New: Facebook has blocked all Canadian news. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop.

New: Facebook has blocked all Canadian news. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop.

“For 34 years, the Legion was responsible for ceremonies on Nov. 11,” Land O’Lakes Lions Past President and Zone Chair Red Emond said Sunday night in Northbrook. “This year, we’re just assisting them.”

The Northbrook observances were a little different than what one normally expects. First of all, it was held on the night of Nov. 10. Yes, there was the traditional moment of silence, laying of wreaths, playing of The Last Post and Reveille as well as a reading of In Flanders Fields, but a couple of other things set these ceremonies apart.

What made this remembrance unique were the memories of three women, two who spent the Second World War in Kaladar and Flinton, and one who was in the thick of it in Yugoslavia and Austria.

Rose Merkler has lived in Canada for 60 years, in Toronto, Skoottamatta Lake and now Northbrook.

But when she was eight years old, she was in Yugoslavia, of German descent. (Rose’s older sister, Mitzi Mangold, was scheduled to be there as well but was unable to attend).

In 1941, Rose’s family lived in Zemun, which is now a suburb of Belgrade. Her family had been in the area for 600 years, however they still spoke German. It was at that time the Germans invaded and took over the area.

While her family wasn’t a target of the Germans, many families, particularly Jewish and Romani, were.

“I remember the concentration camp (Sajmiste) and the trucks taking people over the river,” she said. “They never returned.”

In 1944, the Russians came and took over.

“The Russian were taking revenge on all Germans,” she said. “My grandfather had an oil factory and my mother’s sister had gotten engaged to an Austrian.

“My father said we had to get out.”

She remembers a neighbour who decided to stay.

“The Russians came and killed him shortly after we left.”

Once in Wels, Austria, they thought they’d be OK but things changed quickly.

“In 1944, when we got there, Austria was still under Hilter, but soon the Russians came there too,” she said.

“The Russians were like animals,” she said. “I remember one woman standing on a bridge, who cheered and put flowers on the Russian vehicles saying ‘our saviours.’

“That night, eight Russians raped her.

“I’ll never forget the screams. They (the Russians) came in, took whatever they wanted.

“There was no food.”

She said she moved to Canada when she could because “Canada is known as the peacemakers of the world.

“The horror in the world doesn’t seem to stop and it was horror. You were not safe to go anywhere but here you are safe.

“It’s great to be in Canada.”

One-hundred-and-one-year-old Meritta Parks also has memories of the War Years, albeit not as horrendous as the ones Merkler carries.

Still, they were trying times.

“In 1939, food was rationed,” Parks, who was originally from Flinton but living in Kaladar at the time. “You got so much butter, so much sugar for each child.

“If you had a big family, you got more.”

Parks shared a story of coupon booklets and rationing.

“You had a coupon booklet and I never used my butter coupons,” she said. “We had a cow and made our own butter.

“The storekeeper in Kaladar (Arnold York) asked if he could have my butter coupons.

“I bootlegged butter.”

Parks’ younger sister, Verna Andrews remembers things a bit differently.

“Before the war, nobody had money,” she said. “When I first started school, I thought we were hard up but there were kids at school who only had a single slice of bread for there lunch and maybe they had a pair of rubber boots if they were lucky.

“I had clothes because of hand-me-downs but I remember my mother made our underclothes from flour bags — and sometimes, the flour wasn’t all gone.”

She remembers when the war ended quite vividly.

“In 1945, we had a big party in Northbrook,” she said. “Everybody was dancing in on the street, and it wasn’t paved at that time.

“We had a big square dance on the gravel road.”

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

The future of Remembrance Day services at the McMullen Park Cenotaph in Verona appears set as more than 100 people gathered on Remembrance Day to honour the fallen.

At the luncheon in the Verona Free Methodist Church following the ceremonies, one of the organizers, Linda Bates, announced that they plan to keep up the tradition next year, although they may change the starting time to 11 a.m. from 10:45 a.m. to better accommodate students from Prince Charles Public School.

