Happy Easter from Juno Beach...or Day 4

     Semi early morning start for the gang....6 am wake up call and breakfast at 7:00 departing at 7:45....the weather today could be an issue but we have prepared the the kids that rain is in the area... Our first stop of the morning will be at arromanches... This allows us to travel back towards the coastline and get a look at operations surrounding the d-day invasion of course entitled operation overlord.... Arromacnhes is a beautiful sleepy little town that is cut out of the french coastline by what once probably was a glacier.... These towns were set up because they had access to water....and for these very reasons the germans choose them as well.  The significance of this area during the D day and subsequent push forward by the Allies was the man made harbor that was established in the area. 

    As you will see by the photos some of this harbor still exists.  These large concrete blocks were shipped from across the English channel...ooops we are in France now and it is not called that, it is called La Manche....these blocks were then sunk to create a breakwater so that ships and troops along with supplies and machinery could be  landed more easily onto the beaches in the Normandy area.  They are lager than life and the kids got their first taste of being on the beaches of Normandy....perspective is straing to set in...they are walking and running on the beaches....being teens like they should be....they are with their friends....they are on a vacation of sorts in france....,they are not doing the things not teenager should not be forced to do like wading into blood filled waters and attacking a beachhead where there are 3 german machine gun installations perched high up on the cliffs defining the City of Arromanches.  Why am i talking about this?...well it is obvious for me, but hopefully it becomes more obvious for them when the walk through the rows of headstones at Beny-sur Mer cemetery and  look at the ages and understand the sacrifices made by these young men in 1944 , specific to our touring today. 

      The kids will now board the bus once again after about 30 minutes on the beach and head      about 15 minutes further up the coast to a little place called Juno Beach....ever heard of it?  Have you ever been?  Juno beach center is a privately funded operation that is in dedication to the efforts of so many in WWII and especially during the invasion know as Operation Overlord....tough not to be a proud Canadian after I tell you what happens to the kids in the next 2 hours..... The Juno Beach center gives the kids an opportunity to hear, see and feel what the D-day landings were like.  It starts off in a video room where the kids stand together in what is a simulated barge.  As the  video begins the English channel(La Manche if you were paying attention) surrounds them on the sides of wall/barge, so the kids get the feeling they are about to disembark and storm the beaches of named Juno for the operation.

     I am a very proud Canadian and have no problem telling people...in fact the kids should do the same and will after today I am sure.  This section of beach that was assigned to the Canadian divisions is often seen in history as the most difficult objective, rivaled only with Omaha beach taken by the Americans, in terms of opposition from the Germans that the Canadians were forced to take on.  And of course we took the beach....and by the end of the tour the kids have been on the beaches and have learned gratitude and pride even moreso than a few weeks ago.
    From Juno we move onto my first little side trip I might add( I may come back as a tour guide some day) to a place called Berniere sur Mere.....of all the places in Europe dedicated to the war efforts and struggles, of which there are many to visit and see, there are certain ones as Canadians that you need to take time to see.....this is one of those places.  I am not putting this little place, a beautiful old beach house actually, on par with Vimy ridge, but it is a must see.                

          The story of the Berniere, which is still owned by the same family as in 1944,  goes like this..... During the d-day invasions as the Canadians stormed the beaches of Juno and in this particular section called "Nan White", a division led by the Queen's  Own Rifles was able to push the Germans back far enough as to take back control of this house.  It was the very first house regained by the Allies in all of Europe, during these invasions.  The family still flies the flags to this very day....one being Canadian and one from the Queens Own Rifles regiment.  As we gather in front of the house for our picture I happen to notice that a man is coming out with his black lab pup.... I kick my french into high gear and offer a hello...ooops bonjour monsieur, nous sommes canadien et nous sommes tres honores de voir ta maison.  He delightfully obliges us and  comes over to shake my hand....this is to cool....maybe we could take a picture with him( I do hope I am not imposing on him).....its Easter sunday morning and we get to meet the owner of the house.....Brye comes up to help with the french...mine is ok but we have some strong french students so this is another curricular activity taking place overseas.... After a brief introduction Brye and I are pleasantly shocked when he says...voulez vous entrer la maison?  What you want us to go in?  Biensure monsiuer....nous sommes tres honores...mais nous sommes un group trop grand pour entrer....yes my french writing is worse than my speaking...actually Barb said she was impressed with my ability to speak..I am not so sure!

    Well after about 2 minutes there are a pile of shoes and sneakers on his front doorstep and we are actually in the house....it was his grandfather's house in 1944 and some of the relatives were there because its easter sunday and we get to meet them all...grace and brye take over as he begins to tell stories and the girls translate the stories and recounts that his family has of the era. He was not born then but has a ton of memorabilia and they are so inviting its amazing...the older ladies in the house i am conversing with will hardly hear of my thanks for letting us in and she says that is they that should be thankful for the canadians....before we leave the hugs and kisses are flowing throughout the group and the older ladies....cutest of all was nathan  kissing the older ladies hand then she wanted to give him a kiss on the cheek...problem was she was not that big....the kids are amazed at this outpouring of love, appreciation and thankfulness towards them...these are the stories that we have been seeking, the world tour has officially officially begun...they will be ready  to take Vimy by the end of today....

