In the temporary exhibition “From Vimy to Juno: Remembering Canadians in France”, visitors are immersed in the experiences of four families (three Canadian and one French) during the First and Second World War.

Alyssa is 16 years old and lives in the province of Manitoba in Canada. Several of her ancestors served in both world wars. It is through her voice and portrait that the story of the Kinsman family is told in the exhibit.

First, her great-great-grandmother’s brothers Edward and Frank Kroetsch joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World war. Then her great-great-uncle Harvey Kinsman fought in the Second World War. He died during the Battle of Normandy.

Alyssa discovered the exhibition when she came to the Juno Beach Centre with EF Tours Canada this week.

“I feel really proud to be able to represent my family and to see stories years after what they’ve been through. It’s really cool to see the exhibit in person finally after seeing pictures and hearing stories about it after my family has been here. I think my friends felt really proud because we are from a really small town and we recognize each other. They found it cool to see somebody from our small town in such an important place to represent what all our families have done for us.”

Members of the Kinsman family were at the Juno Beach Centre in September 2017: https://www.junobeach.org/une-famille-canadienne-a-lhonneur/