“We think it’s more important to have the students here than to observe the moment of silence right at 11 a.m.,” Bates said. “It’s important students know and understand why we do this.”

There was a strong contingent of students and staff from PCPS at this year’s ceremony, both in terms of actual numbers and active participation.

Kate Walker and Madison Brushette read In Flanders Fields and Willa Morton gave the reply. Brent Orser and Emily Casement laid a wreath for the school.

The school has a history of Remembrance Day ceremonies. For several years, Verona remembrances were held in the school gym before a group of volunteers and the Verona Community Association brought the service back to the Cenotaph in 2016.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 19 June 2019 12:43

SF Volunteers of the Year

Rhonda Storring

After having retired from the Canadian Forces after 32 years of service and the Commissionaires in Kingston, Rhonda Storring now calls Verona home. Rhonda is a people person and has very much enjoyed being a member of the Verona Community Association for the past nine years. She is a Director on the Board and holds the position of Secretary. Rhonda records, distributes, and handles correspondence for the Association. She volunteers her time to the many activities and events that are sponsored by the VCA. She has participated in the VCA Family Free Skate and was the Chairperson for the event this year. Rhonda assists at the Verona Community Christmas Dinner, the Flower Barrel contest, Music in the Park, the Remembrance Day Ceremony, Canada Day Celebrations in Harrowmsith, and the Verona Car Show.

When not busy as a board member with the VCA, Rhonda also acts as the Secretary for the Verona Car Show and is an active volunteer during the event. Rhonda often assists with the South Frontenac Community Services Diner’s Club as well. She lends a hand with set up, take down, and the serving of meals. Rhonda contributes with the Verona Lions Club breakfast events throughout the year, all while owning and operating her own business in Verona, Restore Esthetics.

The VCA and the community of South Frontenac would not be the same without the hard work and dedication that continues to be shown by Rhonda Storring and her never ending desire to make this area a great place to live.

Alvin Wood

Alvin Wood has been an outstanding member of this community for as long as we have been lucky enough to have him and his family in Battersea. Alvin’s commitment to volunteerism and supporting our community truly enhances the quality of life for all residents. He is an inspiration to all who call South Frontenac home, and his hard work and dedication ensures that we all get to enjoy and celebrate our wonderful community.

Alvin currently sits on the Storrington District Recreation Committee, where he has been an active member for several years. Alvin has most recently acted as Chair of the Committee, going above and beyond to ensure that the district’s valuable teams, associations, facilities, events, and programs are well represented within the Township.

In addition to his work with community recreation, Alvin has been on the Battersea Pumpkin Festival Committee since its inception 25 years ago. This festival is a keystone event for the Township of South Frontenac and Alvin has been an invaluable member of the team, always taking on many roles and responsibilities. Without the hard work and dedication of Alvin, the festival would not be where it is today. Alvin also plays a large role in other volunteer pursuits, such as the Pumpkin Pie Coffee House and Blue Skies Musical Festival. He can often be found volunteering wherever is needed in the community, such as one-time fundraising events, church happenings, and anywhere else that needs a skilled helping hand.

Alvin is a tremendous supporter of this community, and there is no doubt that he deserves this award for his outstanding volunteerism. Our community is a much greater place because of all that he does.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 12 June 2019 13:23

Limestone Achievers

Aurora French (Granite Ridge Education Centre), Rachel Cumming (North Addington Education Centre), and Rebecca Hillis (Sydenham High School) were among the Limestone Achiever Award winners for the 2018/2019 year.

Here are some excerpts from the testimonial letters, written on their behalf, from staff at their respective schools.

Aurora French

Aurora is extremely intelligent, articulate and talented in multiple subjects, while being humble and an excellent role model for her fellow students. Her diligence, excellent learning skills and perseverance are evident as she sets high standards for herself, and she is committed to seeing them through to fruition.

