Over 300 Canadians were killed in the pivotal D-Day invasion of Normandy, France during the Second World War. Now a Regina man is going out of his way to bring a small part of those fallen soldiers home to their families.
When Chris Harris landed in France for a personal vacation, his initial objective was to take pictures of the 65 grave markers of Saskatchewan men who died on D-Day.
READ MORE: Present-day Regina Rifles honour veterans on D-Day anniversary
With the 75th anniversary of the battle coming in 2019, the photojournalist thought the Saskatchewan government might want to use the pictures to commemorate the fallen.
“So I said, you know what, I’ll photograph those 65 graves.” -Chris Harris
But Harris’ project took a turn when he spoke with his father, who captured a picture of a grave marker for a curious American while living in France years ago.
“He just kind of told me of how thankful this gentleman was for him taking the picture. That really set with me,” Harris said.
In Normandy, an inspired Harris took to the social networking site, Reddit, to make a simple offer.
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“I am a Canadian in Normandy, France and will be visiting the Beny-sur-mer, Bretteville-sur-Laize, and Rainville Canadian War Cemeteries over the next week,” he wrote on the website.
“If you have a family member buried there, I will take a photo for you.”
It didn’t take long for requests to pour in. A user with the alias “RoninKengo” asked for a photo of a grave marker belonging to a cousin.
“I visited his grave in the early 2000s when I was in Normandy, but I know my grandmother (who absolutely idolized him) would love an updated photo,” the user wrote.
Harris received a total of 39 personal requests and has already sent a number of pictures back to waiting families, including one woman searching for a great uncle.
“She had shown the picture to her mother, and her mother apparently was in tears and said it was a priceless gift,” Harris said.
While the project has meant the world to families a world away, Harris said touring the Canadian cemeteries taught him valuable lessons as well.
“These people, a lot of them died before they were able to experience life themselves,” he said.
Harris departs France on June 17 and said he plans on fulfilling the rest of the personal requests sent to him before he leaves.
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