Tom Wood The Beach at Courseulles sur mer CWM 19710261-4843 Beaverbrook Collection of War Art © Canadian War Museum
November 11, 2014
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During Remembrance Week, the Vancouver Island Military Museum will be commemorating World War I with a new exhibit dedicated to those who served during the “Great War” The Museum will also be unveiling a Veterans Wall of Honour to recognize Canadian and British Commonwealth veterans who served in WWI, WWII, Korea, Afghanistan and on Peacekeeping Missions. The Museum will be open on Remembrance Day, November 11th, after the ceremony at the downtown cenotaph, admission on that day will be by donation only.
Tuesday November 11th
Come See, Come Learn, Come Experience History.
B2
Nanaimo News Bulletin Thursday, November 6, 2014
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We remember those who fought for our freedom and peace
On November On
take time to honour and re those who have sacrifi th November 11for , all of u so much
take time to honour and remember those who have sacrificed so much for all of us.
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REMEMBRANCE DAY
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Forces grew as war raged Miners from across Vancouver Island recruited for tunnelling and trench digging
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Nanaimo News Bulletin B3
“Remembering those who fought for our freedom.”
Nanaimo
Brooks Landing - 2000 N. Island Hwy.
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We salute our veterans.
By Chris Bush The News BulleTiN
A
t the outbreak of the First World War, Canada had a standing army of just over 3,100 men. The country was completely unprepared to enter a world conflict, but as a member of the British Commonwealth when England declared war on Germany in August 1914, Canada was automatically at war, too. What Canada did have control over was its level of commitment. With overwhelming support that crossed the country and political ideologies, Canadians jumped into the fight with booth feet, sending 32,000 men of the Canadian Expeditionary Force to England for training. The men would receive their baptism of fire in 1915 at Ypres when they faced the first use of poison gas on the battlefield, but held their ground against a German advance. More men and women from across Canada and Newfoundland (Newfoundlanders were initially excluded from the force) would follow throughout the war, including many from Nanaimo. At the start of the war, the Vancouver Island coal strike, which started in 1912, was fizzling out. When the strike ended in 1914, some of the strikers who were blacklisted from future employment left to seek work in Alberta. Military service offered another alternative. Even the 1,000 militia sent to pacify the most militant of
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A mannequin with period equipment in a mockup of a machine gun emplacement from the beginning of the First world war, which started 100 years ago, is one of the main displays in the Vancouver Island Military Museum.
the striking miners had also been redeployed for service in the war. Miners formed ranks in what became known as the Bantam Battalion units made up men 5-foot-4 or shorter. About 2,000 men from across the province, many from mining towns and fishing villages on the Island, were recruited into the battalions, including the 143rd Battalion of the B.C. Bantams, formed in December 1915, and trained in Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park. The battalions were created as standard infantry units, but many
Quickfacts ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION branches are getting ready to entertain guests following Remembrance Day ceremonies with events and activities at each branch. BRANCh 10 (hAREwOOD) is planning an afternoon of food and music. The afternoon’s activities include lunch and beverages, followed with musi-
cal entertainment by Frank hanna, from 1-5 p.m., and Big Daddy, 6-10 p.m. For more information, please call 250-753-4442. BRANCh 256 (MOUNT BENSON) starts the day with breakfast served in the hall and lounge 7:30-9 a.m. followed by a Remembrance Day service at the hall for veterans unable to participate in the ceremony at the cenotaph downtown.
of the men with mining experience in the 143rd served as tunnellers in the trenches in Europe. For a nation of just 7.5 million, what would become the birth of Canada’s national army was a massive commitment. The First World War would eventually kill 67,000 Canadians in combat and injure 172,000 out of a total of 630,000 volunteers and conscripts who distinguished themselves in battles at Ypres, Vimy Ridge, the Somme and Beaumont-Hamel and Passchendaele. photos@nanaimobulletin.com
A beef on a bun lunch courtesy saveOn-Foods will be served at the hall from noon to 1 p.m. From noon to 5 p.m., a DJ will play music in the lounge. A light dinner will be served at the branch 4:30-5:30 p.m. A dance, with music by the band Doubleplay, will be hosted in the branch hall 5:509:30 p.m. For more information, please call 250-754-8128.
