C URAGE UR
remembered
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VICTORIANEWS OAKBAYNEWS SAANICHNEWS November 9, 2011
Missions accoMplished Flying into unknown dangers was a regular occurrence for bomber pilot Reg Price Tim Collins News staff
T
he four-and-a-half months between November 1943 and May 1944 were a very small part of Reg Price’s 40-year aviation career. During four decades of flying, he logged more than 20,000 hours, flying everything from Tiger Moth biplanes to stateof-the-art Lear jets. Still, that stretch during the Second World War was a time Price will never forget. In 1941 he volunteered for the Royal Canadian Air Force in the hopes of becoming a pilot. He got his wish. Please see: Bomber pilot’s life, Page A11
Photo contributed
Dudley Ball, left, Royal Australian Air Force navigator; Les Knowles, Royal Air Force (light engineer; Reg Price, pilot; Jack Conley, RAAF bomb aimer and Frank Sutton, RAF rear gunner pose for photo with their Lancaster bomber during the Second World War. Two crew members were not available for this photo.
EA R L TAY LOR. • • • • •
WWII Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Flight Lieutenant. Prisoner of War in Germany. Survivor - one of only 17 of the 143 men of the 207th RCAF Squadron to come home from the War. Owner and operator of Taylor’s Pharmacy in Cordova Bay. Gold medalist (cycling) BC Seniors’ Games.
Resident, the Lodge at Broadmead. EARL TAYLOR IS ONE OF OVER 120 WORLD WAR II VETERANS WHO LIVE AT THE LODGE AT BROADMEAD. When the world needed their help, they stepped forward. Now you can help in return. The equipment used to care for residents at the Lodge at Broadmead is over 16 years old and needs replacing. Your donation will help buy electric lifts (($8,000 and $10,000 each) that move residents safely and securely from bed to wheelchair and new bathtubs ($55,000 each including tub and two lifts) that will provide the comfort and warmth of a cherished bath to ease aching limbs. MAKING A DONATION IS EASY: • Make your donation online at www.broadmeadcare.com • Call 250-658-3220 to make a donation on your credit card • Send your cheque payable to “Broadmead Care Foundation” to the address below.
Thank you! Broadmead Care Foundation, 4579 Chatterton Way, Victoria BC V8X 4Y7 250-658-0311 or 250-658-3220 www.broadmeadcare.com
2 • COURAGE CouRAge REMEMBERED RememBeReD
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C UR URAGEREMEMBERED Courage comes in many forms REMEMBERED C URAGE E The Wellesley salutes our Veterans very year we pay special homage to those who died in service to their country. We remember brave men and women women for for their their devotion devotion to to ideals. ideals. On this this occasion occasion we On we honour honour them them with with aa special special ceremony ceremony at at our our facility. facility. The Staff Staff and and Management Management The of Wellesley remembers remembers of The The Wellesley our veterans. our veterans.
Writer Tim Collins offers his thoughts on the real meaning of the word Tim Collins Special to the News
““ W WEE W WIILLLL N NEEV VEER R FFO R O G R GEET O T OU UR B R R B A V R CA AVEE C AN NA D A I A D I AN N FFO OR RC CEESS””
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Courage. It’s time we reclaimed the word. We’ve allowed all manner of very uncourageous people and causes to co-opt the term and it’s time that it stopped. Courage is not about thrill-seeking. People who cast themselves off mountains, or try to sail around the globe in tiny, inappropriate craft, or engage in any number of foolhardy, adrenalinefuelled activities are not courageous. They are reckless. The term “courageous” has been applied to the plethora of wannabe performers who regularly showcase their particular talent, or lack thereof, on television programs ostensibly designed to find the next entertainment marvel. The fellow who walks into the studio and belts out a tuneless attempt at song may have a self-delusional level of confidence, but he’s not courageous. Similarly, it doesn’t take courage to seek fame or reclaim fame while dancing through a sideshow-like contest on TV. Nor is it courageous to showcase one’s body on a program that follows your quest to drop weight. Courage is made of more than that. There are men and women who engage in dangerous occupations, generally for a great deal of money. It takes guts to fell trees or fish for crab
in freezing oceans, but when you’re doing it for the payout, it’s not courage. Fringe socio-political movements are not courageous either and shouldn’t be allowed to use the word. The Roman Catholic apostolate that operates the website couragerc.net, which promotes the “curing” of homosexuality, should be asked to change its name. That’s not courage, it’s intolerance and bigotry. Finally, companies that use the word courage to label everything from flooring to cleaning supplies should rethink their marketing strategy. I’m sure they have fine products, but they are not courageous. No, courage is the word that can be used when talking about Reg Price, who saved his crew by flying his Lancaster bomber out to sea to drop a load of bombs before landing his crippled aircraft on an unlit field. Harold Olafson was courageous when he screamed his DC-3 over enemy territory at tree-top level to get supplies to a stranded army. You get to use the term courageous if you risk yourself to help others. Whether you’re defusing bombs, or simply putting yourself in harm’s way to treat the injuries of others, you have the right to call yourself courageous. Rick Kappel, Sarah Zimmer, Robert Spinelli, Craig Baines, Eric Boucher, and thousands of others just like them are courageous people.
