth happening at a good pace.

“May 1, 1914 the school opened for public education and within four months war is upon them and it changes the culture for good.” The book, Gough says, tells the unusual story of this age of innocence in Victo-ria that comes to a terrible termination.

The war had other effects as well, he says. “It’s a very sad story. You can

imagine the despair of the females at the school to see most of their male classmates going off to war. As soon as they hit 18 they signed up. It was a catastrophe for women and accounts in part for this grey generation of single women, some of whom I had as teachers when I was at the school.”

The book is being released Nov. 7 and Gough is the keynote speaker at the

Vic High Remembrance Day assembly on Nov. 10 in the school auditorium, starting at 10:25 a.m. A reception with a public unveiling of the book will fol-low at 11:15 in the school library. Vic High is located at 1260 Grant St. in Fernwood.

[email protected]

High school war stories compellingAuthor and Vic High alumni Barry Gough retells tales of students who went to war

cadet battalion. He was one of the most promis-ing young teachers, plus he was a fine athlete and a

Losing such quality individuals, as well as the

to go to war. They wanted

war. As soon as they hit 18 they signed up. It was a catastrophe for women and accounts in part for this grey generation of single women, some of whom I had as teachers when I was at the school.”

released Nov. 7 and Gough is the keynote speaker at the

Remembering those,past and present,

who served our country.

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• O F C A N A D A •

HONOUR OUR VETERANSIf you have friends or family who were veterans and are interred in our cemetery, please visit our office on November 11th so that we may give you a rose and a flag to place on their grave for Remembrance Day.

The roses and fl ags are complimentary. It’s our way of saying… We Remember. Staff will be available to serve you between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.

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Honour our Veterans We all have friends or family who were veterans. Some of them are interred in our cemetery and we invite you to visit on Remembrance Day.In their honour we have placed Crossesand Canadian Flags along the border of Hatley Memorial Gardens.Lest we Forget.

In deep appreciation for all they have done.

We shall not forget.

Town of View Royal


Christine van ReeuwykNews staff

When World War I broke out, Willows fairgrounds transformed into a base for regi-ments training for combat.

Gone were the horse races and festive air, replaced by mounted soldiers training at nearby Willows Beach with drills performed on the racetrack. The agricultural building became headquarters and tents filled the sur-rounding fields as regiments from around the province stopped in Oak Bay, on before, deploying overseas.

“We’re working on building a roll of hon-our for World War I,” said archivist Jean Sparks. They know the population in 1911 was 1,600 and by 1928 it had risen to 5,500, so the 168 residents known to be on active duty during the 1914 to 1918 war was a hefty percentage of the population. They do have files on many who served, but continue to work toward fleshing those out.

There was no formal cenotaph built to honour those who from Oak Bay who died during the First World War. Well-known

resident Frederick Barnard Pemberton, who lost two sons during the conflict, financed the large marker near the legislative build-ings in Victoria, where thousands gather each Remembrance Day.

The youngest, Warren Colclough Pember-ton, died in a training flying accident with the Royal Flying Corps on April 25, 1916. His older brother Frederick Despard Pemberton was declared killed in action in France on Aug. 21, 1917.

Both previously belonged to the 50th High-landers that trained at the Willows camp.

“The war effort was all-encompassing,” Sparks said.

Oak Bay, incorporated in 1906, was still a young community at the time and the Wil-lows camp was owned by the City of Vic-toria. It was one of three in the area, with camps at McCauley Point and Beacon Hill. “It was part of the whole effort,” Sparks said.

The site of the former fairgrounds again transformed in the early 1950s when it became what we know it as today, Carnar-von Park subdivision.

[email protected]

Fairgrounds turn training grounds for First World WarOak Bay one of three camps created in region

Thanking all Veterans and their Families

Randall Garrison, MPESQUIMALT–JUAN DE FUCA

250-405-6550 [email protected] www.randallgarrison.ndp.ca

RG_BPCourage-5x3-1410.indd 1 2014-10-20 1:42 PM

William Pearce was a Ist world war veteran and my father-in-law. He was a warm andgenerous host and I knew him over the last 25 years of his life. He fought in all the mainterrifying battles- Pashendale, Ypres, the Somme and Vimy as an officer in the CanadianMachine Gun Corps.On the evening before the taking ofVimy Ridge, all bands were playing “troops to thetrenches which instilled the old do or die feeling” everybody whooping and yelling. The cost in Canadian casualties there, for the month of April was 13,477 killed and wounded.Buck told my husband of a terrible incident near the end of the war. His men were encamped in a shell hole and as an officer, he was in a tiny concrete pillbox. An incoming shell nicked the roof of the pillbox and exploded mid-air, killing nearly all hismen. The memory of this remained forever imprinted on his mind. He fought a total of 37months in the trenches.—Julie Beaudoin Pearce