Michelle Stilwell, MLA Parksville-Qualicum
Constituency Office Address: Unit 2B - 1209 Island Highway East • Parksville, BC • V9P 1R5 P: 250-248-2625 • F: 250-248-2787 www.michellestilwellmla.ca • Michelle.Stilwell.MLA@leg.bc.ca
Lest est es stt W s We e Forrget rg rg rge get ett e
Remembering the lives lost and working towards peaceful resolutions to conflicts.
Jean Crowder Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Cowichan
A debt far too great to ever repay ... but we shall never forget.
Duncan: 126 Ingram St. • Nanaimo: 77 Victoria Cres.
Call Toll Free: 1-866-609-9998 jean@jeancrowder.ca www.jeancrowder.ca
2-650 South Terminal Nanaimo 250-753-5566
B4
REMEMBRANCE DAY
Nanaimo News Bulletin Thursday, November 6, 2014
www.nanaimobulletin.com
Boer War veteran led Nanaimo militia
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josEpH CARpENTER then served as ‘sapper’ during First world war. By Karl yu The News BulleTiN
Remember those who fought for our country and gave their lives for all of us.
250-758-3361
www.nanaimohonda.ca Let us all remember and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by veterans and their fallen comrades in their efforts to build a more peaceful world.
While Capt. Joseph Verling Edward Carpenter began as an artillery officer in the British army, his military contributions continued after he emigrated to Canada in 1886. Originally hailing from Ireland, he spent time in Alberta before joining the Strathcona Horse regiment in 1900 and served 18 months in the Boer War. He earned the Queen’s Medal in August 1900 and after briefly returning to Edmonton to train soldiers, transferred to the Canadian Mounted Rifles and returned to South Africa, where he served until the end of the war. Carpenter moved to Nanaimo in 1912, formed the Nanaimo Independent Company militia and commanded it for a year and a half. According to Brian McFadden, vice-president of the Vancouver Island Military Museum, Canada had a small army totalling about 3,000, and militias were responsible for defence of their areas, which was cost effective for the government. Carpenter’s company used Nanaimo’s Bastion in its cap badge, but
Quickfacts Doug Routley, MLA Nanaimo~North Cowichan 112 – 50 Tenth Street Nanaimo Phone 250.716.5221 1 – 16 High Street Ladysmith Phone 250.245.9375 Mail: PO Box 269 Ladysmith, BC V9G 1A2 douglas.routley.mla@leg.bc.ca | www.dougroutley.ca
Leonard Krog, MLA 4-77 Victoria Crescent Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5B9 Telephone: 250-714-0630 Fax: 250-714-0859
“We honour those who served and continue to serve our country and thank them for their sacrifices to preserve our precious freedoms.”
Web: www.leonardkrog-mla.ca Email: leonard.krog.mla@leg.bc.ca
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Brian McFadden, vice-president of the Vancouver Island Military Museum, shows a uniform display of Capt. joseph Verling Edward Carpenter, a veteran of the Boer War and First World War.
with the outset of the First World War, his and other militias were absorbed into the Canadian army. “They lost their identity, they also lost the badge because they were incorporated into what was called the Seventh Battalion. This happened to almost all of the militia units,” McFadden said. children at Costin hall. The legion will have musical entertainment in the lounge by keyboardist Graham Gates. The sweet Adelines will sing in the branch’s upstairs hall at 2:30 p.m. and then move to the lounge for a second performance at 3 p.m.
We Salute and Thank our Veterans 250-729-8889 2250 Labieux Rd. Nanaimo BC, V9T 6J9
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
when howie James takes the stage in the upstairs hall. The Veterans ladies Auxiliary will host a roast beef dinner at the branch at 4 p.m. The dinner is free to veterans, $5 for non-legion members. For more info, please call 250-390-2841.
LEST WE FORGET
ph: 250-716-1920 REMEMBERING THOSE WHO SERVED AND FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM
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We thank our Veterans and active servicemen who have persevered and continue to protect our freedom we enjoy today. The Van Hest Family, owners of Art Knapp’s also salute the veterans of the Holland Liberation whose ultimate sacrifice enabled Frank and Liz Van Hest to obtain their freedom during World War II. Thank you with all our hearts.
