This was Stan Maher’s third visit to Juno Beach. I met the 84 year old Vancouver Island resident in the resource room of the Juno Beach Centre, where he was having a quiet moment before the official ceremonies, June 6.

The first time he was here, he landed at nearby Bernières-sur-Mer with The Fort Garry Horse on D-Day. He came back for the 50th anniversary in 1994 but his sons, Bob and Glenn have asked him to return to show them exactly where he came ashore, before it is too late.

As we were talking, we were approached by an elderly French gentleman with a chest full of campaign medals and ribbons. He had no English and Stan had no French. I ended up being the interpreter (sort of) and it turned out that they had landed in the same sector and had followed the same route through France to Holland and eventually to Germany.

He pulled out a photograph of himself in his 1944 Free French uniform and, with a tear in his eye, said “Merci, Canadiens, merci beaucoup”.

There is a very positive feeling towards Canadians in this part of France. Last year, a group of SFDCI students, taking part in the ‘Lest we Forget’ project (shown on CTV’s W-5 last February) stopped at a café in nearby Ranville-Benouville, site of Pegasus Bridge. The owner asked them if they were Canadians and, when they responded, said “Then you don’t pay”.

After the ceremony, I stood with Stan Maher on the beach. It was bleak, a steady drizzle coming down, and the only sounds were from seagulls. He noticed some driftwood washing back and forth with the waves.

He was silent for what seemed the longest time, obviously uncomfortable about being interviewed and photographed by a stranger. Finally he said “In 1944, those would have been bodies”.

In our brief time in Normandy, we were privileged to talk with veterans who had taken part in the liberation of France in WWII. Most of them were British and were only over for a few days. The encouraging thing is that the regiments to which they belonged (or their successors in cases of amalgamation) make an annual trip to honour their dead. There are children, grandchildren and in a few cases, great-grandchildren who make sure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

The tradition of remembrance is also kept alive by the young people of Normandy. Performing at the Juno Beach Centre on June 6 was the choir of the local College Quintefeulle. They sang O Canada with the same enthusiasm as La Marseillaise and had a detailed knowledge of Canada’s role in the Normandy landings.

Youth was also represented by an Army Cadet Corps from Fort Macleod, Alberta and by the 359 crosses, made by grade 8 students from Kensal Park Elementary School in London, Ontario.

Each cross was inscribed with the name of a Canadian serviceman who died on Juno Beach, June 6, 1944. Participants were invited to place a cross on the beach and, for many, it was a moving experience – a reminder that this was somebody’s son, brother, husband or father, rather than just a statistic. It was a time for reflection and a time to give thanks, on a grey rainy day amid the sand dunes and gun emplacements.

The ‘cross tradition’ came about as a result of a 2004 exchange between Kensal Park students and their Normandy counterparts. Program Manager at the Juno Beach Centre, Xavier Paturel is keen to facilitate further exchanges and can be contacted at xpaturel@junobeach.org.

14,000 Canadians landed at Juno Beach on D-Day, or parachuted in to targets in the area. Over 5,000 lost their lives in the 10 week Normandy Campaign and most of them are buried in the Canadian military cemeteries at Bény-sur-Mer and Cintheaux.

Since there was no place dedicated to recognising their contribution, a group of Canadian WWII veterans and widows and children of veterans provided the initiative and the push to establish the Juno Beach Centre.
It was funded by Canadian and French government agencies as well as by thousands of individuals and organisations, including Royal Canadian Legion Branches across the country and was opened on June 6, 2003. It is staffed by Canadian university students who help make each visit a positive experience, as well as give the centre its full flavour as a Canadian place in France.

Special thanks to Nathalie Worthington, Juno Beach Centre Director, who kindly lent me office space and a computer, also to Xavier Paturel, Program Manager, who provided facts and figures.

By John Souter