For most people Remembrance Day is about ceremony and remembering, but for 94-year old Winnipeg World War II Veteran Arthur Miner, the day is more about thinking and he enjoys spending it by himself.
“You remember the fellas you lost over there,” said Miner. “I lost three friends over there, one in England and two in France.”
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Miner served in the Second World War from May 1942 to September 1945. He had his 19th birthday on his way over to England where he did his training and then arrived in France on July 17 and from there began his three-year journey.
He participated until the end of the war in 1945 where he was stationed in Hilversum, Netherlands before being told he was set to return home on December 15. He recalls being on a cruise ship and spent Christmas dinner at sea. He arrived home in Winnipeg on December 31, 1945.
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Miner was a part of the military until February 1946.
“Coming home was something we’d been looking forward to the whole time we were away,” said Miner. “We came through Union Station on South Main Street where my parents and family were there waiting for me. Coming home on that boat home was a great feeling.”
When asked about how people should remember former and current soldiers Miner was quite clear.
“People should remember what soldiers have been through. Visit a military cemetery, it’s a heart grabbing experience,” Miner said.