PLANTLAND & GARDEN CENTRE
6469 Metral Dr., Nanaimo
BRANCH 257 (LANTZVILLE) Members will parade at 10:30 a.m. from the hall to a full service at the new cenotaph in huddlestone Park. After service activities include hot dogs for
KARL YU/The News BULLeTiN
Carpenter was a sapper, or a military engineer, and had a thankless job, which included tunnelling, working in the dark and placing explosives. “If you were a [sapper] that was probably one of the most dangerous jobs that you could have because you were tunnelling underneath the German trenches placing hundreds of boxes of explosives before an attack ... before the infantry attacked, they would blow up the trenches from below. “Unfortunately, the Germans had the same idea and ofttimes, they found each other tunnelling towards each other at the same time. There were many cave-ins and premature explosions to try and blow up each other’s tunnel,” said McFadden. The military museum vice-president believes Carpenter didn’t see any more military action after returning from his First World War duty. “He probably had enough excitement – twice in the Boer War and once in the First World War. So he came back to Nanaimo and that’s really all we know about Capt. Carpenter,” said McFadden. He died in January 1943. Carpenter will be featured in an exhibit at the military museum commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. It opens Remembrance Day.
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We Thank and Honour all who served for our Freedom November 11, 2014
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REMEMBRANCE DAY
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Nanaimo News Bulletin B5
Pilot kept champagne cork for luck Harvey Heweston flew more than 30 missions over Germany during Second World War By Chris Bush The News BulleTiN
H
arvey Heweston, a retired geological engineer, says you can still stick a pin in his arm and he might not feel it. He’s referring to nerve damage from an injury he suffered helping out on his family’s farm in Alberta while on leave after completing flight school with the Royal Canadian Air Force. The injury nearly ended his dream of becoming a pilot, but a good surgeon and a lot of determination put Heweston back behind the control yoke. He piloted 33 eight-and-a-half-hour night bombing missions in Avro Lancasters over Germany with Royal Air Force Bomber Command No. 1 group, No. 625 Squadron, stationed at Kelstern, Lincolnshire, England. He and his six-man crew survived – two of them were just 18 at tour’s end – but airmen sustained some of the highest casualty rates of all armed services and the Second World War exacted a heavy toll from Heweston’s family. “In my family and my wife’s family there were seven boys during the Second World War,” Heweston said. “Six of them became pilots, one an observer (bomb aimer). Five were killed in combat. I survived after a long tour of ops in bomber command and one of my wife’s brothers survived.” Flight crews needed skill, talent and a lot of luck to survive, so carrying talismans or performing rituals was common. One buddy always parked his bicycle in the exact same spot. Heweston’s midupper gunner was big on prayer. “Everybody had these things,” Heweston said. One day bomber command posted a bulletin advising there was no evidence to support that urinating on aircraft tires brought good luck – it could be construed as an unpatriotic act – and warned urine’s acidity could cause tires to fail prematurely. Heweston said the dire warning only encouraged more airmen to take up the practice, but he limited himself to carrying a champagne cork, from a
SPECIAL EVENTS NOV. 11TH
AT ALL THREE LEGIONS AFTER THE CEREMONY BRANCH #10 Louge Opens - Noon Refreshments all day - (Till we run out) – ENTERTAINMENT FRANK HANNA from 1pm to 5pm and BIG DADDY BAND from 6pm to 10pm EVERYONE WELCOME.
129 HAREWOOD ROAD
250-753-4442 BRANCH #256
CHRIS BUSH/THe NewS BUlleTIN
Harvey Heweston, 92, who flew 33 missions in Lancaster bombers over Germany during the Second World War, holds an ink-on-paper image of himself in the cockpit, made by one of the gunners in his crew.