Off to Beny sur Mer cemetery a very significant piece of the Commonwealth War Graves commission.  At Beny there are 9 sets of brothers buried, which is the most of any Canadian military cemetery.  There is also a special surprise  for the kids as we are going to do our first grave rubbing and its on a very special gravesite, but the kids don't know who yet.  After arriving at Beny, we are told the 2nd bus was delayed at Juno and will hopefully joining us soon.  Kelly and I have decided that this would be a good place to lay a wreath because it is also a place where there are a significant number of North Nova Scotia highlanders, made up of many boys from PEI and Summerside and west especially.
      When i first visited here i was struck by something that i saw and have been attached to the memory of that encounter since then.  As i gather the kids around the particular grave and tell them that we are going to do our first grave rubbing I tell them why I have chosen this grave and now I will tell you.  When I think back to 2006, I remember hearing story after story about young men from my colleagues' schools or towns or even relatives.  But i had no real connection to anyone at this point.  That was until the day in Beny in 2006.
     I remember walking in this beautiful cemetery and walking row on row reading the names of the soldiers who had died...no different than any other cemetery that I have spent time in, many than yous had been spoken....as I came to row 16 and plot X i saw the name CJ Macdonald died july 8 1944... North Nova Scotia Highlanders...I thought that he was more than likely  from the Maritimes because of the regiment ...it was not until the inscription at the bottom of the headstone did i realize my connection....he was from where I live..where I call home...Summerside.
      If you were to ask prior to the 2006, I would have told you that I was from Sherwood but lived in Summerside....that was the day that all changed.  The inscription read "God grant this Summerside boy his eternal rest.  Gone but not forgotten".  Proud Canadian and from then on very proud  to call Summerside my home.
     So back to today....after telling the kids this story about how and  where this journey really began, I began to connect to them Beny sur Merand  eventually Thelus as the main starting points to these world veterans tours.  We have decided to give CJ macdonald, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth  Macdonald of Summerside a little ceremony and as well as to take him home, so to speak....after a few words of remembrance we have now placed a pei pin, a summerside pin, our tosh commemorative pieces as well as wreath....just small token of thanks from these Summerside youth....
    Emotionally we are on a high and that is the purpose.  Keying on that and also wanting to keep the kids awake for the 5 hours drive to our next destination, David Harrod our excellent tour director suggests that the kids come to the microphone and tell some tales about their veterans.  After no volunteers other than Brendan who is more than willing to take the mic, David resorts to pressure tactics...he is now going to hold people accountable for being late to the bus when we are departing....this is where you find out, maybe not shocked or maybe are shocked that these little darlings might do such a thing  first up is.....Matt McNeil, who has two tardy checks on his card but also has a great story to tell.  Next up Blair, yep late today leaving Juno beach museum because she was being overly social(definitely not a crime) and she also had a great story to tell...next on the list Matt’s partner in crime, who in fact was blamed by Matt for one of the tardy checks, also recounts some great information about her journey to this point....the last of the latecomers was big Luke, sorry Margo and Bill, lack of sleep has not only had him in a singing mood at 2 AM but in a daze sometimes wandering around, but once again a great story to tell.  We finally get a few volunteers such as Katie MacKay, who was brought to tears by a number of epitaphs on grave markers...CJ who stretched at the wrong time(this was working like an auction!) and he was stuck,; however, we heard an interesting story of his grandafther in a brothel!! In fact in his subtle wit Cj also mentioned it was the only place her ever saw any action.....the action being when he had to remove service men and get them back to base because CJ’s grandfather was a member of the military police!!  Brye also volunteered to speak and taught the students about the Russia involvement in the first world war.  The kids are learning and teaching at the same time...I think I am seeing a transformation, but in all honesty the transformation was beginning long ago and that is why I was excited to go on this trip.

    Finally, we arrive at Thelus Cemetery, very close to Vimy now, and this is the place where I have a particular affinity for, because it is the name of one man the really got me involved in all of this and made me recognize the importance of remembrance in the future.  This is a beautiful cemetery in the middle of a farmer’s field...it’s actually rarely visited becuase as your are speeding by you will miss it quite easily.  I am always very excited when I get here and this will be my 3rd visit back to visit my veteran.  This will also be a chance for some of the kids to do grave rubbings.  The wind has turned cold but the rain has stopped as we begin to do some of the rubbings for them to take home with them.  After both buses arrive and are on site, I gather the kids around the grave marker of Corporal Charles John Clue...the real person repsonsible for your son or daughter’s trip overseas in 2012.  So please let me take a minute to tell you the story of CJ Clue:

Charles John Clue was born at Shepherd’s Bush in September 12 ,1885, the second of six children of Henry and Emma Jane Clue.  He was educated at a school in Hammersmith, England he emigrated to Canada in early 1910 where he found employment as a butcher.  Enlisting in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at Saskatoon in March 1916, he arrived in France as a newly promoted Acting Corporal in January 1917 and was posted to the 21st Battalion, Canadian Infantry. 
 On 9 April 1917, Charles John Clue went missing in action  as was later reported killed in action on the first day of the battle of Vimy Ridge. It was noted in the research that Clue had earned $33.10 in April 1917 and on 30 April 1917 his total earnings of $98.89 was paid to his mother, then of Shepherds Bush Road, London, England.  Later on his mother was alos presented with the British War and Victory Medals (204407 Cpl., 21-Can. Inf.)  and related Memorial Plaque (Charles John Clue) and Canadian Memorial Cross, G.V.R., officially inscribed, ‘204407 Cpl. C. J. Clue’, good very fine and better.
Clue was interred in a communal grave in Thelus Military Cemetery, which stands on Vimy Ridge.
Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice......  

This gentleman had no business going to the war at his age..he should have been starting and caring for a wife and family, instead he was giving up these things that we so often take for granted in our own lives.  The kids are finally seeing the impact of these ultimate sacrifices and the ages of these young people on the headstones before them have started to affect them deeply, and we haven’t even reached the pinnacle of our trip yet.  
Off from Thelus to Lille for a fairly eraly night as tomorrow is a 5 Am wake up call and a return to the hotel at about midnight or later.  April 9th will be a day to remember for these young men and women from Summerside

DC

PS Happy Birthday Dad!!!