Review of Cruise to Scotland, Ireland, Northern Europe - May 2019

[GeorgeCharlie]

A bit of a Canadian connection to the Skaill House.

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

Plus, a possible connection to Captain Cook’s travels.

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

The Orkney Chair is a unique part of the heritage of the Orkney Islands.

 

At first, they were nothing more than a round stool covered with straw. Orkney is void of timber, so straw was a good agricultural by-product use. The design then developed into a low chair with a straw back some two feet in height. At this stage the seat remained round and the covering of straw went down to the floor. Later, the first chair with a wooden seat was made. This chair was different in that it was square and there was no covering of straw on the chair base.

 

 

 

Making Orkney Chairs in the early 1900’s

 

 

There was no set design, as every maker had their own style, sizes, and preferences. Normally the chairs were low to the ground so the occupant could avoid the smoke from the open peat fires, which were traditionally in the middle of the room in old croft houses.

 

After visiting the Skaill House, the place where we stopped for lunch had several Orkney Chairs.

 

Including a two-seater and a rocking chair.

 

 

 

 

Didn’t see a hooded chair with a drawer at either of the places, but here’s an internet picture of what they look like.

 

 

 

The lunch place did have a couple of hooded chairs, but without under-seat drawers.

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgesGal]

18 hours ago, GeorgeCharlie said:

Thank you for your comments, they are much appreciated.

 

I enjoy recalling the memories and it definitely gives me something to do on these cold winter days.

 

We're in the middle of a record cold snap and this was the temperature we woke up to this morning.

 

OMG! Minus 50+ degrees!  And no heat to boot!

[GeorgeCharlie]

54 minutes ago, GeorgesGal said:

OMG! Minus 50+ degrees!  And no heat to boot!

 

Fortunately for us, besides having a central heating/air conditioning system, we also have boilers in both the lower level of the house and the attached garage. These units provide in-floor heating to the concrete flooring in both places. Once the concrete is heated up, it retains the heat for quite a while. So even with no heat for several hours, the temperature in the house had only fallen to around +58F.

 

Nippy, but an extra comforter kept us warm until the power came back on. 

[GeorgesGal]

41 minutes ago, GeorgeCharlie said:

 

Fortunately for us, besides having a central heating/air conditioning system, we also have boilers in both the lower level of the house and the attached garage. These units provide in-floor heating to the concrete flooring in both places. Once the concrete is heated up, it retains the heat for quite a while. So even with no heat for several hours, the temperature in the house had only fallen to around +58F.

 

Nippy, but an extra comforter kept us warm until the power came back on. 

Good planning, I'd say!

[GeorgeCharlie]

2 minutes ago, GeorgesGal said:

Good planning, I'd say!

 

Yes, unfortunately having the power go off is not an uncommon event for us!!

[GeorgeCharlie]

David dropped us of at the Lynnfield Inn for lunch, while he recharged the car and had his own lunch.

 

 

Don’t remember much about lunch, but while we waited an hour or so for David to return, we had an interesting time looking at the several rooms of old-fashion furniture they had displayed.

 

 

Including a well stocked liquor cabinet.

 

 

 

They had these copies of old-style wooden shovels on the wall in the eating area. Not sure what they would have been used for. Maybe for removing bread from ovens, or maybe shoveling snow. They don’t get snow all that often, but with the accompanying high winds, I understand drifting can be a problem.

 

 

Then again, they could have been for shoveling manure. Not something to be thinking about while you’re having lunch!!

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

After lunch we drove over to see Scapa Flow, which is one of the great natural harbours in the world. The harbour has an area of 324.5 square kilometres (125.3 square miles). With numerous wrecks it is an internationally acclaimed diving location. Its sheltered waters have played an important role in travel, trade, and conflict throughout the centuries. Viking anchored their longships in Scapa Flow more than a thousand years ago. It was the United Kingdom’s chief naval base during WWI and WW2, but the naval facility was closed in 1956.

