Project ’44 with the Canadian Research and Mapping Association
At the Juno Beach Centre, we often get inquiries from family members of Canadian veterans who served in Normandy during the Second World War. There is a clear interest in uncovering family heritage, especially as it relates to the greatest conflict the world has ever known. The Canadian Research and Mapping Association (CRMA) wants to provide Canadians with a helping hand in this respect.
Project ’44 is the first part of an online commemoration project launching for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The CRMA has created the largest database showing all the major units’ positions that fought in the Battle of Normandy. Canadians will be able to follow the First Canadian Army and her allies from Juno Beach to the River Seine covering 87 days of combat from June 6th to August 31st 1944.
The Juno Beach Centre Association is proud to be partnering with the CRMA. Over the next two years, both the CRMA and the JBC will be working together in furthering the research and education of the Canadian contribution to victory in Europe. This episode explores why Project ‘44 came to be. We also outline the features of project44.ca that will enhance the way Canadians study and commemorate the Second World War.
Time Stamps
3:08 Project ‘44’s Elevator Pitch
5:24 Why Project ‘44?
9:45 Stories that Drive the Project
17:07 Website Features
20:03 An Immense Effort
24:40 The “Final” Product
33:45 The Future
Guest Biography
We have a trio of guests for this episode, all members of the Project ‘44 / Canadian Research Mapping Association leadership team. Executive Director Nathan Kehler is a 12-year veteran of the Canadian Forces with deployments to Afghanistan and Latvia. Drew Hannen is the CRMA’s Director of Geomatics & Research. He is an expert in digital preservation. Julien Brown is Director of Operations & Communications at the CRMA. He is a marketing and business operations expert who currently works for ther Hudson’s Bay Company.
Notes
The following links offer more information on the topics discussed in this episode:
Podcasts
Stopping the Panzers with Marc Milner
Crerar’s Lieutenants with Geoffrey Hayes
OSCVI’s War Dead with Dave Alexander
Juno75: Above & Beyond with Neil Orford
Events
Weapons & Formations
1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
Canadian Army Units in the Normandy Landings
Canadian Army Units in Normandy from July 1944
RCAF Fighter Squadrons Overseas
Credits
Juno Beach & Beyond is hosted and edited by Alex Fitzgerald-Black, the centre’s Digital Projects Coordinator.
Garth Webb’s quote about D-Day from the Testaments of Honour Historical Archive and the Defining Moments Canada website: https://definingmomentscanada.ca/jbc75/dday/webb/
Interview with Major David Vivian Currie, VC courtesy of Rob McCue, Historical Officer, The South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association
Mackenzie King’s speech to British Parliament from the British Pathé YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SlEvclY5LE&t=48s
Artillery firing sounds from the CBC News: The National YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsCSQ4uWR1Y
Winston Churchill’s “Finest Hour” speech from Jonathan Thomas’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB5wZtV1MWM
Spitfire sound effect from Jason Kirby’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgZI4tAoMN0
Dramatic Interlude by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Dispatches from Juno shares all the news, events, and stories from the Juno Beach Centre in France and Canada. Interested in contributing a story to the blog? Email the editor at jbca@junobeach.org.
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