By Lois Fraser
The War show was a very meaningful and touching experience for all involved. For me personally, it was the most meaningful musical that I have ever been in or associated with. Our cast, production crew and many in audience were moved to tears on many occasions. We performed for many veterans during the run at the Norval hall and then we did a special show at the Legion in Georgetown.
Several of us were crying so hard at the Legion show, that it was hard to get the lines out. To commemorate this special time and the connection that we all felt towards the veterans who were we were portraying, I bought a brick at Juno Beach in honour of our brave Canadians. It seemed a fitting way to pay tribute to the thanks that we all felt.
Our thanks, Nanci and Mark for taking the time to find this brick at the Juno Beach Centre so that all of us at Globe can see it and remember! Lois
A brief recap of the significance of Juno Beach for Canadians...
Juno Beach - The Canadians On D-Day
(Excerpt taken from http://members.shaw.ca/junobeach/index.htm)
"On D-Day, June 6, 1944, “Operation Overlord”, the long-awaited invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe, began with Allied armies from the U.S., Britain and Canada landing on the coast of Normandy. On D-Day, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach. The Canadian assault troops stormed ashore in the face of fierce opposition from German strongholds and mined beach obstacles. The soldiers raced across the wide-open beaches swept with machine gun fire, and stormed the gun positions. In fierce hand-to-hand fighting, they fought their way into the towns of Bernières, Courseulles and St. Aubin and then advanced inland, securing a critical bridgehead for the allied invasion. The victory was a turning point in World War II and led to the liberation of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Fourteen thousand young Canadians stormed Juno Beach on D-Day. Their courage, determination and self-sacrifice were the immediate reasons for the success in those critical hours. The fighting they endured was fierce and frightening. The price they paid was high - the battles for the beachhead cost 340 Canadian lives and another 574 wounded. John Keegan, eminent British historian who wrote Six Armies in Normandy, stated the following concerning the Canadian 3rd Division on D-Day: “At the end of the day, its forward elements stood deeper into France than those of any other division. The opposition the Canadians faced was stronger than that of any other beach save Omaha. That was an accomplishment in which the whole nation could take considerable pride.”
For more information on Canada's involvement at Juno Beach:
Wikipedia
The Juno Beach Centre
David Olive - The Toronto Star
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