 

Today Scapa Flow is primarily used by the petroleum industry, as one of the transfer and processing points for North Sea oil. A 30-inch, 128-mile underwater pipeline brings oil from the Piper oilfield to the Flotta oil terminal.

 

 

The Scapa Flow Visitor Centre is on Hoy Island and would have required us to take a ferry in order to visit it.

 

Picture taken from one the viewing points.

 

 

Primarily because of its great distance from German airfields Scapa Flow was selected as the main British naval base during the Second World War. The strong defenses built during WWI had fallen into disrepair. Defense against air attack was inadequate and the blockships sunk to stop U-boats from penetrating had largely collapsed. While there were anti-submarine nets in place over the three main entrances, they were only of single -stranded looped wire; there was also a severe lack of patrolling destroyers and other anti-submarine craft. Efforts began belatedly to repair peacetime neglect but were not completed in time to prevent a successful penetration by enemy forces.

 

The remains of one of the blockships.

 

 

 

On October 14, 1939 German U-boat U-47 penetrated and sank the WWI-era battleship HMS Royal Oak anchored in Scapa Bay. After firing its first three torpedoes (with only one striking the Royal Oak), the submarine turned to make its escape firing one torpedo from a stern tube, which also missed. But, upon realizing that there was no immediate threat from surface vessels, it returned for another attack. The second salvo of three torpedoes blew 30-foot hole in the Royal Oak, which quickly capsized. Of the 1,234 men and boys, 835 were killed that night or died later of their wounds. 134 of the dead were 15 – 17 year-old boy seamen being trained for service in the navy, the largest ever such loss in a single Royal Navy action. As a result of this disaster, the practice of sending boys to sea was generally discontinued.

 

The route of U-47.

 

 

The British were initially confused as to the cause of the sinking, suspecting an on-board explosion or aerial attack. Once it was realized that a submarine attack was the most likely explanation and steps were made to seal the anchorage, U-47 had already escaped and was on its way back to Germany.

 

Before the sinking of Royal Oak, the Royal Navy had considered the naval base at Scapa Flow impregnable to submarine attack, but U-47’s raid demonstrated that the German navy was capable of bringing the War to British home waters. The shock resulted in rapid changes to the dockland security and the construction of the Churchill Barriers around Scapa Flow.

 

The Churchill barriers are four causeways between islands built primarily as naval defenses to protect Scapa Flow. They now serve as road links between the islands.

 

Churchill Barrier 1, now blocking Kirk Sound, U-47’s entry to Scapa Flow.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

A shortage of manpower to construct the barriers coincided with capture of thousands of Italian soldiers fighting in North Africa, so over one thousand Italian prisoners of war were transported from the heat of the North African desert to the freezing cold of an Orkney winter. Prisoners of war were prevented by treaty from working on military projects, so the barriers were said to be causeways linking the south eastern islands together, which is what they remain today.

 

550 of the prisoners were housed in prison Camp 60 on the uninhabited island of Lamb Holm and a similar number to Camp 34 on Burray. The camp consisted of 13 Nissen huts (in North America they are better know as Quonset huts), which the prisoners improved on with concrete paths (concrete was never in short supply during the construction of the Churchill Barriers) and gardens, complete with flower beds and vegetable plots.

 

In the centre of the camp one of the prisoners, an artist from Moena, Domenico Chiocchetti made a statue of St George slaying the dragon.  It had a frame made of barbed wire and was covered with cement. The base of the statue contained all of the prisoner’s names and some Italian coins and the statute itself represented the prisoners’ triumph over defeat and loneliness during the years of captivity on Lamb Holm.

 

 

And as seen when we visited.

 

 

The Italians POW status changed in September 1943 when Italy capitulated to the Allies and the workers were given more freedom and were actually paid for their labours. The Italians requested a proper place of worship and with the help of padre Father Giacobazzi, they persuaded the camp commandant to allow them to build a chapel on Lamb Holm. They were given two Nissen huts joined end to end to convert, on the condition all work was carried out outside working hours on the barriers.