Aurora has been an integral member of student council and extra-curricular teams. She is also a vital part of our athletic program. As a team member, she is encouraging and extremely positive, but do not let her quiet demeanour mislead you as she is a fierce competitor who pushes herself to her full potential.

Along with these significant in-school contributions, Aurora has been actively involved in her community. She has been involved in fundraising for a number of charities, including the Canadian Cancer Society. She has consistently volunteered for the Blue Skies Kids Arts Camp, encouraging young people to be creative.

Rachel Cumming

Rachel is a hard-working student who is dedicated to her learning. She is continually looking for feedback and for new learning opportunities. Her academic drive has allowed Rachel to experience success in all classes. She has been a leader for the volleyball, badminton, track and field and softball teams. This volleyball season, Rachel broke her foot the first game of the season. She showed commitment to her team and leadership by continuing to come to practices and games, acting as an assistant coach until she was well enough to play again.

She has keen interest in photography and works hard at home, and on her own time, to improve her photography skills. Rachel’s academic drive also extends to her hobbies. Rachel strives to continually improve and deepen her understanding and skill in photography and graphic arts. She rises to challenges and has represented our school, winning back-to-back gold at the Limestone Skills Competition for photography and qualifying to represent our region at the Provincial Skills Competition.

She is the student council president, and is not afraid to take charge and make her opinion known. Rachel shows this commitment to her community while balancing high marks and also maintaining a part-time job.

Rebecca Hillis

Rebecca’s passion is in the arts, music and drama, and her grades in these subjects certainly reflect this. She has used her incredible talent as a vocal musician in numerous ways. She has led sing songs by the campfire on student leadership retreats, sang with the Glee Club, performed solos at Remembrance Day assemblies and toured LDSB schools with the school band. Rebecca has performed at LDSB board meetings, former Director Hunter’s retirement, athletic events and most impressively has performed at three Limestone Learning Foundation Crystal Ball Galas. Rebecca plans to continue her academic pursuits at Wilfrid Laurier University in the Bachelor of Music program where she auditioned in Voice – Soprano.

Athletically, Rebecca is a member of the cross country and track and field teams. She has competed in both sports in each of her years at high school. Not only a competitive athlete, Rebecca is an incredible role model and mentor for younger teammates. In a confident, caring and respectful manner, and as a senior leader, she responds to the complex needs of Para - ID athletes on the school team (many of whom go on to compete at the provincial level). Rebecca is a true role model, providing assistance and leadership to ensure these athletes are on time, warmed up and ready to compete. Her contributions to this program are invaluable. She has an innate ability to recognise the needs of others, then formally and informally lead when necessary.

The staff of Sydenham High School would like to thank Rebecca for her contributions and congratulate her on this accomplishment.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 15 November 2017 10:06

NAEC Remembrance Day Assembly

North Addington Education Centre’s Remembrance Day Assembly was attended by Elementary and Secondary students, alumni, representatives from the Legion, members of the community, and a group of soldiers from 2 Service Battalion, Garrison Petawawa.

The M.C.s were Alyssa Borger, Julia Cuddy and Ally Maschke, and they remained cool in the face of sudden changes in the proceedings.

The NAEC choir led the assembly in the a capella singing of “O, Canada”, including some lovely harmony.

“In Flanders Fields” was read in English by Eloura Johnson and Levi Meeks, and in French by Jazmin Marcotte and Yanik Drouin. Kaden Snider read “We Shall Keep the Faith”, a response to “In Flanders Fields”. Avery Cuddy and Rachel Cumming read two very different accounts of the experiences of women in World War II.

Students were pleased to have a visit from 2 Service Battalion, Garrison Petawawa. Master Corporal Juneau placed a wreath on behalf of the visitors, and Master Warrant Officer Barrett spoke to the students about the need to remember the efforts of the past.

