In Our Grandfathers' Footsteps

Day 30 - Sept 26, 2017:  Lambinowice to Kraków Editors note: I am still here! Thank you for your patience! I am disappointed with always having to ask that of you because of the poor wifi I have encountered. And maybe it is just my rotten luck but the last hotel we were in for three nights had four wifi servers yet every one would kick out before a picture could be uploaded. Bill said he experinenced similar wifi challenges last year in Africa, I expected better in Europe I guess. Anyway, I will be updating the posts from Day 26 on before adding more. Site of National Remembrance Lambinowice A 40 minute drive from Opole is the Site of National Remembrance in Labinowice located in the Silesia region of Poland. Several locations within the site boundaries make up the Lamsdorf Stalag VIII Prisoner of War camp. We met our tour guide Sebastian at the Poland Central Prisoner of War Museum. He was a wealth of knowledge, spoke perfect English and made the trip a great experi...

Day 29 - Sept 25, 2017:  Paris to Opole, Poland Note: Edits and photos to follow. It was a day of travel. We flew into Kraków, grabbed our rental car and drove approximately two hours to Opole. We stayed at the Hotel de Silva and must say this is a top notch hotel. We were treated to a gourmet Polish dinner in their restaurant that was incredibly prepared and had unbelievable flavour for under $20.00. The service was exceptional and we had a lady playing lounge music on the piano. The whole thing was terrific! 

Day 28 - Sept 24, 2017:  Delfzjil to Paris Note: Edits and photos to follow. On the way from  the far northeast corner of the Netherlands to Paris we stopped at the Holten Canadian War Cemetery. Holten Canadian War Cemetery. 1394 burials, 1355 Canadians This cemetery was under repair which indicated it will be in great shape for yet another generation. Those soldiers buried here were the ones killed in the Netherlands and Germany during the final stages of the war or after the war had ended. We couldn't help but think that some of the soldiers buried here from the 1st Division would have fought almost two years since the landings in Sicily - the many battles they were involved in, the many horrific experiences they witnessed - only to die within days of the end of the war. We had both noticed that this cemetery contained more recipients of honours than any other cemetery. One woman with the Woman's Service Corp is laid to rest here. Sadly enough she was marr...

Day 27 - Sept 23, 2017: Friesland to Delfzjil Note: Edits and photos to follow. Hotel de Wereld - Waginingen We stopped by Hotel de Wereld the site where Lt General Charles Foulkes negotiated the terms of the surrender of the Germans in the Netherlands with German General Johannes Blaskowitz on 5 May 1945. In attendance was Prince Bernard of the Netherlands the Supreme Commander of the Dutch Armed forces. We were able to go inside the room where the negotiations took place however it is now a functioning dining room and didn't want to disturb those enjoying their Saturday morning breakfast. It was great to be in the very room where the oppression of the Dutch people had come to an end after five years. Friesland As we travel across the Netherlands I give a "Tip of the Hat" to my father-in-law John Wind's parents who were from Hassett and Gheitorn. The tip of the hat extends to all the Dutch civilians who had to endure starvation and extreme c...

Day 26 - Sept 22, 2017:  To Arnhem and Area Editors Note: Photos and edits to come Today we made our way to Arnhem. After the battles at the Schelt Estuary the boys were stationed in this area near Nijmegen. The Canadians had to wait for supplies. Although the port of Antwerp was opened, the supplies went to support other Allied forces who had completed bitter battles, endured the coldest winter on record and suppressed the final German military offensive in the Ardennes. Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery/ Groesbeek War Memorial Burials: 2617,  Canadians:  2338 Those laid to rest in the cemetery are the result of casualties of the NorthWest Europe campaign from the crossing of the Seine River in August 1944 to the end of the war. It was humbling as there were a great number of Canadians laid to rest here - the most we had seen up to this point - including a Victoria Cross recipient. Sgt Aubrey Cosens,VC from Latchford, Ontario. ...

Day 25 - Sept 21, 2017:  On the Scheldt Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery Burials: 1115;  Canadians; 964;  Unidentified: 0 There are approximately 100 Calgary Highlanders buried here  Which one of these fellows did our Grandpa chum around with in his three years with regiment. These were boys that were involved with the Battle of the Scheldt and the battles leading up to it from September to November 1943 I have been taking hundreds of pictures of headstones...some have captions of sheer grief, some because of age, some because of significant awards being bestowed upon them, some because of them spiritual convictions, some because they have moved me for some reason I cannot explain, etc. Every headstone tells a story. Everyone speaks of struggle and pain, grief and loss and moreover, what could have been. That is what makes it so sad when the grave marker is of an unidentified soldier. His story doesn't ever get to be told... his family doesn't ever ...