Of course, you don’t have to be in the military to be courageous. Thousands of people have put themselves at risk to promote or protect just causes and they should be remembered as well. Still, there is a special kind of courage shown by our veterans. They don’t seek fame, and more often than not they’ll tell you that they were “just doing their job.” They do it because they were asked to serve their country and they thought the work was important enough to go and do that job. Plutarch is quoted as saying that “courage consists not in hazarding without fear; but being resolutely minded in a just cause.” That definition will always be valid. Whether they admit it or not, every man or woman who has risen to the challenge to protect our just causes, our beliefs, or our way of life has been afraid at some point. Whether it was at home or in places so remote that most of us couldn’t find them on a map, they all did their job, regardless of that fear. Many of them died doing that job. Still, all of them did what was asked of them and did it with courage. They were courageous, not because they were without fear, but because they knew that there are things more important than being afraid. This Remembrance Day, let’s take back the word ‘courage’ and use it to describe those who really deserve it.
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If If you you have have friends friends or or family family who who were were veterans veterans and and are are interred interred in in our our cemetery, cemetery, please please visit visit our our office office on on November November 11th 11th so so that that we we may may give give you you aa rose rose and and aa flag flag to to place place on on their their grave grave for for Remembrance Remembrance Day. Day.
The The roses roses and and flflags ags are are complimentary. complimentary. It’s It’s our our way way of of saying… saying… We We Remember. Remember. Staff Staff will will be be available available to to serve serve you you between between 10:00 10:00 am am and and 2:00 2:00 pm. pm.
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C UR URAGEREMEMBERED Leadership critical in counter-piracy role REMEMBERED C URAGE Tim Collins News contributor
CFB Esquimalt Base Commander Capt. (N) Craig Baines puts forward a friendly and casual demeanor. But Baines, in charge of the base since 2010, projects an air of quiet, confident authority. After nearly 25 years in the navy, and with a wealth of experience and training, it’s a confidence he’s earned. Not only is he a well-trained professional with numerous specialized training credits, from advanced navigation to a Master of Defence Studies from the Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto, he also has experience. He’s served aboard more ships and in more roles than can be listed here. His jobs have included tours as bridge watch-keeping officer, deck officer, navigation officer, operations officer and combat officer. He also served as an exchange officer with the U.S. Navy. One of his more memorable tours of duty, however, was as commanding officer of the HMCS Winnipeg in 2009. The Winnipeg was part of the
Standing NATO Maritime Group on a counter-piracy mission deployed off the Horn of Africa in the Gulf of Aden. The Gulf of Aden is an important part of the Suez Canal shipping route. “Some 20,000 to 30,000 ships travel that route annually,” Baines says. “The lawlessness on land in the failed state of Somalia spread onto the sea and threatened anyone who travelled that route.” By 2009, piracy had become a major issue in the area, with frequent attacks on shipping, including the kidnapping for ransom of ships’ crews. “We didn’t really know what we were heading into,” Baines recalls. “Once there, we were called upon to develop effective tactics and strategies to do our job. “We disrupted six separate attacks on vessels during our time there. That had a real impact for the crews of the ships who would have been attacked. We made a difference.” What was his greatest fear during that tour of duty? “It’s a great responsibility to send others into harm’s way. We
shipmates.” Baines’ training and that of his crew showed through in the operation. “I recall one officer aboard who had, from time to time, problems setting the right course. That officer was conning (navigating) one night when we engaged in an hourlong, high-speed chase of a group of pirates. That officer, when challenged to perform, got it right every time,” Baines says. “There was a lot of that kind of excellence with the whole crew.” When asked about Photo courtesy Canadian Forces the challenges faced by today’s navy, Baines Capt. (N) Craig Baines relaxes aboard HMCS Winnipeg. says, “The oceans that can mitigate risk, but when, for back everyone I went with. I once protected us are now what example, we send out boarding didn’t want to let down the fami- connect us to the rest of the world. parties, you can’t eliminate risk lies that those people left behind. It’s a different world.” Baines recently received the But that’s true of every man and entirely. “Still, I wouldn’t call it fear,” he woman aboard ship. The only Meritorious Service Cross for says. “I did feel a great responsibil- ‘fear’ tends to be the fear of failure. his leadership during Winnipeg’s ity to make certain that I brought No one wants to let down their counter-piracy mission.
We remember all those who fought for our freedom. • Gorge Centre – 272 Gorge Road West, Victoria • Westshore Town Centre – 2945 Jacklin Road, Victoria • Athlone Court – #101-2187 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria • Sidney by the Sea – 2531 Beacon Avenue, Victoria • Shelbourne Plaza – 3651 Shelbourne Street, Victoria • McKenzie Avenue – 1521 McKenzie Avenue, Victoria • Quadra Street Village – 2635 Quadra Street, Victoria • Port Alberni Plaza – 3737 10th Avenue, Port Alberni • Brooks Landing – 2000 Island Hwy N., Nanaimo Fairway Market #15, 7108 West Saanich Rd, Brentwood Bay
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C UR URAGEREMEMBERED C URAGE REMEMBERED • reader SubmiSSion •
They gave their all for our freedom P NR
Private Fritz R. Stenberg 1 Canadian Mounted Rifles st
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Died September 29, 1918 at age 24
1916 with over half a million soldiers of the British Empire and French allies killed in the battle of the Somme; war continues with the German generals now in control of Germany in 1917, they launch “total war” in a massive invasion of France; stopped only at the outskirts of Paris. Back in Canada in 1917 a young Canadian with Swedish pioneer parents, enlists in the army in Stockholm, Saskatchewan, and arrives in France in 1917 as the great Allied offensive begins on the Western Front. Fritz Stenberg of the First Canadian Mounted Rifles is killed “in action” on the 29th of September 1918 on his 24th birthday. He was buried with an unknown fellow soldier. His father and mother quietly carried their grief to the grave. Peter Pollen submitted this information about his uncle.
