When you read these two letters from France written by Robert Burns Florence in 1916, you will notice the dramatic change between a young man shortly after arriving, and the same young man just one month later, after doing battle at The Somme. In honour of the World War One centenary, I want to share with you these […]
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My godfather Colin Greener stood five foot three in his boots, but he had the heart of a lion. In World War One he fought in the trenches, was wounded twice, and decorated for bravery. He always joked that if he had been taller he wouldn’t have survived. When Britain entered World War One on August 4, […]
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This band of EIGHT Ballendine brothers served in the Canadian Army during World War Two, following the path laid down by their father John Ballendine and his brother James, both crack snipers in the Great War. Pictured here are James on the left and his younger brother John on the right. They are wearing pre-war […]
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Richard Fuller of Niagara Falls, Ontario was a Kid Soldier, only seventeen years old when he joined the militia and began to train as a signaller. When war broke out in 1939, he was one of the first men overseas. His daughter Jennifer Maruno drew on his experiences for her Young Adult book titled Kid Soldier. My guest […]
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Operation Fortitude was an elaborate, mind-boggling hoax – using decoys such as rubber tanks, canvas ships, plywood aircraft, and even dummy soldiers to fool the Germans about where we secretly planned to land on D-Day. Everyone knew the Allies would eventually try to take back the continent. But when, and where? To refresh your knowledge of geography, Pas-de-Calais […]
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For almost one hundred years, a story has circulated in our family about these two World War One soldiers. My grandfather Charlie Light, right, was saved from certain death on a French battlefield during World War One by his younger brother Jack Light, left. But several family members have expressed skepticism about whether it really […]
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