Day 24 - Sept 20, 2017:  Mons and Area to the Netherlands Mons Town Hall The British first engaged the German forces in Mons in 1914. The Canadians were in Mons when the Great War came to an end at 11:00 on 11 November 1918. Lt Col. Arthur Curry addressed the men in the Town Hall Square on that day. A plaque is mounted in the entrance of the Town Hall commemorating the Canadians in the Great War Private George Price Ville-sur-Haine is a small town near Mons. It was here that the last soldier of the Great War was killed at 10:58 on 11 November 1918. He was a 26 year old private by the name of George Price and was a member of the 28th Battalion CEF - same battalion as our Great Grandfather Timothy. A memorial stands near the spot he was killed. As Bill and I were looking at the the monument a local Belgique lady who lived across the street called us over. She showed us a nicely framed picture she has of Private George Price. That was amazing! She only spoke Fren...

Day 23 - Sept 19, 2017: To Northern France It was a long drive but we followed a route similar to that the boys took in February and March of 1945. Of course they didn't have the freeway but it also took them five days as well. It must have been a massive undertaking. There were five staging areas set up along the route with small tent cities. Each day as one group of troops pulled out a new influx would arrive. The path took us from the Mediterranean Sea past foothills-type areas with centuries old villages and castles on top of the ridge past vineyards and orchards and past crop land with fields of wheat and corn.  What an eyeful this would have been for a fellow from the prairies. The troops commented on how lush the land was and how clean, well dressed and well fed the civilians were. This was in contrast to what they had encountered in Italy. The lads were put up in billets once they had arrived in Belgium. Soon they would be reunited with the 2nd Cana...

Day 22 - Sept 18, 2017:  To France Editors Note: It has been a couple of days without a stable Wifi connection. This has been extremely challenging and extremely frustrating as well, Thank you for you patience! It is time to say "Arrivederci Italy!"  and "Bonjour France!" Italy was a great country to visit from it's beautiful mountainous villages to it's sea-side communities; from the tight, narrow streets of it's centuries-old towns high atop a hill to the acres upon acres of vineyards... And of course it was grape picking season!  Italy's greatest attribute though is it's people - they are very warm and welcoming especially when they find out you are from Canada. One gentleman from near Cassino treated us like we were long lost family! He showed us his garden outside the restaurant and even opened the restaurant on the Sunday night to host Bill and me. He had his wife cook us pasta fasioli and he lit a wood fire to cook us a m...

Day 21 - Sept 17, 2017:  Northward to Imola We got an early start and headed up north towards Imola. This was going to take us into areas where our boys fought along the Gothic Line.  Tip of the Hat Along the way we passed Pedaso. I would like to send a 'Tip of the Hat" to my co-worker buddy Kevin Swaby's Grandpa Stanley Kitchener Albert Wilcox who was in this area serving wth the RCEME (Royal Canadian Electrically Mechanical Engineers) as a mechanic. Thank you for your contribution Sir! Below is a picture of Stanley (right) with his buddy Wally O'Hare taken in Pedaso, Italy in 1943. Well done lads! Montecchio War Cemetery 582 Burials/ 0 Unidentified/ 288 Canadians It is yet another beautiful CWGC cemetery. It is sat on a hillside overlooking the valley to the south which would like make for horrible fighting. One grave marker in particular struck me - you can read the loss and heartache in the boys' parents. Gradara War Ce...

Day 20 - Sept 16, 2017:  Ortona and Area Editors note: More edits and pictures to come. Thank you for your patience! The Battle of Ortona The Battle of Ortona proved to be the most bitter battle for the Canadians in the Italian Campaign. It took place from 19 to 27 December 1943. The Germans would blow up buildings to fill the streets with rubble and make them impassable for the Canadian tanks and infantrymen. It was primarily the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders that were involved in the house to house fighting. The style of fighting that our boys utilized was called mouseholing. This involved, starting from the top floor and working down, using a grenade to blow a hole in the wall between two apartment units then entering attacking any enemy inside. The Price of Peace Monument The Price of Peace monument in downtown Ortona is a poignant tribute to the Canadian soldiers who died there and in the surrounding areas The Church Santa Maria di...