The soldiers enjoyed a lunch prepared by the cafeteria, and also chatted with students who were having their own lunches. Various groups of soldiers visited a range of classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12, answering questions about their experiences, as well as playing volleyball with some of the students.

Ms. Ohlke, one of the Kindergarten teachers, said of their classroom visit, 'The soldiers got a chance to see the students being good listeners in their own environment. These wonderful young men answered so many great questions and put the icing on the cake when they demonstrated a military retreat with perfect precision, complete with barked orders, stamped boots and salutes. They looked as happy doing it as the kids watching. I think they just got 20 new recruits'.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 08 November 2017 17:50

Harry’s Story

Harry and Fim Andringa have made their mark in the town of Flinton ever since they moved to the community 25 years ago. They have been good neighbours and keen volunteers, and have made many friends.
Harry, who had recently retired from the Toronto Transit Commission when the Andringas moved to Flinton, drove for both Land O’Lakes Community Services (Meals of Wheels) and Friends of Bon Echo (captaining the Mugwump ferry) among other volunteer commitments. Harry has also been involved with local Legions and schools more recently by recounting his experiences in WW2 as a child in the Netherlands.

“When we moved to Flinton we knew no one. We found the community by looking around for a small town where we could retire and enjoy life. And we found it,” he said, when interviewed at his home earlier this week.
A few years after they had retired, Harry realized that he was not feeling well, and that he hadn’t been feeling well for many years. He went for tests and they did tests and found nothing. Eventually doctors realized that Harry was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and had been for most of his life. He lived through WW2 in the Netherlands as a young child and those experiences had remained bottled up in him for over 60 years. After 11 months of therapy he felt better and was able to begin sharing his story, which he did through presentations at Legions and at local high schools and Senior’s homes for a number of years.

“I think it is important for people to know what happened, especially now when there are holocaust deniers around. There are even some in Germany now, so I wanted to do my part,” he said.
A couple of years ago Fim began having health problems and more recently Harry has also been struggling physically. The strain of visiting groups in person has become too great.
When Ken Hook heard that Harry was getting older and frailer, he is now 85, he recalled how much of an impact that a presentation Harry had on the participants at a meeting of the Cloyne and District Historical Society a number of years ago. He thought it was important to get Harry’s story on video. A year ago, he conducted a series of interviews with Harry and then applied for a Canada 150 grant to fund the completion of the video. He did not get one, but decided to self fund the project.

“I’ve done a lot of corporate and other videos and people are always a bit shy or wary, and we need to do two or three takes. But Harry wasn’t like that. He didn’t have any notes at all. He knew his story and could tell it off the top of his head.”
Obtaining video clips to round out the story was a more difficult process for Hook, but he did have help from the National Film Board, which allowed him to use newsreel footage. Finding the write footage took many hours, however. When the video was done, edited down to 36 minutes, an opening was arranged at the Northbrook Lion’s Hall on October 25.

To Harry and Ken’s surprise, the hall was filled to the brim, standing room only, for the viewing.
The film itself is straight forward. Harry speaks, there are images and voice overs for context, and his story unfolds.
And what a grim, cautionary tale it is.

Harry was a young boy when the war started, living in a small town north of Amsterdam. It took only four days for the German army to over-run the Dutch in 1940. Harry was 9 at the time. In the film he recalled the night when the German army arrived in his town. He thought it was a thunderstorm but his father said it was a war.

“I had never even heard the word war. I asked my father what it was, and he said ‘you’ll find out’. Did I ever.”
In “Harry’s Story” which is available for free viewing on Youtube and can be easily accessed at Harrysstory.ca, Harry talks about the way life immediately changed under German occupation. The school in his village was taken over and classes were held outside. German was taught and soldiers would come in to the schools and make sure the students were learning the language. Prisoners of war, from as far away as Mongolia, were brought in as slave labour for the army.