 

 

 

The prisoners had limited materials to work with. The tabernacle was made from wood salvaged from wrecked blockships. The alter was made from concrete. Scrap metal was used to form the candelabras, two from iron and two from brass. The light holders were made from corned beef tins. The sanctuary’s gold curtains were bought using money from the prisoners’ welfare fund. A local artist donated brushes and poster paints.

 

Most of the interior decoration was done by Domenico Chiocchetti, who carried in his pocket a small prayer card given to him by his mother before he left home in Italy, and it was the image on that card of the Madonna and Child that he based his painting above the altar. It is Chiochetti’s masterpiece and carries a moving message – “Regina pacis ora pro nobis” (Queen of Peace pray for us). The painting of Madonna and Child is surrounded by cherubs, with one holding a blue shield (the badge of Moena) and another sheathing a sword. In addition, Baby Jesus holds and olive branch.

 

 

 

This picture also shows the wooden tabernacle and the four candelabras.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

Chicocchetti’s work and enthusiasm for the project is indisputable but many others contributed extensively to the project. Buttapasta, a cement worker; Palumbi, a blacksmith; Primavera and Micheloni, electricians; along with many others adding their assistance.

 

The windows by the altar were painted to depict St Francis of Assisi and St Catherine of Siena.

 

The whole chapel was lined with plasterboard and painted to depict brick walls, carved stone, vaulted ceilings, and buttresses.

 

 

The baptismal font was a car exhaust covered in concrete!

 

The beautiful rod screen and gates enclosing the sanctuary were expertly fashioned by Palumbi from scrap metal and took four months to complete.

 

There is a tiny metal heart in the floor under the gates – a symbol of Palumbi’s love for a local girl. He already had a wife and family back home in Italy, so he left his heart behind.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

As work progressed inside, it showed up the plainness of the exterior of the chapel - so a number of the prisoners, led by Buttapasta, made the impressive façade we see today. The façade is mainly made of concrete and has an ornate frontage with pillars, Gothic pinnacles, archway, and bell-tower. Directly above the door on the front of the archway, Pennisi sculpted a head of Christ from red clay complete with a thorn crown.

 

 

 

In 1961, the carved figure of Christ, which stands at the chapel entrance, was gifted by Chiocchetti’s home town, Moena. The cross and canopy were made in Kirkwall.

 

 

When Chiocchetti returned in 1964 with his wife Maria, he brought a gift of 14 lovely carvings of the Stations of the Cross, with are hung on the wall of the chapel.

 

Two of the stations of the cross mounted on the wall.

[GeorgeCharlie]

With the work on the Churchill Barriers complete the prisoners were shipped out in September 1944, but Chiocchetti actually stayed behind to finish the little chapel that had become a holy refuge for the prisoners. The chapel had only been used for a very short time, but it remains today as an amazing testament to man’s endeavor to overcome adversity and a dedication to their faith.

 

So, on a bare hillside on the north side of the little island of Lamb Holm, overlooking the most northerly of the Churchill Barriers, the Chapel, together with the nearby statue of St George and an Italian flag fluttering atop a pole are all that remains of Camp 60.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

During the years after the war the chapel increasingly became a visitor attraction, and in 1958 a presentation committee was set up. In 1960, the BBC funded a return visit to Orkney by Domenico Chiocchetti to assist with the restoration. His restoration of the paintwork was followed by a service of rededication by 200 Orcadians, and broadcast on Italian radio.

 

On his departure he wrote a letter to the people of Orkney in which he said:

“The chapel is yours - for you to love and preserve. I take with me to Italy the remembrance of your kindness and wonderful hospitality. . .
I thank the authorities of Kirkwall, the courteous preservation committee, and all those who directly or indirectly have collaborated for the success of this work and for having given me the joy of seeing again the little chapel of Lambholm where I, in leaving, leave a part of my heart”. - Domenico Chiocchetti ­ ­- 11 ^th April 1960.