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CouRAge REMEMBERED RememBeReD • 5 COURAGE
VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Wednesday, November 9, 2011
URAGEREMEMBERED C UR Blowups are allREMEMBERED part of soldier’s job C URAGE Tim Collins Special to the News
Lt. Rick Kappel is 41 years old but could pass for 25. He is fit and confident with a ready smile and a twinkle in his eyes. His easy going manner belies his chosen line of work. He’s the executive officer for the Fleet Diving Unit, stationed out of Esquimalt. This is a group of about 70 divers who handle maritime explosive ordinance disposal for the western region. In other words, they are trained navy divers whose specialty is working with things that explode. Along with their other duties as divers, this group responds up to two or three times a week when they’re called out to dispose of military unexploded ordinance of various vintages. “It might be shells found during construction excavation or even just maritime location markers washed up on the beaches,” Kappel says. “Even those markers can be dangerous. We get called out whenever there’s the threat of an explosive military device.” Not easy work.
Photo contributed
Lt. Rick Kappel, right, poses with a member of the Afghanistan security team during a tour in the country. That was particularly true in 2008 when, after six months in pre-deployment training, Lt. Kappel was sent to Afghanistan. “There’s no ocean near Afghanistan,” Kappel says with a smile, “so the diving skills weren’t that
important in the desert.” Still, it was his expertise with explosive devices that made him invaluable to the Edmonton Brigade (specifically, the 1st Combat Mechanized Brigade). From February to September, 2008 he com-
manded the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Troop of the Counter IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) Squadron. He was responsible for some 20 soldiers, airmen and sailors whose job it was to deal with these deadly devices. They had four teams strategically located around Kandahar and these men quickly responded to daily calls for disposal. Kappel downplays the danger. “You can never eliminate the risk, but you can reduce it through training and following proper procedures,” he says. Of course training and set procedures could be tested in a place like Kandahar. “Once we were on a Dismounted Disruption Operation in the Zhari District. That involved patrolling on foot; kicking in suspects’ doors and looking for bad guys. We found an IED factory and it was my job to blow up that compound. While I was rigging the explosives, we came under fire from Taliban forces.” He pauses for a moment before continuing. “We managed to blow the compound, but it was a bit of a tense situation.”
Another part of the job was operational mentoring of the Afghan National Army. “That might really have been our biggest contribution,” Kappel says. “We had to make sure that, when we left, they could handle the same challenges effectively.” Was his troop successful in that training? “Yes, I think so,” he says. “They were a lot better when we left than when we started working with them and they were getting better every day.” When asked about the danger of his occupation, Kappel just shrugs. “We spend our lives preparing to do the job and part of that is going overseas if we’re called upon,” he says. “You do what you need to do. You don’t really feel like you’re doing anything heroic. It’s an honour to serve.” Kappel is married with three children. When asked if he’d like for his children to follow in his footsteps and take up the same trade he shakes his head. “Something a little safer.”
Let’s not forget. They fought for Canadian values like dignity and human rights. Let’s honour their sacrifices by making sure veterans and all seniors have access to quality, affordable health care.
A message from the members of the Hospital Employees’ Union.
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C UR URAGEREMEMBERED Reflecting on a lifetime of service C URAGE REMEMBERED We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them. ~Francis A. Walker
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got there the place was a shell. We supplied them with fuel, food and shelter. We helped them rebuild and survive. It was a Robert Spinelli’s current deployment is 24/7 operation.” Was it dangerous? the latest challenge in a lifetime of service “There was always some threat in the area. to his country. That service has spanned some 28 years. When we went ashore, we were armed.” In 2002 Spinelli went back into a war zone While Spinelli isn’t at liberty to say much about his current mission, he acknowledges on HMCS Winnipeg, when it was sent into the Persian Gulf as part of Operathat there was “some threat.” tion Apollo. That operation arose “We’ve been on patrol,” is all from the United Nations’ resoluSpinelli says on the phone aboard tion to combat terrorism and HMCS Vancouver. “It’s our job to involved ‘force protection operaprovide security at sea.” tions’ during the early conflict in One event he will talk about is Afghanistan. when his ship came across what “I was the chief bosunmate appeared to be a 20-foot-long IED aboard the Winnipeg,” he says. (improvised explosive device), “We stopped and boarded 136 afloat in their patrol area. ships during our tour; stopping “We investigated and determined that it probably wasn’t Chief Petty the merchant ships and fishing an explosive device, but it was Officer 1st Class vessels to prevent the escape of still a major threat to navigation. Robert Spinelli Al-Qaeda and Taliban members The next morning men were sent aboard HMCS through ports in Pakistan and Iraq. We also helped to protect out in RHIBs (rigid hull inflatable Vancouver. other ships in the coalition.” boats) to set charges and blow it Those ships were vital to the mission, as up,” Spinelli says. “It was a bit dangerous, but the men are all well-trained. It’s part of was HMCS Winnipeg’s support. Spinelli finds himself off the shores of the job.” It’s not the first time Spinelli has done his Libya a day