Archive for July, 2004

by Stephen J. Thorne My translator was an 18-year-old kid named Sohrab Shaheed. I called him Manilay, a name he reserved for his closest friends and relatives. His uncle had given him the name. It meant ‘the accepted one.’ ‘Shaheed’ meant ‘martyr for the cause of Islam.’ Manilay was a good Muslim—devout and peaceful. But he was no martyr, not in the sense that we have come to understand the word, at least. A student in the [...]

Step beyond the lines you’ve read and venture onto the fields or beaches. Feel the ground beneath your feet and take a deep breath. Look around; orient yourself to the complexities of the ground and try to figure out what was at stake. Now listen to the people who not only teach military history, but know what works and what doesn’t from a tactical point of view. It’s the perfect learning opportunity if you’re interested in Canada’s military past, especially if you’re studying to be an officer in the [...]

Story and photos by Mac Johnston “Merci vétérans, merci Canada,” a Frenchman shouted from the crowd lining the narrow road as a cavalcade of Canadian veterans in restored World War II army vehicles passed through a small Normandy village en route to Bernières-sur-Mer for a vin d’honneur. It was Friday, June 4, 2004, and the official Veterans Affairs Canada delegation was on its way to the first of many events marking the 60th [...]

Prior to becoming famous as a founding member of the Group of Seven, Arthur Lismer sharpened his painting skills in Halifax during the last years of World War I. He had a brilliant summer palette, and produced oil paintings that perfectly captured sunny days on the Atlantic coast. Sparkling blues complement the zigzagging camouflage on troop carriers, while lemon and Naples yellow coat the sky. His [...]

Illustration: Sharif Tarabay

Victoria Cross recipient Francis Alexander Scrimger. More than 70 Canadian Victoria Crosses were awarded during World War I, an incredible achievement for a country with less than nine million people. The first of those awards went to Michael O’Leary. Born in 1888 at Inchigeela in County Cork, Ireland, “Mick”—as he was known—joined the Royal Navy at an early age, but was invalided out with rheumatism. After making a full recovery, he joined the Irish Guards before moving to Canada in 1913 [...]