We were at 2300 feet when our starboard inner engine sud-denly ran wild and caught fire. Our Halifax flipped over plunging us down to 15000 feet. We put the fire out but it caught again. There was no way to save the plane. Steve, our pilot, asked, do we bail out or ditch? He ditched in 9 foot rollers off Aberdeen Scotland and saved us all. A real tribute to his piloting skills.—F/O Bowles

William Pearce (right)

S U B M I S S I O N S F R O M O U R R E A D E R S

MILTON ALLISON1893-1966 Roland, Stretcher BearerWWI 1915-1918Played Last Post 65 years

NEIL ALLISONPlayed Last Post for 56 years

PHYLLIS ALLISON 1922- 2013pianist/co owner served as volunteer 1940-1946

KEITH ALLISON, Trumpet & PianoPlayed for 55 years Last Post Owner Allison Piano

MILDRED ALLISON 1897 1997 pianist began business 1917

Finley & Ben Allison playing trumpet for a few years...

Since 1917

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LES ALLISON Authored 2 books honouring 16,500 in the RAF & RCAF These names were used for naming thousands of lakes in Manitoba & the new Stone Wall Memorial in Brandon Manitoba.

Les received The Queens Jubilee Medal of Honour 90 years old - CarmanStill playing Last Post & Reveille for 71 years. Serviced in Air Force 1943-1946 WWII

Book Titles They Shall Not Grow Old Canadians in the RAF


“We at the Howard Johnson Hotel and Suites” respect

and honour the brave who served to protect our

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EventsVictoriaNov. 5 – Royal BC Museum’s Live @ Lunch: The Great War of 1914 – 1918: British Co-lumbia Vignettes, 12 to 1 p.m. in the Newcombe Hall. Dr. Lorne Hammond, Cura-tor of History, shares stories on the contribution of British Columbians and the impact of the war on our province; free or by donation. FMI: royalbc-museum.bc.ca

Nov. 5 – Booksmacked! at the Royal BC Museum, 7 to 8 p.m. Enjoy an evening of great book and film recommenda-tions related to the First World War as a team of librarians and a museum curator will

speed review as many books and films as they can in an hour. No registration required. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Nov. 8 – Royal BC Museum’s Community Speaker’s Series: World War I – A Local Per-spective, 1 to 3 p.m. A series of 30-minute Powerpoint pre-sentations features The Ones Who Have to Pay: The Soldiers – Poets of Victoria, BC in the Great War 1914 -1918, with author Robert Ratcliffe Taylor, 1 to 1:30 p.m.; In That Dis-tant Land: Touring the Great War, with historian Paul Fer-guson, 1:30 to 2 p.m.; The Bantams: Victoria’s Unknown Soldiers, with author and his-torian Sidney Allinson, 2 to 2:30 p.m.; William Rochfort: A Victoria Architect Goes to War, with Joanne Barnard,

Victoria Genealogy Society Ambassador, 2:30 to 3 p.m. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Nov. 8 – Veterans’ Week edi-tion of Wendy Morton’s Get Poemed! program, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Esquimalt Branch, Greater Victoria Public Library. Bring in a related personal picture, memento or story for inspiration, and Wendy will compose an original poem for you! All welcome. No registra-tion required. FMI: events.gvpl.ca

Nov. 9 – The Naden Band presents Lest We Forget: A Musical Tribute to The Great War, 1:30 to 3 p.m. on the main level of the Royal BC Museum; free. FMI: royalbc-museum.bc.ca

Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph, BC Legislative Grounds, 10 a.m.

Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day Service, 10 a.m. at God’s Acre Veteran’s Cemetery, 1200 Colville Rd., and 11 a.m. at Esquimalt Memorial Park. Open house follows at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #172 at 622 Admi-rals Rd.

Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day at Royal Canadian Legion Branch #292 Trafalgar/Pro Patria-411 Gorge Rd. East, 12:15 to 8:30 p.m.

