In Our Grandfathers' Footsteps

Resources: The Journey to Remembrance by Deanna Lavoie When Bill and I went to the Military Museum in May I happened upon a painting that stopped me in my tracks! I was captivated by this very poignant piece that spoke to me in so many ways. I discovered that the painting was completed by a talented young lady in Longview, Alberta. I have provided links to her website and a previous article in the Western Wheel that provides additional insight to Deanna Lavoie and The Journey to Remembrance .  I encourage you to please take a moment to view both the article and Deanna's website. I am delighted that Deanna Lavoie has graciously granted me permission to share this painting with you. In our correspondence Deanna writes: “I have commissioned Limited Edition Prints that are available in my website's shop. To date they have been delivered to New Zealand, Australia, and the Netherlands as well as throughout Canada. I am pleased to be able to assist the next generation of rem...

Resources: Books and Videos Books You got it - these are the books Bill and I have read and/or referenced in our research for the trip. At the Sharp End, Canadians Fighting the Great War 1914-1916 Cook, Tim (historian at the Canadian War Museum, author) Shock Troops,   Canadians Fighting the Great War 1917-1918 Cook, Tim Vimy Pierre Burton The Canadian Army at War, Vol 1 The Canadians in Britain 1939-1944 Minister of National Defence The Canadian Army at War, Vol 2  The Canadians in Italy Minister of National Defence The Battalion of Heroes, The Calgary Highlanders in World War II David Bercuson Canadian Battlefields 1915 – 1918 Terry Copp, Matt Symes, Nick Lachance For King and Empire, The Canadians at Passchendaele, October to November 1917 Norm Christie Auschwitz - A Doctor's Eyewitness Account Dr. Miklos Nyiszli Night Elie Wiesel Juno Beach Mark Zeuhlke Holding Juno Mark Zeuhkle Ortona Mark...

Resources: Websites On this page I will be listing the websites that Bill and I have referenced in our research. This list will be added to as “In Our Grandfathers’ Footsteps…” grow. These are all tremendous resources and we both encourage you to access these for additional information. Battlefields http://battlefields.ca/ Canada 1914-1915 http://canada1914-1945.ca/ Canada at War www.canadaatwar.ca/ Canada War Museum http://www.warmuseum.ca/ Canadian Soldiers http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/ Commonwealth War Graves Commission http://www.cwgc.org/ Juno Beach Center http://www.junobeach.org/ Legion Magazine https://legionmagazine.com/en/ Library and Archives Canada http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/military-heritage.aspx RCAMC (the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Army_Medical_Corps ...

The Trip Bill has always wanted to do a sojourn tracing our Grandpa’s path through WWII as a way to honour our Grandpa’s contribution to Canada’s involvement in the war. Bill has always offered to tour me through WWI sites as well – something I have wanted to do for quite a number of years. It was just over two years ago while Bill and I were sampling some fine whiskeys that a plan was hatched. Bill has toured various WWI battlefields and cemeteries in France and Belgium on two separate occasions. Bill has also  had the extreme honour of performing as a member of a Canadian military Honour Guard at Vimy Ridge - twice, and once again at Beaumont-Hamel. Bill has only been to Italy once and that was over 40 years ago and he has never been to England. Our intent is primarily to visit locations our grandpa and great-grandfather were in and secondly to 1) include sites that Bill has not yet experienced; 2) some sites that were hugely impactful in the war; 3) some that come wit...

Bill Leach While in High School in Kamloops, B.C., my oldest brother Bill acquired three pen-pals: a guy in France, a guy in Norway and a girl in Vienna. Immediately after we had moved to Calgary in October 1974 Bill enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces. When Bill was first posted to Canadian Forces Base Lahr in West Germany he hopped a train for Vienna to meet his pen pal Karin Shauser. Bill and Karin married in July 1980. Bill retired from military service after 23 years – nine of which were spent in Germany – and now resides on an acreage on the NE outskirts of Edmonton near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta with Karin and their pets. Bill is a prolific reader – always has been - and possesses an incredible thirst for knowledge. His exhaustive research techniques are comprehensive and meticulous. Bill is fluent in German and comfortable in speaking French and continuously works on improving both. Bill enjoys travelling and learning about world history possessing a particula...

John Albert Hunt 8 April 1911 - 19 June 1993 John Albert Hunt was born 8 April 1911 in Diamond City, Alberta – just north of Lethbridge. He enlisted in Calgary initially with the R.C.C.S (Signals Corps) as a signalman on 21 July 1940. John was transferred to the Calgary Highlanders on 18 August 1940  and sent to Camp Shilo in Manitoba . At the time of enlistment John had four children ranging in age from seven years to seven months – the youngest being our mother Doris. On 21 August 1940, only three days after John arrived at Camp Shilo, the Calgary Highlanders left for Halifax. They embarked on the SS Pasteur on 24 August to begin their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.  The SS Pasteur arrived in Gourock, Scotland on 4 September 1940 and the Calgary Highlanders were sent by train to the Guillemont Barracks near Cove, England. The Calgary Highlanders were part of the Canadian Army’s 2 nd Division. Their role in England was twofold – they participated in battle t...

Timothy Smith 27 September 1884 - 6 March 1952 Timothy Smith was born 27 September 1884 in Chapelizod, County Dublin, Ireland. Timothy enlisted with the East Yorkshire Regiment on 21 April 1902 at the declared age of 18 years 3 months. He was actually shy of his 18 th birthday by six months. At time of enlistment Timothy was 5’ 2 ½” tall and 112 lbs. The enlistment with the British Army was for a period of 12 years – three years in full time army and nine years in the reserves. On his attestation documents Timothy listed as next of kin his father Patrick Smith and his older brother John – John was enlisted with the British Army Service Corps at the time. John was married Maude Ellen Robbins and had four children – their second being Ellen Smith, our paternal grandmother. John died in the spring of 1913 and Maude re-married to Timothy that August. The family sailed from Liverpool, England aboard the RMS Victorian and arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick on 14 December ...