Harry talked about seeing the German soldiers eating lunch in their truck, “with thermoses of hot coffee and cheese sandwiches, with not a care in the world” while the slave labourers were out in the cold, wearing rags, with soaked burlap on their feet in place of shoes, sharing a frozen beetroot they found in a ditch by the side of the road “just to have something in their stomach.”

The Nazi regime also targeted Dutch Jews for extermination, and because of the efficiency of Dutch birth and citizenship records they had great success in finding Dutch Jews. As the documentary points out, only 30,000 of the 140,000 Dutch Jews survived the war.
Harry’s uncle Cor was involved in the effort to save as many Jews as possible from the fate they faced if captured by the Nazi’s. He coordinated efforts in the region, often using bicycle power by night to ferry individuals and families to safety.
Harry talks in the film about a mother and daughter, Esther and Sonya, who were sheltered in his home.

He talks in particular about one day when a soldier arrived in his house without any warning, so quickly that Sonya, who was sitting in the kitchen, was unable to scurry under the large tablecloth that covered the kitchen table, which she normally did when there was any warning they were coming.
The soldier asked Harry’s mother about the children, and she said they were her children.

“‘What about her’ he said pointing right at Sonya. He picked her right out, and my mother said she was her sisters child who was staying with us for the day. He laughed, and looked at us as if he was insulted by our attempts to fool him, and then he left” Harry recalled, his memory as clear 75 years later as if the event had just taken place.

They thought they were done for, and waited for the truck to come and load them up “never to be seen or heard from again,” which was what had happened to the Mayor of the town earlier, but by late afternoon nothing had happened and Harry said to his mother “I think we are in the clear”.
They never found out why the soldier never turned them in. Harry’s mother said maybe the soldier had a daughter who was about 2 or 3 years old back home in Germany.
“That’s the only explanation we could come up with.”

In the film there are some stories that are more harrowing than this one.

Harry also remembers the bitter cold winter of 1944, which became known as the Hunger Winter or Dutch Famine, when the German’s cut off all food and fuel shipments to the western provinces, where 4.5 million Dutch lived.
Harry talks about ripping door trims for wood, stealing trees, and eating tulip bulbs and nettles.
Canadian troops liberated the Netherlands after the D-Day invasion, a fact that certainly played into Harry’s decision to emigrate to Canada in 1957.
It pleases him to point out how Canadian WW2 veterans are received when they go back to Holland. By a strange coincidence, the last surviving D-Day veteran in our readership area (as far as we know) is Gordon Wood of Flinton, and over the years since Harry and Fim Andriga have been living in Flinton they have formed a bond from being on two sides of a dark chapter of Dutch and Canadian history.

Harry met his wife, Fim, soon after he arrived in Canada in 1957. She is from the Netherlands as well and they were married on Thanksgiving Day in 1959 and raised a family in Toronto before moving to Flinton, where they live with their son.
Fim is younger than Harry, and she was born during the war, and although she was very young she has her own vivid of the war.
When I contacted Harry for a few details early this week, Fim came on the line afterwards.

Her concern, after what both she and Harry had experienced when they were very young, is with the refugees that have been taken in by Canada over the last few years.
“I was 5 when the war was over, and I have memories that no person should have,” she said.

“Canada is bringing in a lot of refugees, and they are coming from war torn countries that are as bad or worse as what we came from. Some of these children are going to have the same kind of memories. These memories that are so intrusive, and Canada should know that these people need emotional and mental help when they come here. We don’t need to coddle the refugees, we weren’t coddled when we came here, but they have seen things and those things don’t disappear. I know that for myself, they come back instantly and without any warning.”
When Harry’s Story was screened in Northbrook, the tears were flowing in the audience in response to the dignified account of horrendous events, as Harry still finds it hard to believe that people could act as the Nazis did in his village and his country.
Afterwards, Harry was surprised and a bit overwhelmed by the response.

“I expected about a dozen people would show up, not a full house like this,” he said.