Nov. 11 – Victoria Children’s Choir performs music on themes of war and peace, 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. and

1:45 to 2 p.m. at the Royal BC Museum. FMI: royalbcmu-seum.bc.ca

Nov. 11 – The Call Goes Out: Story Theatre Company and the Royal BC Museum pres-ent music, songs and poetry of the period mixed with let-ters from the young men who travelled to the trenches, 1 to 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Nov. 11 – Music of Peace: Remembrance Day with CapriCCio Vocal Ensemble, 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Christ Church

Cathedral, Quadra at Rock-land. FMI: www.capriccio.ca

Nov. 11 – In That Distant Land: Touring the Great War: Military historian Paul Fergu-son leads a journey of com-memoration to the Great War sites of France and Flan-ders, 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the Royal BC Museum. FMI: roy-albcmuseum.bc.ca

Oak BayHundreds will gather Tues-day (Nov. 11) at 11 a.m. in Uplands Park to honour the

memory of those who served Canada in the First and Sec-ond World Wars, Korea, Af-ghanistan and in peacekeep-ing forces.

The Oak Bay Remembrance Day Ceremony is organized by the Oak Bay Police Depart-ment and includes participa-tion from the Oak Bay High Brass Choir, Victoria Male Choir, various Oak Bay clergy, the fifth and 12th Garry Oak Scouts, Girl Guides and the Oak Bay Fire Department.

The ceremony takes place at the Oak Bay Memorial Ceno-

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Lest we forget

Remember those who fought so

gallantly for our freedom.

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With deepest respect and gratitude for

our veterans

“At the going down of the sunand in the morning

we will remember them.”

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VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Friday, November 7, 2014 COURAGE REMEMBERED • 112 • COURAGE REMEMBERED Friday, November 7, 2014 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE

EventsVictoriaNov. 5 – Royal BC Museum’s Live @ Lunch: The Great War of 1914 – 1918: British Co-lumbia Vignettes, 12 to 1 p.m. in the Newcombe Hall. Dr. Lorne Hammond, Cura-tor of History, shares stories on the contribution of British Columbians and the impact of the war on our province; free or by donation. FMI: royalbc-museum.bc.ca

Nov. 5 – Booksmacked! at the Royal BC Museum, 7 to 8 p.m. Enjoy an evening of great book and film recommenda-tions related to the First World War as a team of librarians and a museum curator will

speed review as many books and films as they can in an hour. No registration required. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Nov. 8 – Royal BC Museum’s Community Speaker’s Series: World War I – A Local Per-spective, 1 to 3 p.m. A series of 30-minute Powerpoint pre-sentations features The Ones Who Have to Pay: The Soldiers – Poets of Victoria, BC in the Great War 1914 -1918, with author Robert Ratcliffe Taylor, 1 to 1:30 p.m.; In That Dis-tant Land: Touring the Great War, with historian Paul Fer-guson, 1:30 to 2 p.m.; The Bantams: Victoria’s Unknown Soldiers, with author and his-torian Sidney Allinson, 2 to 2:30 p.m.; William Rochfort: A Victoria Architect Goes to War, with Joanne Barnard,

Victoria Genealogy Society Ambassador, 2:30 to 3 p.m. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Nov. 8 – Veterans’ Week edi-tion of Wendy Morton’s Get Poemed! program, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Esquimalt Branch, Greater Victoria Public Library. Bring in a related personal picture, memento or story for inspiration, and Wendy will compose an original poem for you! All welcome. No registra-tion required. FMI: events.gvpl.ca

Nov. 9 – The Naden Band presents Lest We Forget: A Musical Tribute to The Great War, 1:30 to 3 p.m. on the main level of the Royal BC Museum; free. FMI: royalbc-museum.bc.ca

Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph, BC Legislative Grounds, 10 a.m.

Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day Service, 10 a.m. at God’s Acre Veteran’s Cemetery, 1200 Colville Rd., and 11 a.m. at Esquimalt Memorial Park. Open house follows at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #172 at 622 Admi-rals Rd.

Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day at Royal Canadian Legion Branch #292 Trafalgar/Pro Patria-411 Gorge Rd. East, 12:15 to 8:30 p.m.

Nov. 11 – Victoria Children’s Choir performs music on themes of war and peace, 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. and

1:45 to 2 p.m. at the Royal BC Museum. FMI: royalbcmu-seum.bc.ca

Nov. 11 – The Call Goes Out: Story Theatre Company and the Royal BC Museum pres-ent music, songs and poetry of the period mixed with let-ters from the young men who travelled to the trenches, 1 to 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. FMI: royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Nov. 11 – Music of Peace: Remembrance Day with CapriCCio Vocal Ensemble, 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Christ Church

Cathedral, Quadra at Rock-land. FMI: www.capriccio.ca

Nov. 11 – In That Distant Land: Touring the Great War: Military historian Paul Fergu-son leads a journey of com-memoration to the Great War sites of France and Flan-ders, 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the Royal BC Museum. FMI: roy-albcmuseum.bc.ca

Oak BayHundreds will gather Tues-day (Nov. 11) at 11 a.m. in Uplands Park to honour the

memory of those who served Canada in the First and Sec-ond World Wars, Korea, Af-ghanistan and in peacekeep-ing forces.