dinner/dance in Edinburgh, in the breast pocket of his flight jacket. “My date happened to be a Glaswegian, from Glasgow,” Heweston said. “Of course I couldn’t understand a damn word she said, but she was a cutie, and [a friend] also gave us a bottle of French champagne and we uncorked this. We were dancing. It was a dinner dance. She gave me the cork and said, ‘You keep this. It’s good luck. You’ll be safe.’ I kept that cork. I wouldn’t fly without it. After the war, I kept it and that’s why I was so successful in the oil business.” One morning Heweston was a first-hand witness to an unusual German air raid. “Five buzz bombs came right over our God damn squadron and there was a total of nine,” Heweston said. “They had been launched from Heinkel 111 aircraft. Nobody ran for cover. They were so low we thought they hit the
water tower and, of course, they made a hell of a noise. They shot one of the Heinkels down and they said that one of the buzz bombs went off on a Heinkel.” A salvo of air-launched V1 buzz bombs – essentially rudimentary cruise missiles – was a glimpse at future air warfare. Buzz bombs derived their nickname from the noise made by the pulse-jet motors that propelled them, but one morning after a mission, a member of Heweston’s squadron caught a glimpse of what was likely a British Gloster Meteor jet fighter that really shook him up. “We were all having a beer in the mess and this English pilot came rushing in, eyes as big as pizzas, and he said, ‘This aircraft just stormed past me and up ahead it banked and flew off and it had no propellers,’” Heweston said. “Every one of us yelled, ‘Bullshit!’” photos@nanaimobulletin.com
Breakfast: 7:30 - 9:00 am Service at the Br. 9:30 am Service at 11 am Downtown Nanaimo Lunch: Served by Save On Foods - 12 to 1pm Light Dinner: 4:30 to 5:30 pm Music: DJ in the lounge 12 noon til 5pm Band Double Play (Hall) 5:30 - 9:30 pm Come out & join your fellow Veterans & Comrades. Their will also be shuttle transportation between the three local Legions.
1630 EAST WELLINGTON
250-754-8128 BRANCH #257
10:30am - Parade line up on School Rd. at Legion 11:00 am - Parade & service at the new cenotaph 12 noon - Soup & Hot Dogs at Costin Hall for kids;Graham Gates on key board in the lounge all day 2:30 pm - Sweet Adelines singing group upstairs hall 3:00 pm - Sweet Adelines singing group in the lounge; Howie James Band upstairs hall until 7:00 pm 4:00 pm - Roast Beef Dinner by the L.A. $5.00 (Veterans Free) Support your legion & help us remember!
7227 LANTZVILLE
250-390-2841
Free transportation will be available between Legions for any veteran or legionnaire
T hank You Nanaimo and Lantzville for Supporting Your Veterans!
B6
REMEMBRANCE DAY
Nanaimo News Bulletin Thursday, November 6, 2014
www.nanaimobulletin.com
Remembering their Sacrifices
Inaugural service held at new cenotaph
“
Lantzville legion holds memorial at Huddlestone Park location
DianeBrennan Museum Open Nov. 11 11:30am - 1:30pm
RING OF FIRE Canadians in the Pacific in WW2 September 12 to November 15 A travelling exhibt from:
With thanks to our Veterans, and In memory of those no longer with us,
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a lot of the public will remember that there were two very valuable soldiers that have been lost during their duty.
By Karl yu The News BulleTiN
T
he 2014 Remembrance Day ceremony in Lantzville will see the culmination of about two years worth of work by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 257. While previous Nov. 11 ceremonies have been held on the Seaview Centennial legion’s property, this year’s will be held at a new war memorial at Huddlestone Park. It consists of a cenotaph and memorial walkway, with granite markers bearing the names of Armed Forces and first responders. The branch had a target of $150,000, but thanks to in-kind and financial contributions from the community was well as funding from various levels of government, it was able to exceed that, with approximately $165,000 raised, according Jim McEwan, cenotaph committee chairman. The additional money will afford the legion the ability to add flagpoles, benches and other items appropriate to the cenotaph area.
KARL YU/The News BULLeTiN
Jim McEwan, Lantzville cenotaph committee chairman, left, and Barry Ostrand, second vice-president of the Lantzville Royal Canadian Legion, lay a wreath in honour of Patrice Vincent and Nathan Cirillo, two members of the Armed Forces who were killed in separate attacks in Canada last month. The cenotaph at Huddlestone Park will host the district’s Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11.