The website Harrysstory.ca includes information about the film, an embedded Youtube link to the full 36 minute video and a link to the trailer. It also includes out-takes, footage that was not included in the film for time reasons but add much to the story. More outtakes will be added over time as well.
Harry’s story is also being screened in Napanee on Saturday, November 25th at 2pm at the Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

When the clocks all strike 11:00 am on November 11, 2018, it will mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One, the supposed “War to end all Wars.”

By November 11, 1918, it has been estimated that there had been approximately 8 million military/service deaths and up to 21 million wounded around the world.

Arden Legion, Gordon Gaylord Branch #334, is hoping to have ready for November, 2018, a booklet listing all members, of all services from the area including Arden, Mountain Grove, Henderson, Harlow, Kaladar, and locations in between who fought and died for Canada.

The Legion is hoping to collect knowledge on every known participant including any photographs, history, personal information and current descendents.

Obviously, to achieve this, we need to appeal to the general public and make this booklet a community effort. We are also requesting information from anyone who had grandmothers or great grandmothers who served as nurses etc., or who served in the forces. Also, if any now local residents had relatives who served, we would love to hear from you.

To get the ball rolling, we have prepared a list of all service members’ names taken from the cenotaphs and plaques currently in both Arden and Mountain Grove. They are as follows:

Arden: Andrew Hayes, Roy Loyst, John Monds, Russell Monds, Ernest Mouck, Manley Wood, Milton Woodcock, Harry Alexander, Willard Boomhower, Allan Detlor, Dow Fraser, Charles Gaylord, Sandford Gaylord, Oscar Hayes, William Hogan, James Hughes, Norman Hughes, John Kellar, W.C. Morgan, Rockwell Newton, Benson Scott, Earl Scott, Sandy Scott, Curtis Selman, Frank Shorts, Durland Steele, Morris Thompson, Wellington Thompson, Edward Wilkes, Edward Wood, Oscar Wood, Ervin Woodcock, Murray Woodcock, Ellias Wormworth, E. Barker, W.J. Gaylord, F. Hugh, A. Hughes, A. Parker, C. Parkes and L. Woodcock.

Mountain Grove: H.R. Abbott, A, Lewis, H.R. Cronk, E.P. Lewis, G.E. Snider, C. Parker, J.M. Wood, R.M. Barr, G.F. Beverley, T. Beverley, B. Bradly, R. Bradly, G. Conboy, J. Dawson, C. Drew, A. Enbry, R. Flynn, A. Godfrey, T. Godfrey, W. Grant, H. Gray, J. Hawley, R. Hawley, O.A. Hayes, J. Kellar, Z. Kellar, C. Lockwood, D. MacCrimmon, D. MacDonald, S. Mills, E.R. Price, l.E. Raymond, C. Shorts, A. Smith, F. Smith, O. Smith, F. Soles, H. Somers, F. Tryon and J. Veley.

These are the names being used for the Legion's starting point. lf anyone recognizes a name of a great grandparent, grandparent or other relative, please contact one of the following: Malcolm Sampson (613-335-3664), Ronda Noble (613-335-4517), Marilyn Meeks (613-335-4531) or Jean Brown (613-336-2516) or call the Legion (613-335-2737) and leave a name and phone number.

It is also very probable that at a later date, more volunteer help will be needed, so if you are interested in helping out, please let one of the individuals listed above know.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 30 November 2016 16:23

An Appreciated Donation

A few weeks ago it was mentioned, in the Arden column, about a gun donated to Arden for their Cenotaph.  After a conversation with the donator and then some research, I felt it was necessary to bring some attention to this unique and generous individual.  Geoffrey Landon-Browne was born in England and relocated, with his wife, to Carp, Ontario in 2008.  He has refurbished a Land Rover, is in the midst of rebuilding a Volkswagon Iltis but his pride and joy is the work he is doing on the flight deck of a Lancaster heavy bomber plane.  He is a millwright and machinist by trade and has a garage stocked full of metalworking equipment and many mechanical parts acquired by a variety of ways.  