The Oak Bay Remembrance Day Ceremony is organized by the Oak Bay Police Depart-ment and includes participa-tion from the Oak Bay High Brass Choir, Victoria Male Choir, various Oak Bay clergy, the fifth and 12th Garry Oak Scouts, Girl Guides and the Oak Bay Fire Department.

The ceremony takes place at the Oak Bay Memorial Ceno-

2x3

galaxy

Courage remembered

1x3greggs

1x3cap city

pav

1x3har-

board ins

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1x3ecole vic

1x3blueird cab

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linge

1x3kahl re-

alty

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Courage remembered

My father was a member of the Fusilier de Mont-Royal in the com-mando unit, which was eventually involved in the Dieppe invasion.

Although he never spoke of it before, one day we had a conversation a few years before he died at age 71 (he died 25 years ago). His recollection was that the original plan intended to strike on the beach just before dawn with the element of surprise on their side; unfortunately , their “armada” was spotted by a German U boat in the Channel in the middle of the night. While the military brass debated whether or not to proceed under these new circumstances, time rolled on. By the time the fateful deci-sion was reached, it was mid-morning. By then the Germans, (I imagine them having just finished their morning cof-fee and croissants), were set comfort-ably in position in their pill boxes, overlooking the beach and waiting for my father and all the other’s arrival. Although some historians refer to the

many learnings from that experience, it was by most accounts a disaster. While seeing many of his buddies fall on the battle field, my father was wounded by shrapnel shells explod-ing on the rocky beaches. He was eventually captured while floating unconscious in the English Channel; he woke up in a German military hos-pital, bandaged all along his left side where the bits of metal did their dam-age. As his farming family had not had any communications from him for over 2 years, they presumed he had died in Dieppe. So they held a memorial service for him in a huge catholic church in his small home town in northern New Brunswick. As he was about to be released from the concentration camp in a prisoner- exchange program, the war ended; he and his other campmates were returned home.

Although he came back to a war hero’s welcome, he never really felt that way. Dad said that he was just doing his job, but did admit that he missed the many buddies he left on those beaches of northern France back then. Over the years, he had many bouts of anxiety and depres-sion, (now referred to as Post Trau-matic Stress Syndrome) but managed to build a career in home construction industry and support his family. From time to time, he was also treated for the wounds he suffered as bits of shrapnel worked their way to the sur-face of this muscles , needing surgery to remove them.

Dad had been awarded 5 medals for his services which he had tucked away in his sock drawer in a boarding house in a small town in near the.....

Paul King (Right)

My Grandfather, Paul King, left Victoria and went to war as a boy stretcher-bearer. He saw action in some of the most horrific battles of WWI, including Vimy Ridge. His mates gave him this watch in 1917 when he left the trenches to become a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps.

—David King

taph, in the 2800-block of Beach Dr., beginning just be-fore 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. Lim-ited seating is available.

SaanichNov. 8-9: The Ashton Armoury is hosting Remembering in Scale, featuring naval and military models on display, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nov 13: Victoria Genealogical Society hosting a presentation in the Gordon Head United Church Hall with Jim Kem-pling from A City Goes To War, 7:30 p.m.

WestshoreNov. 11 – Remembrance Day Ceremonies at 10:45 am. Veteran’s Memorial Park, Goldstream Avenue at Veteran’s Memorial Parkway.

MetchosinNov. 11 – Remembrance Day parade begins at 10:45 a.m. behind the fire hall on Happy Valley Road. Mili-tary colour guard, veterans, RCMP, scouts and guides march to St. Mary the Virgin Heritage Church, 4125 Me-tchosin Rd. Service follows at the cenotaph at 11 a.m.

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.

—John McCrae

S U B M I S S I O N S F R O M O U R R E A D E R S

Captain (N) Cedric Steele, MSM, CDHonorary Captain

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They shall grow not oldas we that are left grow old;age shall not weary them,

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and in the morningWe will remember them.

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the contributions ofthe contributions ofthe contributions of


WE SALUTEALL THOSE WHO

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november 07, 2014

Documents

times of war

world war artifacts

remembrance day

world of difference

korean war veterans

greater victoria thrifty

esquimalt victoria

week leaker