 

Fifty years after arriving at Camp 60, ex-POW Bruno Volpi wrote:

"What is it that made prisoners of war work so feverishly with partially or totally inadequate means at their disposal? It was the wish to show to oneself first, and to the world then, that in spite of being trapped in a barbed wire camp, down in spirit, physically and morally deprived of many things, one could still find something inside that could be set free."

 

Today the chapel is still used as a place of worship and remains a popular tourist attraction, receiving over 100,000 visitors every year.

 

The chapel was built out of wartime necessity, but has been cared for and restored with as much care as any of the medieval churches it was decorated to emulate, and has become one of the best known symbols of reconciliation in the British Isles.

 

This is a symbol of the human spirit's ability to lift itself out of great adversity connects people from around the globe, regardless of religion, age or background.

 

The tragedy is that there are not more Italian Chapels to bring people together.

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgeCharlie]

Seeing the 77^th anniversary of the D-Day landings is upon us, I have decided to jump forward to our stop in Cherbourg and do a review of our visit to the Normandy area, which was during the 75^th anniversary.

 

Considering the special nature of the 75^th anniversary, Cherbourg was one of the first ports I tried to arrange a private tour. Even starting over a year in advance, I found most of the better known tour companies were either already booked or were quoting ridiculous prices (3-4 times higher then normal). Although we really wanted to visit the Juno Beach area (where the Canadians landed), it is one of the furthest beaches from Cherbourg and the ship’s tours only went to the closer Utah and Omaha Beaches (where the Americans landed). Eventually, I gave up and decided to just book one of the ship’s tours.

 

Showing Cherbourg in relationship to the D-Day Beaches.

 

 

A couple of weeks before our departure, one of the posters to the cruise roll call mentioned they had come across an D-Day Beaches tour and was anyone else interested in joining them. I responded I had previously tried to book the same tour and was told they were all booked up. In turn, several others quickly posted that they had already tried booking numerous other similar tours and nothing seemed to be available.

Fortunately, Susan (‘Sprowlie’) is a rather tenacious person, and although that tour was sold out, she was determined to find something, even at the last minute. And - low and behold – she managed to locate a wonderful small tour operator, who still had availability for the day we were there. Plus, he was willing to include a side trip to Juno Beach.

In that respect, I (and my DW) would like to give a special “Thank You” to our fellow tour members; Susan & Howard (‘Sprowlie’); Linda & Greg (‘Cruzywoozy’); James (‘JRH79er’); for so readily agreeing to the take the side trip to Juno Beach. It made the tour all that much more special to both of us; as my DW’s father landed in the later D-Day campaign period and served with the liberation France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition, my namesake was killed in February 1944, while on a bombing mission out of England. 
 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

The wonderful tour guide Susan found was Patrick Hilyer who owns (along with his wife Nicky) the We Love Normandy tour company. https://www.welovenormandy.com/

 

The really great thing about Patrick is that he is originally from England (moving to Normandy in 2003), so English is his first-language and therefore understanding him wasn’t a problem - he didn’t even have that bad of an English accent!!

 

Patrick (on the left, in the blue sports jacket) toasting our group during our lunch break in a small restaurant at Omaha Beach.

 

It was Mother’s Day, so all the women received a rose.

 

Patrick bought a bottle of Apple Cider for the toast, which in Europe is actually an alcohol drink (the bottle showed 4.5%). 

[GeorgeCharlie]

The first stop on the tour was at the town of Sainte-Mère-Église, which was the first French town liberated by the Allies.

 

This stop was of special interest to one of our tour members (James), as he is a retired paratrooper and officer from the US Army. The town was the location of a well-known incident involving paratrooper John Steele, whose parachute caught on the spire of the town church, and he could only observe the fighting going on below. He hung there limply for two hours, pretending to be dead, before the Germans took him prisoner. Steele escaped four hours later and rejoined his division when US troops attacked the village. The incident was portrayed in the movie The Longest Day by actor Red Buttons.
 