I asked him why he decided to donate the gun to Arden and he told me he really did not know why, he just had a compulsion to do it.   Passing by the large Arden sign, on his way to Toronto he recalled the documentary “The Lost Highway” and felt a connection, one that he could not explain.  On another trip he ventured into town and found the Cenotaph, and much to his dismay saw that one of the guns was missing.
He chose his replacement, a replica of a .303 “Vickers” because of it’s direct link to the Canadian forces and because the gun mounted on the other side was a German “Maxim” machine gun, vintage World War One. The Vickers gun has relevance to WWII and Korea as it was used by British and Commonwealth forces until 1989. Landon-Browne recreated this gun by newly making 100% of it;  there are no original parts.  
The actual time required to fabricate this gun…..3 days.  Impressive is just one way to describe Geoff,
and in turn,  Geoff was impressed by Arden as well.  The one thing he felt that many a large metropolis lost was their sense of community and willingness to remember and be thankful for the past.  He found both of those things in Arden, in their service November 11 and the fellowship that followed. 

So Arden formally thanks Geoff Landon-Browne for his gift and wishes him every success in his task of rebuilding history in his Lancaster bomber project.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 16 November 2016 22:57

D-Day Veteran Remembers When

Gordon Wood is a familiar figure in Flinton. Partly that's because he's been there longer than just about anyone else. Also, whenever the weather is nice, even if it is a bit chilly, he can be seen rolling around the village on his motorised scooter. He enjoys the fresh air, and stops to talk to neighbours once in a while. Then he returns to the home that he built with his late wife Wilma in 1947, where they raised five children.

Gordon just turned 92 last week, and although he remains pretty sharp, he is “finally showing his age” according to his daughter Audrey, who lives in Cloyne and checks in on him every day. Audrey puts food together for him to microwave, deals with his medical needs, and makes sure he is ok. Gordon also receives a pension and some help, including medical devices, a new scooter every four years, and other benefits from Veteran's Services.

Although he has lived in the Flinton area most of his life, got married there and raised five children, there was a gap.

Gordon spent five years with the Canadian military.

He walked into the recruitment office in Kingston when he was only 17, and tried to sign up.

“They told me I was too young,” he recalled earlier this week, “so I came back the next day and they signed me up then.”

What followed for Private Gordon Wood is a classic tale from WW2, which has been told before in The Frontenac News and is captured on film in the archives of the Pioneer Museum in Cloyne.

On D-Day (June 6, 1944) he was still only 19, and that fact, coupled with the fact that over 72 years have passed since then, makes him a member of a dwindling club. It is hard to get an accurate count, but Veterans Affairs estimated that as of March of 2014, about 76,000 Canadian WW2 veterans remained alive, and at that time their average age was 91. Based on sheer demographics, that number is certainly under 30,000 now, and is likely much lower. As far as veterans of the Juno Beach invasion are concerned, the number is certainly dwindling. In an article in the National Post that was published 18 months ago in April of 2015, the number was estimated to be 1,000.

At the 72nd commemorative service for the Juno beach invasion, which was held on June 6 of” this year, there were 9 veterans of invasion in attendance, and only 1 Canadian.

J.L Granatastein, a popular Canadian historian, published a book on the D-Day invasion. He described the soldiers who stormed the beaches: “We also need to understand the great courage of all those young men who faced the enemy's fire and, conquering their understandable fear, stayed to fight and to support their friends and honor their country. A band of brothers? Without a doubt. Our greatest generation? Absolutely."

This puts Gordon into some pretty impressive company:

Here is an excerpt from the Frontenac News article from 2005, based on how Gordon described the invasion when he was 81.

After training for two years at Camp Borden Gordon was finally sent to England in the early spring of 1944. Three months later, Private Gordon Wood, by then an infantryman with the Regina Rifles of Saskatchewan (which he had joined while in England), took part in the landing at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944.