after it was announced that the job far away from home, and not the first mercurial dictator Muammar Gaddafi has time that he’s left his wife, three daughters been killed. It would appear that this conand grandson to sail into harm’s way for his flict, and Spinelli’s current mission, may be ending soon. country. Black Press asked him if he looked on In 1999-2000 he was aboard Protecteur as part of Operation Toucan. The ship was himself and his shipmates as brave men. deployed to East Timor to help that coun- “Maybe … a little. But it’s our job. It’s what try in the aftermath of a bloody invasion we train for. The real heroes are the famiby Indonesian guerrilla forces. The situa- lies we leave at home,” Spinelli says. “They tion was dire – an estimated 14,000 civilians raise the kids and pay the bills and keep were killed – and Canada reacted quickly. everything going while we’re away. They’re “We deployed in just 10 days. When we the heroes.” Special to the News
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VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Wednesday, November 9, 2011
C UR URAGEREMEMBERED Distinguished Flying Cross recipient downplays danger C URAGE REMEMBERED Tim Collins
Special to the News
Winnipeg native Harold Olafson was 19 in 1942 when he decided to “join the action.” Having always been fascinated with flying, he signed up for the Royal Canadian Air Force and before he knew it, he was training in Comox as part of the British Commonwealth Training Plan. He trained there and at a series of other bases in Canada before finally getting his wings. “They shipped me out to England as a transport pilot and I thought I’d be dropping paratroopers for the D-Day invasion,” he says. “It didn’t turn out that way.” Instead, Olafson found himself sent to an entirely different theatre of operations. “We got orders to fly by way of Gibraltar and Tunis to a place called Akiam Island, India.” He had been assigned to join the campaign against the Japanese invasion of Burma and their threatened invasion of India by flying supplies to the 14th Army. By all historical accounts, it was a miserable campaign. In 1944, General Slim, the multinational force’s commander, was quoted as telling his troops: “When you go home, don’t worry about what to tell your loved ones and friends about service in Asia. No one will know where you were, or where it is if you do. You are, and will remain ‘The Forgotten Army.’” Olafson doesn’t say much about that, but he hasn’t forgotten any of those men, or his role in their eventual victory. “Our supplies were real important to the troops on the ground,” he says. “The country was pretty wild and there were no roads to speak of. It was our job to supply the 14th army with daily drops of everything
from food to medicine to ammunition. For about 18 months we flew almost every day … sometimes up to three times a day, making our drops.” They also moved troops and evacuated the wounded. They flew C-47 Skytrains (also known as Dakotas), modified versions of the DC-3 passenger aircraft, a workhorse of an aircraft that remained in action for decades after the Second World War. When asked if they were dangerous flights, Olafson only shrugs. “We weren’t fighter aircraft or bombers. We just dropped supplies,” he says. But wasn’t there a chance of being shot down by the enemy? “Not really,” Olafson says. “We flew at pretty much top speed at just above treetop level so they never really had a lot of time to shoot at us.” When the potential dangers of flying so low over the enemy, in a wild and mountainous country, are pointed out, Olafson shrugs it off. “When you’re young, you don’t really know when you’re in trouble,” he says. He came home after the Japanese were driven out of Burma. “There were no parades or anything,” he recalls. “We were all in the same boat; just doing our job.” Still, for doing that job, Olafson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. When the Korean War started, Olafson reenlisted and helped train pilots in the USA on the new C-130 transport. He stayed with the RCAF until 1960 when he resigned his commission. As a civilian, Olafson was no slouch either. In 1961 he came up with the idea of bringing a little bit of old England to Victoria. He
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sought and got permission to bring the first double-decker buses to Victoria and set up a sightseeing business that he managed until the early 1970’s. He also volunteered at the Victoria Golf Club and served as its president for a time. He was active with the Masonic Lodge. Oh, and he also served as a Victoria alderman for two terms. Olafson has lived an incredible life and
his story could fill volumes. Still, it’s hard not to think that it was those 18 months spent screaming his aircraft at treetop level over the enemy that truly set the stage for the man who has done more than most of us can imagine. “I guess it’s a time I’ll never forget,” he says. Neither should we.
Honouring Veterans in gratitude for their service
Capital City
2011
Photo by Tim Collins
Harold Olafson shows off a photo of he and his crew taken during the Second World War. The former pilot also trained pilots during the Korean War.
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“Nous nous souvenons”
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École VictorBrodeur 637 rue Head Victoria Téléphone: 250.220.6010 Télécopieur: 250.220.6014 www.brodeur. csf.bc.ca
Captain Frank Poole
Flying Officer Frank Poole served with the FCAF, #420 Squadron, #6 Group, Bomber Command in Europe. He was enlisted from 1942-1945, Frank was shot down on January 16, 1945 and was a prisoner of war until May 10, 1945. He was awarded the usual medals.
Captain Frank Poole was enlisted from 19501971 and served with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment in Korea and Japan. He also served in the U.S.A. from September 1950 to December 1952.
TAKE TIME TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR YOUR FREEDOM
The photo was taken at a Precision Drill Display at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, 1956.
