Edmonton AB, February 25, 2021 – Maureen Bianchini Purvis, Founder, President & Chair of No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation, has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division).
Read MoreThe multi-faceted campaign in the Netherlands had seen much success, though at great cost.
Elements of the 3rd Canadian Division had slogged through mud and rain to accomplish their task - that of “bursting” the Breskens Pocket. While the town of Breskens itself had fallen on the 21st of October, small groups of determined German defenders remained active in the area. It was not until November 3rd that a victory could finally be recorded in the war diary of the Division - simply written as “Op. Switchback now complete”.
Read MoreThe late weeks of October 1944 were miserable for the Canadian forces, their Allies, and their enemy alike. Major operations continued in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, while the 1st Canadian Corps continued to push northwards in Italy.
Read MoreFew events (military or otherwise) are as deeply etched in the Western consciousness as D-Day. The Normandy landings stand as the ultimate measure of honour, self-sacrifice, and courage in the face of near certain annihilation.
Read MoreIn the wake of Britain and France’s declaration of war on Germany, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King recalled Canadian Parliament on the 7th of September, leading to 3 days of intense debate. Would Canada lend itself and it’s sons and daughters to yet another European war?
Read MoreThe Second World War was fought in a thousand places, for one - initial - reason. By the wars end, over 65 million had been killed worldwide, cementing the conflict as the bloodiest in human history. In spite of the staggering death figures and unparalleled destruction, one question lingers: Why did the Second World War happen?
Read MoreFor most members of today’s generations, May 8th is an unremarkable day.
But for those who bore witness to the horrors of the Second World War, May 8th holds a special reverence. May 8th is remembered as the day when 6 long years of war came to a close. Years of hardship, loss, suffering, and self-sacrifice were in the past - but they would never be forgotten.
Each year, Canadians pause in solemn reflection to honour those who have fought and died in the defence of liberty. But rarely do Canadians acknowledge the reverence and deep respect held for our Armed Forces around the world.
May 5th is celebrated as Liberation Day in the Netherlands. Festivals, concerts, and the like are held, in the words of Holland’s government, “to realize how lucky you are to live in a country where people live in freedom”.
The campaigns of 1918 had seen irreversible changes on the Western Front, both for the Allies and the Central Powers.
Early in the spring, Germany had played its final offensive hand of the war, committing almost a million men towards their “Kaisersclacht” - or, nearly 1/5th of their fighting force. Elite German stormtroopers swarmed over the Allied lines, recapturing lost ground from the campaigns of 1916-1917. Allied forces lost huge swathes of ground, including their positions at Passchendaele.
Read MoreAs the clock ticked towards November 11th, Canadian forces continued to push into Mons.
A cold mist enshrouded what remained of the defending German Army and the attacking Corps. The contingent forces of the 2nd Division had pushed into the city centre from the south, and by 4 AM they had entered the city centre. German forces had melted away in the face of the Canadian advance.
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