McEwan said the community support was very good and individuals were extremely generous. “In one particular case, there was a private donation from a Lantzville resident of $10,000, which we appreciated very much and he wishes not to be recognized at this time, but it was certainly a welcome addition,”
said McEwan. With a price tag of $300 apiece, the stone markers were sold in the fundraising effort. About 83 have been purchased thus far and there is room for another 25 on the remembrance pathway. “It may take another year or so, but they’re still trickling in at a fairly
regular pace ... we’ve got 15 more to put in before [this Nov. 11] at the ceremony,” McEwan said. Given the tragic deaths of a pair of Canadian Armed Forces members – Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Patrice Vincent, a warrant officer – in October on home soil, this Remembrance Day will be more of a solemn occasion than usual, said McEwan. “A lot of the public there I’m sure will recognize the events of [October]. It won’t be gone by Nov. 11,” explained McEwan. “I’m sure a lot of the public will remember that there were two very valuable soldiers that have been lost during their duty.” For more information about purchasing a stone marker, please call McEwan at 250-751-2775. reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
www.nanaimobulletin.com
rememBranCe day
Poppy sales provide veterans’ services
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money raised goes directly to soldiers and their families. By Nicholas Pescod The News BulleTiN
E
ach year around this time, Bill Brayshaw dedicates his time to organizing and helping sell poppies in an effort to raise money for Nanaimo’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 10. According to Brayshaw, a former president of Branch 10 and interim service officer, the branch is expecting to raise roughly $30,000 this year from poppy sales in the south end of Nanaimo. However, spending the money that is raised from the poppy funds isn’t as simple as it might appear. “We have to account for every penny that goes out,” said Brayshaw. According to Inga Kruse, executive director for the Royal Canadian Legion British Columbia and Yukon command, there are strict guidelines on how each legion can spend its poppy money. “When you’re run largely by volunteers, and in our command’s case, we’re spread over 150 branches, you have to be very clear with what people are allowed and not allowed to do,” Kruse said. Last year, legions across British Columbia and Yukon raised a combined total of $3.4 million from poppy sales, which according to Kruse is up $100,000 from 2012. Money generated from the poppy fund can be used to provide assistant to veterans and their immediate families. “If they can’t get a wheelchair … we will purchase it for them,” Brayshaw said. “Even if people come in
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Nanaimo News Bulletin B7
On Remembrance Day the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation honours the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. Lest we Forget!
The Foundation proudly supports Dufferin Place and NRGH, Eagle Park Healthcare Facility and Trillium Lodge. NICHOLAS PESCOD/THE NEwS BuLLETIN
royal Canadian Legion Branch 10 past president Bill Brayshaw, left, accepts a $20 donation from legion member Jim Hunter. Brayshaw is expecting Branch 10 to raise $30,000 during this year’s poppy campaign.
and they have a hardship, we usually use the poppy money to buy food vouchers to give to them.” Kruse explained that Veterans Affairs Canada, as well as most municipalities, provide funding for the construction of new memorials and monuments. “We’re not allowed to build a new one with the poppy money because that’s really a community and a Veterans Affairs thing,” Kruse said. “We sometimes fundraise separately from the poppy campaign for that. We are allowed to use poppy funds to make sure that it doesn’t fall into disrepair.” This year the B.C. and Yukon command have distributed 2.3 million poppies. Poppy money collected by the legions is also used
to help fund the Veterans Transition Program, a relatively new organization that offers counselling to veterans. “We have put 500 soldiers through a trauma counselling program that is free for them and not connected with the military,” Kruse said. “So their bosses in the military don’t know they have PTSD. So we treat them and send the back to their careers, without any stigma on their file. In 500 soldiers, we’ve not had a single postcounselling suicide.” To donate to the Royal Canadian Legion, visit a branch or visit www. legionbcyukon.ca. People can also donate $5 to the legion by texting ‘POPPY’ to 2022. arts@nanaimobulletin.com
250-755-7690 nanaimohospitalfoundation.com “We Will Never Forget The Brave Veterans Of Canada”
B8
REMEMBRANCE DAY
Nanaimo News Bulletin Thursday, November 6, 2014
www.nanaimobulletin.com
Exhibit displays ‘treasures’ Artifacts, memorabilia never before seen will be permanently featured at military museum By Tamara Cunningham The News BulleTiN
W We proudly salute our Veterans on Remembrance Day for their courage and dedication.
