Juno Beach Park
Juno Beach Museum
In a recent discussion with Ed McCready, my brother-in-law married to my sister Judy, we discussed the Juno Beach Centre which is the only Canadian Museum at Normandy. In the course of our discussions, Ed mentioned that he looked but didn’t find any memorabilia recognizing the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, the outfit that his father Vincent McCready served in during WWII. Although Vincent was not there he later served in Holland, his outfit the North Nova Scotia Highlanders were however at Normandy. After returning to Canada from their vacation Ed prepared a package including his father’s uniform and gas mask and forwarded the package to Marie-Josée Lafond, the Program Manager, for inclusion in the Centre Juno Beach.
Pte Vincent McCready’s uniform & gas mask
Juno Beach – The Canadians On D-Day
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.”
This short story is a tribute to the men and women who served in the Canadian Army during D-Day and World War II. To these people, we owe the freedom that we take for granted. Let us never forget their sacrifice. God bless them one and all.
The Juno Beach Centre is a museum and cultural centre, which opened at Courseulles-sur-Mer, France on June 6, 2003. The Centre presents the war effort made by all Canadians, civilian and military alike, both at home and on the various fronts during the Second World War, as well as the manifold faces of contemporary Canadian society.
The Juno Beach Centre was established in Canada as a non-profit organization. A Board of Directors based in Burlington, Ontario runs the Association. The President is Garth Webb, a D-Day veteran.
The Minister of Canadian Heritage has designated the Juno Beach landing site to be a site of national historic significance to Canada.
Note: It comes to mind that many families across Canada not unlike Ed’s case, have stored away in the attic or in trunks long forgotten items of kit, uniforms, medals, letters, etc., that could be donated in memory of their parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts who had served in WWII. GTF
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