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Robert Skipsey Martindale 1919 - 1981
Robert was born in Kikcaldy, Scotland and came to Montreal at age six. At age 16 he joined the Black Watch. In September, 1939 he went active and in November 1939 he was sent overseas to England to train with commandos in Northern Scotland. In September 1944, after being injured in France, he spent 42 days in an English hospital before being sent home to Victoria, BC where he was discharged at Shaughnessy Hospital. Robert died in 1981, leaving his wife of 35 years, Norma, daughter Beverley (Larry) Jones and grandchildren Gregory and Shelley.
RONALD A. POSTINGS, R.D. ROBIN POSTINGS, R.D.
Remembrance Day Service The public is invited to attend a Remembrance Day Service at Royal Roads University hosted by the Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club. November 11 at 10:40 a.m. in the Italian Gardens Free Parking in Lot P3 below the Castle
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We Salute Our Veterans and securing the freedoms that all Canadians enjoy today. Philip Venoit Business Manager/Financial Secretary
(Behind Thrifty Foods)
Remember those who fought so gallantly for our freedom.
250-383-7227 The Denture Clinic 3937 Quadra Street Victoria (2 blocks South of McKenzie Ave.)
Bless our soldiers at home & abroad. Let us remember together. Servicing the island for over 40 years!
502 William St. 250-385-9993 Toll Free: 1-800-481-9993 www.houstonsign.ca
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VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Wednesday, November 9, 2011 VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Wednesday, November 9, 2011
C UR URAGEREMEMBERED Medic sees horrific sights in Afghanistan REMEMBERED C URAGE Sarah Zimmer cared for allied and enemy soldiers Tim Collins Special to the News
Sarah Zimmer was working as a medic during her first rotation into Afghanistan. That was between August of 2005 and February of 2006. She was stationed first in Kandahar and then at the Kabul airfield. She would go on patrols with the infantry, but felt that she was never in real danger. “We were just making our presence known,” she says. “Things were a lot more stable back then in that area.” She recalls one “incident,” but says it’s not enough to talk about. Still, the record shows that it was a war zone and people did get hurt. In the summer of 2006 Zimmer re-mustered and began the two years of training that would qualify her as an X-ray technician. That was her job when she returned for a second eight-month tour in Afghanistan in November of 2010. Zimmer served in the Role 3 International Medical Unit. This was a multinational unit that included American personnel as well as staff from other countries. They operated the x-ray equipment (including three mobile units) and a ’64 slice’ CT scanner. “It was an important job, I guess. We made it possible for the doctors to do their job more effectively. “Still, we weren’t heroes or anything,” Zimmer says.
Her assessment is debatable. She tells of working with soldiers who were suffering from gunshot wounds and horrific injuries from improvised explosive devices (IED’s). She had to deal with traumas as serious as double amputations and still found the strength to maintain her professionalism. “You can’t let it get to you,” Zimmer says. “You have to be able to do your job.” That job was made even more difficult when the trauma cases she saw were children. “Of course it’s hard when you have an eight year old lying there, but you can’t get emotional and still be of any use.” Sometimes the men receiving medical care were the enemy. “For security reasons they were brought in with earmuffs and blacked-out goggles,” Zimmer says. “That was pretty challenging, but we managed.” She didn’t worry too much about personal safety. “We were in a compound so it was pretty safe. We came under rocket attacks sometimes and, if a rocket lands where you’re standing, there’s nothing you can do about it so you put it out of your mind.” Zimmer is back now and has adapted to life back in Canada with the help of a strong support system that includes the military, a group of close friends and her family. Would she go back to Afghanistan or somewhere else where she might be in danger? “If my turn came up and they needed me, I’d go back,” she says. “Just don’t tell my mother.”
Photo contributed
Sarah Zimmer, pictured in a medical bay, says she would go back to Afghanistan if her turn came up again and they needed her services there.
COURAGE Remembered! The City of Colwood is home to many military personnel and their families and will always lways remember the sacrifices of Canada’s Veterans eterans - past, present and future. Let them know now you remember by acknowledging allll they have done for us and our Country. Support upport them by donating generously to the Poppy oppy Fund so they can continue providing help elp to one another. Canada is a country off peace and freedom only because of our serving erving military personnel and Veterans. Remember emember their courage and honour them by proudly wearing a “Poppy.”
Lest we forget
City of Colwood
Lest We Forget
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~ Remember ~ We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history. ~ Sonia Johnson
School District No. 62 (Sooke)
2080 Oak Bay Avenue Victoria BC • 250.595.1914
Board of Education
10 • CouRAge RememBeReD
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE
C UR URAGEREMEMBERED C URAGE REMEMBERED • reader SubmiSSion •
Ken H. Stofer
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My Second World War military story is somewhat different from the usual. On the outbreak of Second World War I didn't want to join the army or the navy as I was always keen on flying. However, it was a very expensive proposition to take flying lessons in those days during the Depression.
At that time in Victoria there was a chap by name of Capt. Henry SeymourBiggs a retired Royal Navy man. He had connections with someone in the Royal Air Force. He set up an office o n G o v e r n m e n t S t re e t a n d e a g e r young lads flocked to see him. If he accepted you he then made all of the arrangements for you to get to England and to be met there by an RAF recruiting officer and taken in hand.