The church.

 

A closer picture of the church, showing the monument to John Steele.

 

Steele was one of the few paratroopers who landed in the town and not killed. He was wounded in the foot by a burst of flak. He was awarded Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart for being wounded in combat. Steele survived the War and continued to visit the town throughout his life and was an honorary citizen of Sainte-Mère-Église. The tavern, Auberge John Steele, stands adjacent to the square and maintains his legacy through photos, letters and articles hung on its walls. Steele died in 1969.

[GeorgeCharlie]

The church has an interesting stained-glass window, which was installed when the church was rebuilt after the war.

 

 

If you closely, you'll notice it depicts two paratroopers, in remembrance to all the paratroopers who lost their life in the liberation of the town. 

[GeorgeCharlie]

We then did a quick visit to Utah Beach. 

 

The main Display centers at Utah Beach were not yet open, so we did a brief walk around of the main beach area. Most of the memorialization for D-Day has been done at the Omaha Beach site, where the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is located.

 

There is a Memorial to one of the most common landing crafts used during D-Day.

 

 

The site also included one of the Higgins boats.

Edited June 6, 2021 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgeCharlie]

The main stop for our tour was the Normandy American Cemetery which is located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach.

 

The 172.5-acre cemetery contains the graves of 9,387 United States military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. Burials here also include the graves of Army Air Force crews shot down over France as early as 1942. Another 1,557 names are inscribed on the Walls of the Missing. 

 

Main walkway into the Cemetery.

 

 

A photo taken from the Cemetery looking down at Omaha Beach and the hill the soldiers had to fight their way up. So peaceful looking these days.

 

There are 307 unknown burials, three Medal of Honor recipients, and four women. Forty-five sets of brothers are commemorated or buried in the cemetery, including 33 who are buried side-by-side. A father and son are also buried alongside each other. The burials are not separated by rank; officers and enlisted men are interred side-by-side.

Regrettably, the main areas of the Cemetery were closed to the public while we were there because they were in the process of preparing for the 75th Anniversary ceremonies.

Main stage area.

Protecting the grass areas.

Every grave is marked with a white marble headstone: a Star of David for those of the Jewish faith, and a Latin cross for all others. The backs of the headstones are inscribed with the service numbers of the decedents. As we were not able to enter the Cemetery, we were only able to view the backs of the headstones.

 

 

 

If you look close at the bottom of the headstone, you will see the service number.

NOTABLE BURIALS 
 Lesley J. McNair. U.S. Army general, one of the two highest-ranking Americans to be killed in action in World War II. 
Jimmie W. Monteith . Medal of Honor recipient. 
Preston  and Robert Niland. Brothers who inspired the film Saving Private Ryan. 
Frank D. Peregory. Medal of Honor recipient. 
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Medal of Honor recipient, son of President Theodore Roosevelt. 
Quentin Roosevelt. Son of President Theodore Roosevelt; World War I aviator killed in action in eastern France. After the construction of Normandy American Cemetery, Quentin was reburied next to his brother.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

After our visit to the Cemetery, Patrick took us to a quaint local restaurant for lunch.

 

 

I've always viewed French meals as being rather dainty in portions, but that was definitely not true for what Patrick said would be great place to grab a quick snack.

 

We both ordered the grilled-cheese sandwich and neither of us were able to finish our meal. Should of ordered one and shared it.  

 

Patrick had his normal order of the quiche, as he said it was a nice light meal. Patrick is an ex-restaurateur, so he should have a good understanding of meal sizes.😋

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

After lunch we drove over to the Omaha Beach area, where Patrick gave a brief presentation regarding the D-Day landing.

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

 

Juno Beach was our last stop.

Before beginning our review of Juno Beach, I feel it’s appropriate to note that D-Day was not Canada’s first invasion of occupied France.