“We had a rough landing. We came out of the landing craft in water up to our chests and had to run to shore with our rifles held up in the air.”

Gordon’s landing craft was among those in the middle of the pack of craft that came into shore that morning. “By the time we hit the water, it was red with blood,” he recalls. He doesn’t remember being particularly frightened, however. “I was too young to know I wasn’t invincible,” he says, “even though we lost a pile of men on that beach.”

After hitting land, Gordon and the other soldiers who had survived pressed forward, shooting as they went. “The first 24 hours were probably the most dangerous, but then things did settle down,” he said.

Gordon Wood spent the next nine months fighting through France, Belgium and Holland. He became a Lance Corporal and a Section Leader.

“We would advance for days and then stop, and then we would take a rest for three or four days when the supplies arrived, and let another bunch push ahead. Then it was our turn again,” he remembers.

16 46 wood gordon 2Photo Left: Gordon Wood (top right) with his platoon mates enjoying the sound of music coming from a portable phonograph they picked up along the way

At one point Wood and three other men were captured. Since the war was in its dying days and the German army was in a state of disarray, the men bade their time until one night when there didn’t seem to be anyone guarding them, and then they made a run for it. They kept down, hiding in ditches and wooded areas, and eventually rejoined their comrades.

Again, Gordon does not recall being particularly frightened during the time when he was a prisoner, even though he says that “we knew that if we didn’t escape the Germans would have eventually kill us, but you don’t think about dying when you’re 20 years old.”

After the War ended, Lance Corporal Wood stayed on in Europe for a year as a member of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, spending some of that time as a guard in a prison camp just inside of Germany. In 1946, Gordon returned to Canada and was discharged.

It turns out that the minutes after Gordon landed at Juno Beach were not the most dangerous moments that he faced. Those came even earlier. In an account of the invasion that I came upon this week in research for this article, it turns out that of the boats carrying members of Gordon's company, D Company (nicknamed Dog Company) of the 3rd Battalion, two struck land mines about 250 yards from the beach, killing many, including the company commander and the signals commander. Only 49 D company soldiers even made it to the water alive. Fortunately for them, a soldier in A company, the first to land, lieutenant Bill Greyson, had found a safe spot after making it to the beach, and gauging the timing and direction of rifle fire, had tossed a grenade into a major German “emplacement” and the German soldiers abandoned it and were soon taken prisoner. All told, the 3rd battalion took 80 prisoners, with the 49 surviving D company members taking 20 on their own.

Since 2005 time has taken a toll on Gordon. His wife Wilma (Bryden), a school teacher who he met shortly after returning from the war at a supper and dance at the former Flinton Hall, passed away 9 years ago after a 60 year marriage, and he still feels the loss. He doesn't hear or see that well anymore, and struggles with Diabetes as he has for the past 30 years, but he still lives on his own and with the help of family and friends he lives a happy, independent life.

He said this week that he never has talked a lot about the war after he came back, and “just sort of got on with life”. He still thinks about the day of the invasion, however, on Remembrance Day, and on June 6 each year when he participates in the parade that the Tamworth Legion puts on. He said that he also remembers that day in quiet moments when he is alone in his chair, in the house the he built with his wife, late in the afternoons as the sun is going down.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 09 November 2016 22:16

Flinton Remembrance Day

The Northbrook Legion branch 328 organised a well attended ceremony of remembrance last Sunday,(November 6) under bright blue skies and crisp autumn temperatures in Finton. Local cadets led by Tim Trickey stood watch as a parade of veterans and community elders laid wreathes in memory of venerable institutions and family members who have passed away. Among the many who attended the ceremony, young and old, the most cherished was 92 year of Gordon Wood, a D-Day veteran who still lives in Flinton. The ceremony was followed by a lunch, courtesy of branch 38, at the nearby Raise the Roof Ministry building

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Page 1 of 3
With the participation of the Government of Canada