GOOD salary was $100 per month. My only income was about $12 a month from a paper route, all of which went into the family coffers and mom gave me about 20 cents on a weekend to go to the old Romano Theatre in Victoria where a matinee was about 10 cents, a chocolate bar five cents and a bottle of pop also five cents. So you can see I had my work cut out for me to earn the $135 fare to England. I started to save what I could, getting odd jobs digging for farmers and picking seasonal crops. I even got a job for a few weeks at the University School spreading soil by shovel over their huge soccer field. This earned me $2 per day. It was all very slow going and then finally one day at supper, and a day I’ll never ever forget, my parents had cashed in a small insurance on my life and presented me with the rest of the fare for my trip. What a sacrifice knowing they were sending their youngest son to war.
One had to pay their own fare to England of course, but Biggs had arranged a very special price. Once he accepted you he then made all of the arrangements to get your passport and arrange passage. By wars-end Biggs had assisted about 700 keen “All ready for Remembrance young Canadians. I wrote, Day” myself and wife published and sold-out a book Lynette after 64 years of a titled THE BIGGS' BOYS, some wonderful marriage. years ago.
India in 1942 I was 20 when I left Victoria in April, 1941, bound for Montreal by train. A very fast sub-dodging Norwegian ship took me to the U.K. Due to bombing of Liverpool docks, we anchored off of Holyhead, North Wales and were taken ashore by Dutch tug. A train took me to London, where I joined the R.A.F. I served in England, South Africa, India and Burma on a Mobile Signals Unit. In 1945 I was transferred into the R.C.A.F. and posted home on the Louis Pasteur, to dock at Quebec City.
My fare from Victoria by train a c ro s s t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s and up to Montreal and then passage to England, was approximately $135. That was a huge sum in those days of Depression when, if one did manage to get a job, a VERY
With the tears a Land hath shed Their graves should ever be green. ~Thomas Bailey Aldrich
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CouRAge • 11 11 COURAGE RememBeReD REMEMBERED •
VICTORIA VICTORIA NEWS NEWS • • OAK OAK BAY BAY NEWS NEWS • • SAANICH SAANICH NEWS NEWS • • GOLDSTREAM GOLDSTREAM NEWS NEWS GAZETTE GAZETTE -- Wednesday, Wednesday, November November 9, 9, 2011 2011
URAGEREMEMBERED C UR Bomber pilot’s lifeREMEMBERED was filled with uncertainty C URAGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“They trained us in Tiger Moths,” he says. “They were pretty basic. The air speed indicator was a flap mounted on the aircraft. The faster you went, the further the passing air would push the flap along a scale. It didn’t always work that well.” After additional training in Hagarsville, Ont., Price, who now calls Victoria home, finally got his wings and was shipped to Britain aboard the Queen Elizabeth II. He made his way to Bournemouth in the south of England, where he was seconded to the Royal Air Force, and introduced to the four-engine Lancaster bomber in which he would do his operational flying. “We had a crew of seven men: me, two Australians and four English RAF fellows. During that time we never got hurt,” he says. “That’s not to say that we didn’t have some damage to the aircraft from flak. And once I had two engines go out, but we always made it back OK.” During Price’s first flight into enemy territory, he didn’t even drop any bombs; his payload was leaflets, scattered over the countryside to spread the Allied message. His next 32 flights, however, were far more deadly, flying into dangerous enemy skies. “We would check the notice board to see if ‘ops,’ as we called them, were on for the night ahead. Fuel load was of particular interest, as a full fuel load would mean a
long trip deep into enemy territory.” He recalls that the Lancaster was a single-control aircraft with just one pilot. “I taught Dudley Ball, the Australian navigator, how to fly the plane. He didn’t know how to take off or land, but I taught him how to keep it straight and steady, so that if I were hurt, the others would have a chance to bail out. He was a pretty good flyer.” Was Price ever frightened? “Not really,” he says. “We were just doing our job.” When pressed, he adds, “Waiting for the signal to take off was probably one of the more difficult times as there was time to think about what was ahead and perhaps wonder just why you were there. But of course we kept those thoughts to ourselves.” Concentration was important. “Unlike (American bombers), who mostly flew in daylight formation with fighter escorts, we flew at night with no escort. We’d have several hundred aircraft departing from many airfields, all heading to the same target at night – with no lights. The chances of mid-air collisions were very real and many did happen over the course of my time there.” Returning to base in the dark was no easier. “We had none of the modern landing aids that we have today. We had a couple of searchlights and flashing landing beacons. It was always good to get back on
the ground in one piece.” But as much as Price is self-deprecating about his action, the official record indicates a more valiant story than he’s willing to tell. His missions were dangerous and included bombing Stuttgart, Frankfurt and
“We had none of the modern landing aids that we have today. We had a couple of searchlights and flashing landing beacons.” – Reg Price Essen, and eight sorties over Berlin. One amazing event is detailed in military records: “Shortly after takeoff with a full bomb load and at a height of only 300 feet, both port and starboard inner engines failed; one engine catching fire. In a cool and skillful manner, Officer Price feathered the propellers, extinguished the fire and, maintaining height with great difficulty, proceeded out to sea where, after jettisoning equipment and incendiary bombs he was at last able to reach sufficient height to drop his high explosive bombs with safety. (He) then returned to base and made a successful landing without … injury to his crew.” For his actions, Price was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in August 1944. But his story doesn’t end there.