 

 

The cost in lives on D-Day was high, though not as high as had been estimated, and certainly not as high as it would have been without Dieppe.

Juno Beach was the Allied code name for a 10 km stretch of French coastline assaulted by more than 14,000 volunteer soldiers from across Canada, who landed or parachuted into France on D-Day.
 

 

 

“When the craft got into shallower water, the Royal Marines lowered the door. The three in front of me including Doug Reed were hit and killed. By luck I jumped out between bursts into their rising blood. Cold and soaking wet, I caught up to Gibby … the first burst went through his backpack. He turned his head grinning at me and said, ‘That was close, Dougie.’ The next burst killed him.”

Scenarios such as this, which Canadian soldier Doug Hester described for the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada regimental archives, played out across Juno Beach, and all the other landing beaches - highlighting the terrible, but ultimately triumphant sacrifices on D-Day. 

Like most of the Canadians fighting that day, Hester and his regiment encountered stiff resistance from German forces whose defences had been largely unaffected by the pre-landing bombardment. In those first waves of assault, almost one in every two men was either wounded or killed.

Still, by the end of the first day, the Canadians had secured the beach and cleared German troops from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer and Courseulles-sur-Mer, and advanced farther inland than any other troops. Their success came at a cost, though, with 1,074 casualties, 359 of whom were killed. The Queen’s Own Rifles suffered the greatest loss of any Canadian unit on D-Day with 61 men killed. Hester himself was one of only three survivors from the regiment’s B Company.

Jean Houel emerged at day’s end from the bomb shelter beneath the ruins of his home at Courseulles-sur-Mer to welcome his liberators to Normandy. “Here they are, the [English] Tommies,” he cheered, upon seeing the soldiers in their distinctive, British-styled helmets. Houel remembered one soldier proudly correcting him in French: “Je suis Canadien” (“I am a Canadian”).

 

At one point, a Canadian platoon was approached by an old woman, who asked the soldiers how long they planned to stay. “Forever,” they replied.
 

The dead, along with scores of other Canadians killed in the fighting during the weeks that followed, are buried today in the serene and beautiful Canadian War Cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer, just behind Juno Beach.

 

 

 

On the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 2014, 359 tribute markers — one for every Canadian killed on D-Day — were installed on the grounds of the JBC. The markers are made of Canadian maple and include the names of each Canadian who died on D-Day, as well as his hometown and regiment.

 

 

 

The D-Day landings were one of the first steps in the long march toward the end of the Second World War. But for Canada, they were also an opportunity to distinguish itself, as military historian Mark Zuehlke writes in Juno Beach: Canada’s D-Day Victory: June 6, 1944, “Five Allied divisions landed that day — two American, two British, one Canadian. A David hit the beach alongside two Goliaths and did as well or better than the giants.”

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

 

A private museum, the Juno Beach Centre, overlooking the beach at Courseulles, tells the story of Canada’s role in the invasion of Normandy.

 

 

 

 

Visitors are greeted at the centre by young, bilingual Canadian student guides — many of whom are the same age as the servicemen who stormed the beaches in 1944. Canadian post-secondary students who work at the Juno Beach Centre live in Normandy for several months.

 

The foundation of all the Juno Beach Centre’s fundraising efforts is the Commemorative Brick Program. Nearly 13,000 bricks have been sponsored by Canadian individuals and organizations in the name of Canadian veterans and Juno Beach Centre supporters. The bricks are installed on large kiosks directly outside the Centre.

 

The Centre receives generous support from Wal-Mart Canada and from the Canadian government. Fundraising efforts are ongoing to ensure the future of the Centre.

 

The Centre also has temporary exhibitions and when we were there it was featuring Great Women During the War.

 

 

The courtyard outside the Centre features a sculpture created by Canadian artist Colin Gibson titled Remembrance and Renewal. It depicts five military figures who blend together in a circular formation looking outward and into the distance, representing the unity and comradeship of those who served both abroad and in Canada.

