Pilgrimages Archives - Legion Magazine

In their fathers’ footsteps

Sharon Adams — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 18:46:12 +0000

Ninety pilgrims walked more than 60 kilometres through Dutch towns and countryside to learn more about the Canadians who liberated the Netherlands

The post In their fathers’ footsteps appeared first on Legion Magazine.

What would you do?

Dyann Bernard — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 13:26:59 +0000

I take a breath, scoot to the edge of my seat—ready to exit the van and eager to investigate our next stop. I walk along Ruytershoveweg Road toward a tall white wall, set back from the street and seemingly out of place among the trees that surround it. The beautiful clean lines and balanced shape …

The post What would you do? appeared first on Legion Magazine.

A tour to remember – The Royal Canadian Legion 2019 Pilgrimage of Remembrance

Doris Williams — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 17:58:55 +0000

In the early hours of Aug. 19, 1942, a largely Canadian military contingent conducted an ill-fated raid on German-occupied France. More than 6,000 infantry, including Private George Davies of the South Saskatchewan Regiment, landed on the beach at Dieppe that morning and faced deadly enemy fire. More than 3,600 of those who made it ashore were …

The post A tour to remember – The Royal Canadian Legion 2019 Pilgrimage of Remembrance appeared first on Legion Magazine.

Dutch gratitude

Doris Williams — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 14:58:21 +0000

Holland’s appreciation of Canada abounds as the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands approaches The Netherlands was a neutral country when the Second World War broke out on Sept. 1, 1939, with Germany’s invasion of Poland. However, Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, pulling the country into the war. By May …

The post Dutch gratitude appeared first on Legion Magazine.

Their names live on

Tom MacGregor — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 20:21:27 +0000

Story and photography by Tom MacGregor I found the name I was looking for on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres, Belgium, along the stairway where moments earlier school groups and regimental representatives had placed wreaths. The name, under the 44th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, was simply D.C. Bowes. Clifford …

The post Their names live on appeared first on Legion Magazine.

Commemorating the Battle of Vimy Ridge

Stephanie Slegtenhorst — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 22:35:22 +0000

More than 25,000 people attended the April 9th ceremony to commemorate the achievements and sacrifices of Canadian soldiers 100 years ago at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The ceremony included speeches by dignitaries from Canada, Britain and France, as well as musical and acting performances. Some 100,000 soldiers fought in the four-day battle, which marked …

The post Commemorating the Battle of Vimy Ridge appeared first on Legion Magazine.

Pilgrimage to Turkey: Going back to Gallipoli

Tom MacGregor — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 18:31:08 +0000

The Newfoundland Regiment was the only North American military unit to fight in Britain and France’s costly Gallipoli Campaign in the twilight of the Ottoman Empire Not long after landing in Gallipoli in September 1915, the Newfoundland Regiment found itself stalled in trench warfare, constantly harassed by sniper fire. In particular, Major T.M. Drew, …

The post Pilgrimage to Turkey: Going back to Gallipoli appeared first on Legion Magazine.

French students make pilgrimage to Canada

Sharon Adams — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 16:18:56 +0000

During a whirlwind visit to Cornwall, Ont., in mid-August, students from France took advantage of every opportunity to greet and thank Second World War veterans and shower them with Gallic double kisses. “It was a treat to meet the veterans, a duty to honour them,” said Adélaide Caillet, one of about three dozen young people from …

The post French students make pilgrimage to Canada appeared first on Legion Magazine.

Two wars in two weeks

Eric Harris — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 14:42:31 +0000

In July, pilgrims from across Canada visited battlefields, cemeteries and memorials in France, Belgium and the Netherlands “If yesterday was the longest day,” says Ed Pigeau, “today was probably the hardest day.” Pigeau is summarizing days 3 and 4 of The Royal Canadian Legion 2015 Pilgrimage of Remembrance during the daily after-dinner debrief. The longest day—Day …

The post Two wars in two weeks appeared first on Legion Magazine.

Normandy Tour: Juno Beach Route

Terry Copp — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 05:01:35 +0000

The 70th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy will introduce a new generation of Canadians to events that have long stirred the imaginations and collective memories of veterans and their children.

There will no doubt be extensive television coverage on June 6, centered on major Canadian commemorative events at the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer, but there will be much else to see and do in Normandy during June, July and August.

The post Normandy Tour: Juno Beach Route appeared first on Legion Magazine.