After the Second World War, he flew with the RAF for more than four years. At one point, his job was to pick up injured soldiers serving in Korea and ferry them back to England. He also flew into the Congo and other locations. For that service, he was awarded the United Nations Peacekeeping medal. After resigning his commission, Price flew charter aircraft all over the world; his passengers included former Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau and a host of others. But that’s another story. Price is 90 years old now and is still an active and vital member of his community. He lives with his wife, Elsie. One last word on Price. He doesn’t think of himself as a hero. “Just doing his job,” he says. He managed to come home safely and live a full, productive and ordinary life. But the truth is that his crew, and thousands like them were anything but ordinary. And they didn’t all come home. Dudley Ball died in a training flight as he prepared for his second tour of duty. Price’s upper gunner, a man named Harry Powter (who served as Price’s best man at his wedding), left London after his tour. He, his fiancée and her parents were killed when a bomb destroyed their London home. They were all heroes.
Fought For Our Freedom, Continue To Defend It: “My favourite time of day?
It’s the time we spend together.”
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If you’re interested in setting up your free consultation today, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at (250) 598-6243 or merrymaidsvictoria@shaw.ca.
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Ida Chong MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head
Web: www.idachongmla.bc.ca Email: Ida.Chong.MLA@leg.bc.ca Twitter: twitter.com/Ida_Chong
P: 250.598.8398 F: 250.598.8728 P: 250.472.8528 F: 250.472.6163
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Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE
C UR URAGEREMEMBERED C URAGE REMEMBERED • reader SubmiSSionS •
Turn to simtakeda.ca for: taxation; accounting; reporting; and advice.
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Remembering those who sacrificed so much for us. #210-2187 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 1G1 Telephone: 250-595-1500 Facsimile: 250-598-6445
Ruth Tredgett
After two years with RCAF in Alberta, Ruth was sent to London in 1944. She recalls the German rockets as a constant threat and she had some close calls, but Victory Day saw her at Buckingham Palace celebrating with thousands of people. Returning to Canada via Halifax, the Canadian Women’s Division personnel were greeted by Princess Alice to welcome them home. – Submitted with love and respect from her grateful children, Cathy and John.
Admiral John Benbow 1653-1702
Royal Navy 1678-1702. Admiral John Benbow was in the battles of: • Beachy Head (1690) • Barflew & LaHoque (1692) • St Malo & Dunkirk (1695) • The West Indies Campaign (1698-1702)
Let us remember those who fought and gave their lives for us
Admiral Benbow died Nov 4,1702. He was often called ‘The Nelson of his times’. He knew Peter the Great, Czar of Russia. John had two ships named after him, HMS Benbow (1813 & 1888). He also help found and build the first British Naval Hospital & the first offshore lighthouse.
250-595-1535
Remembered by the Benbows of Victoria .
Honoring the contributions of Canadian Forces, past and present, for their sacrifices and our freedom.
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In deep appreciation for all they have done.
The dead soldiers’ silence sings our national anthem. ~ Aaron Kilbourn
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We remember, respect & honour our veterans.
We shall not forget.
Honoring those who made our peace and freedom possible.
~ Friday, November 11th ~ Veteran's Memorial Park
We Support Our Canadian Forces ~ Mayor and Council
Tel. (250) 385-1411 Fax: (250) 413-3300 Website: www.cookroberts.bc.ca
View Royal Fire Rescue
Open House follows the service at the RCL # 91 761 Station Avenue Please NO JEANS on this day.
Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #91 761 Station Ave • Langford • 250-478-1828
CouRAge RememBeReD • 13 COURAGE REMEMBERED • 13
VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Wednesday, November 9, 2011 VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Wednesday, November 9, 2011
C UR URAGEREMEMBERED Training pays off REMEMBERED for reserves C URAGE Tim Collins
Boucher is one of them, having been stationed there in 2006-07, during the early days of Canada’s involvement. “We were still learning lessons the hard way back then,” There is a cross inside the Bay Street Armoury that com- he recalls. “We’ve come a long way since that time.” When asked if Canada has made a difference in Afghanimemorates the men of the Canadian Scottish who fell at stan, Boucher is adamant. Vimy Ridge. It’s prominently displayed and “Yes, we have. But in the end, our a source of pride for Lt. Col. Eric Boucher. impact there will be measured by how He’s the commanding officer of the well we train the Afghan army and how Canadian Scottish Regiment, part of the well we prepare them to solve their own 39 Canadian Brigade Group housed at the problems. The solutions have to be their armoury. The brigade is part of the Canaown.” dian Army reserve, a part-time component When asked about the courage shown of the nation’s National Defense. by men who are willing to leave their jobs But don’t let the ‘part-time’ designation –- shamefully, there is no statutory requirefool you. Boucher and his charges are solment that employers hold jobs open for diers and they are as well-trained, commitactive reservists – their families and their ted and professional as any branch of the homes to go fight in foreign wars, Boucher service. They train to meet the demands deflected any kudos. of modern-day conflicts, a three-pronged “It’s what we train for. It’s our job,” he approach that include combat fighting, says. peacekeeping and humanitarian support. That’s a viewpoint shared by his solThe training is tough and it prepares the diers. soldiers to react to difficult situations both Lt.-Col. Eric Boucher Mark Lolacher, Jeff Greenwood, and Kirk at home and abroad. McCall have all served in Afghanistan, and “A few years ago we were called out to fight fires out around Kelowna,” Boucher says. “We are clearly proud of their service there. “We did more than just fight over there,” says Lolacher deployed in under 48 hours and some of the men were says. there for upwards of six weeks. We made a difference.” “We helped rebuild a broken country. We built roads and The brigade does make a difference. They have been called upon to fight floods, provide security at the Olym- schools and helped train the Afghan army. We made a real difference. We weren’t heroes, it was just our job.” pics and a host of other domestic challenges. For the members of the Canadian Scottish Regiment, it But the activities of the brigade are not limited to domestic crises. More than 40 of the men have volunteered to may just be doing their job, but for the rest of us, it is all about having the courage to do what needs to be done. serve in Afghanistan.
