The Poppy: Symbol of Remembrance

Here in Canada, November 11th is Remembrance Day. Millions of Canadians will wear a red poppy in support of the Royal Canadian Legion and, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, pause to honour the sacrifices of those who have lost their lives at war.

D-Day Landings: Omaha Beach

When the Allied invasion of Normandy began on June 6, 1944, American troops stormed two beaches, codenamed Omaha and Utah. Many lives were lost in battle and since the end of World War II a number of memorials and war museums have been established in France. My tour last year to the landing sites of D-Day included Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc and the Normandy American Cemetery.

Omaha Beach, Normandy

D-Day Landings: Juno Beach

Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, began on the morning of June 6, 1944. Canadian forces landed on a 10-kilometre stretch of coastline codenamed Juno Beach and, along with American and British forces on nearby beaches, began their heroic mission to liberate France from Nazi Germany.

Juno Beach, Normandy

D-Day Landings: Pegasus Bridge

"In the first minutes of 6 June 1944, glider-borne troops of the 6th Airborne division

captured the bridge which was on this site over the Caen Canal. It was one of the first

objectives of the Allied landings in Normandy. It was renamed Pegasus Bridge

after the emblem of British Airborne Forces."

Pegasus Bridge, Normandy