November 11th

My dad when he went into the service - I am guessing. He looks so young.


I have in my house his war memorabilia - his helmet, his war records, his medals.

I also have a stuffed doll that my mom made to keep her company when my dad was overseas. His name is Major.


I also have all the letters that my dad sent my mom when he was overseas. They make for very interesting reading.


My dad's dad was at Gallipoli and he was wounded there. He always had trouble with his back after that. He went home to England and my dad was born in July 1917. The family immigrated to Canada in 1925. My dad was 7 and his sister Joyce was 5. Now you can find the passenger lists for the ships at Libray and Archives Canada.


Grandpa Milnes was an active member of the Legion in Lachute. So was my dad in his time. Each year there was a picture of the WWI vets in the local newspaper and my grandfather was in it. Each year the group got smaller.


Growing up in Lachute I remember the church parades and the service at the
Cenotaph. My parents had several records by Vera Lynn - the Forces Sweetheart. Now you can find some of her recordings on YouTube.


Living in Ottawa for over 30 years I have memories of the service at the National War Memorial. It has been many years since I have been there in person. The weather is usually cold and dreary which it promises to be again today.


This year I paid a visit to the War Museum. There were lots of schoolchildren there which was good to see.


I may watch later today my tape of the program of the repatriation of the Unknown Soldierin 2000. Another possibility is the movie - A Foreign Field. Both are very moving.


From IMDB - "Amos and Cyril are a pair of British veterans from WWII, going back to Normandy 50 years after D-Day to visit an old buddy's grave. There, they run into Waldo, an American WWII vet. And both Waldo and Cyril run into a French woman they were both enamored of in their soldiering days and begin squabbling over her. Waldo's son and daughter-in-law are putting up with him and each other. And the entire group meet up with a woman who has come to visit the grave of her brother. Together, they form an odd camaraderie, bound by the past as they share their memories."