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hen Brian McFadden came across a Christmas card at the Nanaimo Archives signed “Black Maria” he knew exactly what kind of treasure he’d found. “I don’t think the archives knew what they had in that,” said McFadden, vice-president of the Vancouver Island Military Museum, who recognized the card was signed by one of Canada’s top fighter pilots under the name of his aircraft. “[Raymond Collishaw] was in charge of what was called the Black Flight, which was all Canadian and they were probably the most prolific fighter planes in the First World War,” he said. The card is just one of the artifacts showcased in a neverbefore-seen First World War exhibit at the Vancouver Island Military Museum – a now-permanent fixture to commemorate the centennial of the Great War. The exhibit has been in the works for three months and will be on display next week in time for Remembrance Day. It has artifacts, memorabilia and photographs people have likely not seen before, according to McFadden, who says they’ve been working with the Nanaimo Archives to create sections on internment, the Nanaimo Independent Company, Collishaw and the home front. The Canadian Scottish Regiment and Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, which are both celebrating their 100th anniversaries, will also be featured. “They are going to get a piece of history that I would think that very few people know about,” said McFadden of the display. “You can only learn so much from books. If you come here, you get the essence of what it was like. You get a flavour of the artifacts; you can try to imagine how many hands it passed through and ... what’s the story that got this from Flanders to Nanaimo.” The world broke out in its first
TAMARA CUNNINGHAM/THe News BUlleTIN
Vancouver Island Military Museum vice-president Brian McFadden holds up a Dead Man’s Penny given to soldiers’ next of kin by the British government during the First World War. It’s one of the artifacts displayed in a new First World War exhibit.
“
They are going to get a piece of history that i would think that very few people know about.
global conflict 100 years ago this year, when Nanaimo was still in the midst of a coal mine strike. But when Britain announced it was going to war, the local com-
munity got behind the effort. Dozens of men volunteered for the militia, there were community celebrations to see the men off to Victoria, Quebec and the war front and the Daughters of the Empire collected money for a Dominion gift for Britain. More than 100 men would not return. On Sept. 20, 1914, the city would also see an internment camp set up in the old provincial jail for eastern European prisoners of war. The internees were transferred to Vernon in 1915. For more information, please visit www.vimms.info/. news@nanaimobulletin.com
On Remembrance Day... We recognize the many sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform both today and throughout our nation’s history. We honor their courage and dedication, as we thank them for their contribution to our country.
Thank You, Veterans. RICK FAGANELLO
RICK ROACH
DALLAS ORR
DOUG McINULTY
KIRSTEN MICHIELI
MIKE LALANDE
REID HUGH
JUSTIN EMPSON
KEITH POPE
GAETAN GELINAS
PAOLO SISON
GRAMAM STRUM
SCOTT GILLEY
PAUL DEBRON
JANINE DIENO
2555 Bowen Road, Nanaimo • www.nanaimotoyota.com • 1.888.691.3849
REMEMBRANCE DAY
www.nanaimobulletin.com
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Poppies visible reminder of sacrifice
I
CitY offERiNG seeds to plant in memory.
By Tamara Cunningham the News BulletiN
F
landers poppies will bloom by the thousands in Nanaimo next spring, thanks to a planting campaign catching on across the Harbour City. The City of Nanaimo launched a poppyplanting effort earlier this year, announcing it would sow 67,000 poppies at its cenotaph to commemorate those killed in the First World War. It also offered the flowers to residents and has seen more than 60 people call to pick up seeds. Some of those looking to plant seeds have shared their stories with the News Bulletin, like Teresa Driver, who had the poem, In Flanders Fields, memorized by the time she was in Grade 1. Both of her grandfathers served in the first and second world wars, and her father in the Second World War. She thinks it would be beautiful to
TAMARA CUNNINGHAM/THe News BUlleTIN
Nanaimo resident Elise Prill, 92, props up a couple of pictures of her husband’s two brothers – Berle and Maurice Prill – air gunners who died three weeks apart in the Second World War.
