It’s been 80 years since Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
Today, Canadians across the country gathered to mark that important day in history — which included 14,000 Canadians at Juno Beach and is known now as D-Day — including a ceremony at the cenotaph in downtown Barrie.
The event was marked with a parade that started at Mulcaster Street before making its way along Dunlop Street East to the cenotaph at Memorial Square.
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 147 president Marcel Vigneault said the ceremony serves as an important reminder of a key time in Canadian — and world history.
“We’ve got to remember, a lot of lives were lost there and that’s why we are free today,” he told BarrieToday. “They deserve the recognition that we (do) today. We need a lot of people to recognize the fact that those guys fought so hard for us."
Vigneault said his uncle fought in the Second World War.
“He came back alive with an injured arm, but he made it back."
As the president of the local legion, Vigneault said it is important that legions continue to be active in order to ensure days like today continue to occur.
William Snow is 101 years old, and was one of the many veterans who attended today’s ceremony. He was one of the thousands of Canadian troops at Juno Beach that day 80 years ago.
Seeing the crowd gathered to honour and remember the service and lives lost, left Snow — who served as a private for the artillery, and drove a truck for the 1st Canadian Radar Battery during the Second World War — at a bit of a loss for words.
“It’s hard for me to explain. It’s just wonderful. Every year seems to be a little more so,” said Snow, who enlisted at the end of 1942, . “For me, it’s nice to be here and see what’s happening. It’s terribly important … you can’t really express how important it is … People seem to think it is anyhow.”
As challenging as those days were 80 years ago, Snow does still have fond memories.
“When I came back, I celebrated my 23rd birthday in London on the way back home. I was only a kid anyhow … most of us were kids I guess, so we did what we were told and that’s it,” he said. “We did it and I would gladly do it again if I had to.”
