Blog

Sentimental Journey

October 1, 1943

RCAF HQ, London, England

After almost three years in the Canadian Army in Great Britain, I was transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force for aircrew training back in Canada. In the three-week period from October 8 to October 30, 1943, I was at a repatriation depot near Liverpool, England. After bouncing off a previous shaky r . . .

Sentimental Journey Continued

Sept. 16^th to the 25^th 1945

On board the Mexican on the Atlantic Ocean

Our horse crew of 40 had 3 foremen, 2 cooks, 2 guards, and one Veterinarian— Dr. MacDonald. The Mexican had about 100 horses on a smaller top deck, and about 290 on each of two lower decks. Five of us, including a new friend, Dave Miller, w . . .

Sentimental Journey Continued

Thursday, Sept 27^th 1945

Rotterdam Harbor -- The Netherlands

Though   rather inaccessible, Bremen is the only   German Atlantic sea port.   In September of 1945 the Nuremberg trials were looming in the coming year and   Rotterdam, Holland   had become the most convenient sea port for the panicky Nazi hierarchy to flee from Europe. The r . . .

Sentimental Journey Continued

September 29, 1945

Rotterdam Harbor, The Netherlands

On Monday, October 1, 1945, Dave Miller and I took a 20-minute train ride to the Netherlands’ capital, The Hague. A phone call from the Canadian Embassy to the British Consulate brought only the routine answer “No.” So we had no other solution, except for Canada’s official letter saying our passport was in ord . . .

The Dieppe Raid

There had been a report in early 1942 that Stalin was attempting to end the war by making peace with Hitler. It is important to grasp the concept that the Allies viewed the loss of the Russian Military as losing the best weapon the Allies had.

The Dieppe Raid was already planned, but in the summer of 1942, with considerable effort and courage, Winston Churchill flew to Moscow to make a p . . .