 

 

The simple epitaph on this D-Day memorial at Courseulles-sur-Mer reads: "Here on the 6th June 1944 Europe was liberated by the heroism of the Allied forces."

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

 

For over 90 years, a grand two-storey home has sat alone on a beach in the village of Bernières-sur-Mer, in Normandy, France, looking toward England across the English Channel. It wasn’t built by Canadians, and Canadians don’t own it. But on June 6, 1944, it became a part of Canadian military history. On that day, it was the first house to be liberated during Operation Overlord, the Allied military operation to try to liberate France.

 

 

The house became a landmark for the troops because almost every Canadian that landed on Juno Beach at that time saw the large, timber home as they came onto the beach from their boats.

 

Miraculously, the home survived the war.

 

Because of the house’s historic role, thousands of people still visit it each year. Now known as La Maison des Canadiens (in French) or Canada House (in English), it is a landmark that stands for the Canadian sacrifice in Normandy. It’s a place where people can remember the Canadians who helped liberate the people of France. 

The house is, and has always been, two semi-detached homes in a single building. Attractive summer houses like this were once common along the Normandy coastline, until the Germans, after occupying France in the Second World War, levelled hundreds of them to construct the concrete defences of the “Atlantic Wall,” designed to resist an Allied invasion. This particular house was one of the few left intact, perhaps because it was the favoured home of an occupying German officer.

The left-hand side is owned by the family of Hervé Hoffer, whose grandfather owned the home during the war but was evicted by the Germans.
 

Hervé Hoffer and his wife, in front of their house.
Internet image by Richard Foot.
 

In 1984, the 40th anniversary of D-Day — when large numbers of surviving veterans first began returning on pilgrimages to Juno Beach — Hoffer met some of the Canadians who had actually liberated his house.

“The veterans were still young and healthy [in 1984], and many of them stopped to chat and have a beer,” Hoffer remembered. “Some asked if they could see inside the house. I made many friends, and my interest just grew from there.”

For decades after that moment, Hoffer lovingly maintained the spirit of his home's wartime history, and the memory of Canada's sacrifice. Today, visitors are almost always welcome, and inside they will find a living shrine to remembrance — a summer home festooned with maple leaf flags, regimental insignia and a large collection of wartime maps, photographs, uniforms and other artifacts.

The house has also become a place of pilgrimage for past and present members of the Queen’s Own Rifles (QOR), a Toronto-based army regiment whose members came ashore directly below the house. “The Queen’s Own Rifles were in this house 20 minutes after the landings started,” said Hoffer.

In 2004, one visiting QOR veteran presented Hoffer with a bloodstained, 100-French franc note, which now sits in a frame in the home’s front parlor. The vet told Hoffer that he was given the money on D-Day by a wounded German soldier after a firefight in a nearby church, as the German begged the Canadian to spare his life in exchange for the cash.

There was also fighting inside the Hoffer house, as Canadians cleared the building of enemy troops. Another veteran, who returned to visit in 2009, left this message in Hoffer’s guest book: “Ernie Kells, Queen’s Own Rifles — one of five soldiers who arrived at this house on D-Day, now 84 years old. Sorry about throwing grenades into your cellar.”

Every year on 1 June, Hoffer would light and hang a paraffin lantern on the balcony of his house. After sunset on 6 June, he carried the lantern over the sand and down to the water, where he waded to his waist in the English Channel before throwing the lantern into the sea — often with a bagpiper serenading. He called it “a symbolic gesture to the Canadians who came that day from the sea to give us back our freedom.”

Hoffer died in January 2017, leaving the house and its artifacts to his wife and children, and in the care of L'Association la Maison des Canadiens, a private organization dedicated to the maintenance of the house and its role in Canadian remembrance.

The plaque in front of the house.
 

 

 

Placed on the house, under one of the bay windows, is a memorial to the soldiers of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada (QORC), the Regiment de la Chaudiere (LDC), and the Fort Garry Horse (FGH) who died that day.