In April 2017 I had the opportunity to travel to Europe on a battlefield tour of Canadian battles during the First and Second World Wars ending at Vimy Ridge on its 100th anniversary.
After this trip I truly understand what it means to be a Canadian and what sacrifices our soldiers did on our behalf to give us the freedoms and privileges that we presently enjoying Canada
My trip began in Normandy, the location of Juno beach where Canadian soldiers came ashore on D-Day during the Second World War.
Walking along the sandy beaches where Canadians came ashore and seeing the remains of the bunkers which faced them gives you an idea of how difficult this landing was and what horrible conditions these young men had to endure to succeed.
Still standing on Juno Beach is Canada House, which is seen in many pictures from D-Day. Touring this house and its many pictures gives you an idea of what Canadian soldiers faced that day.
The Canadian museum at Juno Beach explains both the battle and what was going on at home in Canada with its interactive displays.
After spending time on Juno, we visited our first Canadian cemetery at Beny sur Mer where many Canadians were buried during the battle for Normandy.
In looking at the headstones many of the ages were between 18 and 21 so they were still boys when they went to war. As we travelled through France during the next days we went to numerous memorials which identified various battle locations and the names of Canadian soldiers who lost their lives.
Some of these are located on a small rural road surrounded by farm fields which is so peaceful now compared to the horrors of war.
During these visits we had a chance to meet the local people who still remember or have heard stories from their parents and what Canada did during the war.
They always said thanks and looking at the various memorials, cemeteries and how well they are maintained you know how much respect they have for what Canada did to liberate them.
We visited Dieppe and saw the beach and surrounding terrain where many Canadians were killed during the raid. This battle should probably not have taken place as it was a battle that Canada could not win due to its location and opposing forces, but Canada went anyway and the people of Dieppe still remember by its memorials to these brave men.
As I went for a walk along the beaches I began to understand the odds they faced, which angered me on why this raid had to happen.
After Dieppe we left the World War Two sites and started visiting World War One sites in France and Belgium.
One of these sites was Leper were Canadian faced one of the war’s first gas attacks and succeeded in holding their positions while others did not.
The cemeteries in this area are huge with many graves marked with a grave stone saying “An unknown soldier is buried here.”
It makes you wonder who they were and what they could have achieved in life had they lived.
Visiting all these cemeteries and sites give you a history lesson and a better understanding of the conditions these young men and boys faced, but never lost a battle.
The last part of the tour before Vimy Ridge was following the route of Canada’s “Last Hundred Days” were Canada established a reputation for succeeding where others failed.
Canada never lost a battle in the First World War.
These men faced horrible conditions but brought Canada together as a nation and freedom for all of us to have today.
Our last stop was Vimy Ridge on its 100th anniversary where Canada truly became a nation.
The area is small and mostly covered with native Canadian trees but on the day it was cold, bare and a horrible place to be, but Canada succeeded and gave us that Canadian identity.
I shared this day with 25,000 other Canadians who attended to give thanks for young men and boys who gave their lives to enable us to live in this free country, Canada.
As a first-generation Canadian who do not have to fight in a world war as our parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents did, this trip gave me more of an understanding of what they did and made me very proud of what they achieved for me and all Canadians.
We must give thanks to those who sacrificed their lives and the families two separate back home.
I am part of the generation who asked questions of our parents and grandparents of what happened in the war and in most cases did not get any answers.
This trip answered some of my questions and gave me more understanding of what we owe these Canadians to went on our behalf to make this country what it is today and we should never forget their sacrifices.