have poppies planted everywhere because it makes people think about those who have fought in the wars, she said, adding these are men who wanted to protect their country and gave up their lives to do it. “I think we should remember them forever for all the sacrifices they’ve done.” Nanaimo’s Elsie Prill, 92, was stuffing bullets from behind a partition at a British munitions factory by the time she was 17. She later married Garner Prill, a Canadian radar technician who served in the Second World War. He
had lost his two brothers, Maurice and Berle, air gunners, three weeks apart in 1943 and 1944 during the same war. She now has their medals, which she sent for this year, neatly mounted and resting beside their photos on a living room dresser. Prill had asked for seeds in remembrance of her husband and his family, but hasn’t received any yet. Then there’s John Barr, who served with the Royal Engineers in Berlin during the Cold War in 1958 and whose son has been a regular forces
soldier for more than two decades. One task asked of his son was to receive the aircraft with the bodies of young men killed in Afghanistan, so Barr said he knows there’s a lot who did not come back and wanted the poppies to grow in his own garden. “I think it was a good idea,” he said of the city sharing its poppy seeds. “It’s something that should be continued, if the city would keep it going maybe other veterans would take that project up the same as I did this year.” Gail Pasaluko, the city’s horticulture supervisor, expects with the uptake there will be little seas of red displayed throughout the community next spring when the flowers bloom. “I think it’s a fabulous project ... the remembering of World War One, the vets, the things that people went through in those times, it’s so important and what’s happening today with our vets and our wars,” she said, adding the response is also fabulous. “It’s all about we don’t forget, right?” news@nanaimobulletin.com
Nanaimo News Bulletin B9
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In Honour of Our Veterans REMEMBRANCE DAY
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November 11, 2014
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We are located at the Nanaimo Military Camp, at the Brigadier D.R. Sargent Armoury, 709 Nanaimo Lakes Road. Ad paid by the Corp’s Civilian Sponsoring Committee
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REMEMBRANCE DAY
Nanaimo News Bulletin Thursday, November 6, 2014
Wireless unit shrouded in secrecy
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Remembering the people who Fought to keep our Freedom
jACk pREstlEY wants others to know story of brother’s war service. By Chris Bush The News BulleTiN
K
een ears tease useful intelligence out of general communications traffic, which can be crucial to winning or losing a battle or even an entire conflict. Jack Prestley, who came to Nanaimo to play with the Nanaimo Clippers in 1945, had two older brothers at the start of the Second World War. Michael Thomas Patrick Prestley was killed in Europe while serving with the Canadian Scottish Black Watch, but his oldest brother, Bernard (Barney) Joseph Prestley, died at age 28, about 10 years after the war, from complications of malaria he contracted while working at a secret facility in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The city’s harbour was attacked by Japan’s naval air units in February 1942 and teetered on the southern edge of the Japanese Empire, which made Darwin a good spot for No. 1 Canadian Special Wireless Group, a 336-man unit within the Royal Canadian Signal Corps, to listen in on the enemy’s radio communications from early 1944 until the end of the war. The unit operated well into 1946 to help stand down Japanese military units that held out in isolated South Pacific islands after Japan surrendered in August 1945. Little public information about the unit was available until the 1990s when secrecy around it started lifting, partly due to
We give thanks in honour of our veterans. We shall remember them. 3575 Shenton Rd.
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CHRIS BUSH/THe NewS BUlleTIN
jack prestley, of Nanaimo, holds a photograph of his older brother Bernard, who served with a secret intelligence gathering unit trained on Vancouver Island.
research by Gil Murray, one of the signals operators who worked at the camp and author of The Invisible War, The Untold Secret Story of Number One Canadian Special Wireless Group, published in 2001. During the war, Jack Prestley and family members knew practically nothing about Barney Prestley’s work in Australia. Letters Barney Prestley sent home were heavily blacked out by censors and decades of secrecy following the conflict and his death kept family mostly in the dark until Murray’s book.
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“With them intercepting more than one million messages a day, I would think the whole unit was pretty busy,” Jack Prestley said. “There was camp activity … They had ball games and stuff like that and movies, the regular camp thing, but it was pretty tight. I don’t think they moved away from there that much.” Some of the men would be sent occasionally to New Guinea to set up listening stations. Prestley still has an original copy a leaflet his brother carried, from thousands dropped on South Pacific islands, imploring Japanese troops to surrender. Murray’s book also revealed the Vancouver Island connection to the top-secret operation. The training base for the unit’s signal operators was located on the northern tip of the Saanich Peninsula. “They left from Esquimalt, went to San Francisco and stopped at a camp there. I don’t know whether they went for further training or what the purpose of it was, but then they embarked again on an old ship – and by description it was pretty old – and off they went to Australia, no escort or anything,” Prestley said. “So it was kind of, cross your fingers and hope we get there.” Prestley said a shroud of secrecy still hangs over the operation. “Even today, there are methods that were used that one country didn’t want the other to know.” Prestley, 86, wants people to know what the unit and his brother contributed to the war. “They performed wonderful work and accomplished a lot and I’d just like them to be recognized,” he said.
We Remember Those Who Fought For Our Freedom
SHOWROOM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
CLOSED
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Let us honour the memory of those who served for our country.