From Members of The Boilermakers Union Local 191
Lest we forget.
News contributor
Union of National Defence Employees
We thank our Veterans who, with courage, served our country for a better tomorrow We Remember.
2011 “Remembering those who fought for our freedom”
OAK BAY Y POLICE 1703 MONTEREY O
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14 • • COURAGE CouRAge REMEMBERED RememBeReD 14
Wednesday, November November 9, 9, 2011 2011 -- VICTORIA VICTORIA NEWS NEWS • • OAK OAK BAY BAY NEWS NEWS • • SAANICH SAANICH NEWS NEWS • • GOLDSTREAM GOLDSTREAM NEWS NEWS GAZETTE GAZETTE Wednesday,
C UR URAGEREMEMBERED REMEMBERED C URAGE Showing her own courage Legion Manor Victoria
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They will be remembered
Women made huge contributions during the Second World War Tim Collins Special to the News
Remember those few who gave so much for so many
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With deepest respect and gratitude for our veterans
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Elsie Price joined the Women’s Royal Air Force in October 1941, hoping she could contribute to the war effort. She was trained as a driver – learning how to navigate trucks, buses and ambulances over treacherous roadways. Her first stop was an airbase in Lincolnshire, England, which was the home for a squadron of Polish Air Force personnel who had escaped the Nazi occupation of their country. “We had to lay out a flare path in the dark for them to land. There were no runways, only farmers’ fields with no other lighting,” Price recalls. Later, she was posted to 625 Squadron at Kelstern, where she found herself driving ambulances, taking wounded crewmen from their aircraft to the hospital. She also drove bomb trolleys to resupply aircraft and buses that transported crews to their planes. “We also picked them up,” she says. “That is, if they returned. Many didn’t.” Often she had to go to other airfields to do pickups, since aircraft were frequently diverted due to bad weather. “It was usually at night,” she says, noting that’s when British Lancaster bombers flew, since they had
no fighter escort. “Road signs in England had been removed so that if the enemy invaded the country, it would be difficult for them to find their way. Of course the same applied to us as well. “The countryside was totally blacked out. No lights anywhere. Vehicle headlights were covered except for a narrow slit – just enough to barely make driving possible.” It was at Kelstern that Elsie met and fell in love with Reg Price, a Canadian bomber pilot. “Fraternizing with an officer was frowned upon,” she says. “So I was transferred to a nearby station that was home to the ‘Dambuster’ Squadron. I was there when they set off for their historic raid. So few returned …” The couple married in August, 1945, just before VJ Day. Reg was shipped home to Canada and Elsie followed him a short time later. “Apart from her service with the WRAF, (that) was one of the bravest things she has ever done,” Reg says of his wife’s move to Canada. “She left her parents, four sisters and all her friends in the only country she had ever known to come to a strange new world to be with me. It’s always been a source of wonder to me.” He shouldn’t have wondered. Courage obviously has many faces.
In honour of those who sacrificed for us, and those who serve us today.
Photo contributed
Elsie Price poses in her Women’s Royal Air Force uniform during the Second World War.
250-383-9300
MAYOR, COUNCIL AND STAFF Denise Savoie, MP 970 Blanshard Street 250.363.3600 Victoria, BC V8W 2H3 savoie.d@parl.gc.ca • www.denisesavoie.ca
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CouRAge RememBeReD • 15
VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Wednesday, November 9, 2011
C URAGE REMEMBERED • reader SubmiSSionS •
Never Forget Always Honour
Richard (Dick) D. Higgins, CD 1922-2007
Richard (Dick) D. Higgins, was born in Victoria and joined the RCAF at age 18. He trained as Wireless/Air gunner in Canada and Radar Operator in Prestwick, Scotland. Dick flew in Wellingtons with RAF 172 Squadron (Leigh Light). Coastal Command, on anti-submarine patrols from bases in Devon, Gibraltar and the Azores. Having completed 56 ‘ops’ trips, Dick instructed in radar for several months before returning home to be discharged early in 1945.
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Remembering all the men and women who fought for our freedom.
Barbara Duncan Barbara Duncan served Canada in World War II as a Sick Berth Attendant with the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS), in naval hospitals in Sydney NS, Halifax, Vancouver, and Esquimalt. After the war, she worked as a physiotherapist with the Department of Veterans Affairs. She has worked tirelessly with the DVA on behalf of veterans for their due pensions. A plaque in Veteran’s Memorial Park and Naval Centennial Lady Rose dedications are a couple of her many accomplishments. A proud Canadian veteran she is.
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In honour of our brave veterans – for your service, endurance, sacrifice and wisdom that we all too often take for granted. We are humbled by your bravery and inspired by your love of country. With deep appreciation and respect, we thank you.
~ Remembering Our Veterans ~
10-1320
In Honour of my father and uncle that served, all veterans, and active military members. Thank you.
It is not without a price, that we live in a land that is free.
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Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE
WE SALUTE ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED WITH SUCH COURAGE AND HONOUR
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