Remembering Remembrance Day
Claire introduced us to David Goldberg who passed away several years ago. David enlisted as a pilot, took his training in Dunnville, was shipped overseas and flew over France. He was shot down, eluded the enemy and was eventually picked up by the underground who transported him over the Pyrenne Mountains. He was with a large group trying to escape but 24 of them chose not to cross the mountains. They were never heard from again.
Dorothy Laidman, also deceased, helped construct the tail of the the Fleet Cornell aircraft during the war. She volunteered at the museum for years and even when in a retirement home would get a ride to Mount Hope to continue her work.
Cec Brown got his wings in 1942 and became an instructor on the Harvard. He shipped overseas on the Louis Pasteur and was a member for RAF 403 Squadron. He helped paint the black and white invasion stripes on the planes just before D-Day. The stripes were there to help identify friendly aircraft during the invasion. Cec was an entrepreneur who managed to ship some fine champagne from France to England while returning home in his plane.
In 1944 the Dutch were starving and a pact was made with the Germans who were also starving, to allow massive food drops called Operation Manna. Cornelius Van Tureno who was nine at the time remembers starving and eventually after the war being sent to England to be cared for and nourished back to health. He later came to Canada.
Claire closed the Remembering Remembrance Day program reminding us that the allied effort was a giant jigsaw puzzle that involved those on the front line as well as those back home. From the troops to the support staff, from the factory workers to the farmers, they were all needed and he asked us to honour the veterans, their families and all those that helped.