November 11th
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WE WILL BE CLOSED Tuesday, Nov. 11 in observance of REMEMBRANCE DAY
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DEADLINES FOR THE NEWS BULLETIN & NEWS BULLETIN CLASSIFIEDS FOR TUESDAY, NOV. 11th WILL BE: THURSDAY, NOV. 6th, 11 am
The Office Will Re-Open Wednesday, Nov. 12th at 8:30 a.m.
Please plan on attending REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICES nearest you on November 11th
REMEMBRANCE DAY
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Veteran easily recalls harrowing flights
I
Al huDsoN was flight engineer for Allies.
By Tamara Cunningham The News bulleTiN
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t wasn’t the kind of surprise flight engineer Al Hudson was used to seeing on a bombing mission: a German fighter pilot flying so close, he could see the number on the side of his measure seat. “I looked out around and I could see this fighter right beside us, about 40 feet away and that’s not very far when you’re up in the air, I’ll tell ya,” said Hudson, 95, who admits he was ‘awful scared’ to see a Messerschmitt flying so close to his plane. It would have taken two seconds for the fighter to shoot them down with cannons, he said. Hudson, who was born in Timmons, Ont., was 21 years old when he sailed for England in 1940 to join the Second World War effort. He would go on 35 bombing missions with his flight crew, monitoring the aircraft system, temperature and engines while they were in the air. He remembers the Berlin raid as one of the worst missions. To this day, he still sees the picture of that fighter
TAMARA CUNNINGHAM/THe News BUlleTIN
Nanaimo’s Al hudson, 95, holds a photo of himself (upper right corner) with his flight crew during the second World War.
pilot in his sleep. That night had been a 1,000-bomber raid on Berlin and he’d volunteered to fill in as flight engineer for a new crew. From the dome of the Lancaster plane, he could see everything – the search lights, the bombs going off below and a German fighter pilot so close that if Hudson was holding a revolver, he said he could have slid his window down and shot him. The German pilot had been staring straight ahead, and Hudson’s own crew had no idea what was going on.
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“I says, ‘Christ, are you guys asleep? There’s a fighter right beside us,’” he said. “Poor fellas, I guess they were nervous. First time they saw a fighter and all that.” By the time the gunners started firing, they had tracers going “all over the damn place. It’s a wonder they didn’t shoot one of our guys down.” The fighter pilot ended up banking away from the Lancaster and Hudson said when they got back from the mission he told his skipper the new crew better smarten up. The next day, that
crew was one of the first planes shot down. It was unfortunate, he said, and he felt sorry for talking about them. Hudson still has his flight book packed away somewhere in his room, and a black and white photo of his crew. With a half smile, he talked about how after a mission they’d get shots of 100proof rum from the chaplain, who was in charge of the booze, or the pack of cigarettes he’d smoke each trip. Then there was the ritual of urinating on the back wheel of the plane before it took off. It was good luck, a routine and it never failed. After a mission to the SKF bearing plant in Schweinfurt, Germany, his was among four or five planes of 112 that hadn’t been shot down. They also survived with some German flak to the end section of the plane when they were caught in a searchlight over Hamburg. As for the thought of being shot down, he didn’t worry about it too much. “With me, it was just [an] ordinary trip, eh. You’re going to get it, you’re going to get it. That was the way I thought. It didn’t bother me so much,” he said. And every time it did, he’d light up a cigarette. news@nanaimobulletin.com
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250-753-0387 We salute our veterans. Remembering with pride.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Nanaimo News Bulletin B11
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We thank our Veterans past & present who have persevered to protect our Freedom!
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Nanaimo News Bulletin Thursday, November 6, 2014
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If you value your freedom, thank a Veteran.
LET’S MAKE NOVEMBER 11
A DAY TO
REMEMBER In keeping with a tradition since 2001, all Quality Foods stores close each Remembrance Day to pause and reflect on the importance of the role of our past and present service men and women. Whether in times of war or peace, we are ever grateful for these brave souls who put themselves in harm’s way for the greater good of all Canadians.
This year, with continuing turmoil worldwide, the need becomes even more apparent to keep November 11 aside for current & future generations’ to remember and appreciate their courage and sacrifices made in the name of freedom. We believe that when we stand united in acts of remembrance, we can make a world of difference.
All Quality Foods stores will be closed Tuesday, November 11 For the Fallen (excerpt) They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. -Lawrence Binyon
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