On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, men and women in Brockville recognized and honoured those from the region who took part in the Second World War.
Among them was veteran Don Fowler, who was just a teenager on June 6, 1944. While he wasn’t one of the men who stormed the beaches on that historic day, he remembers all those from his battalion who lost their lives.
“It’s hard to take. We lost, I think, 300 of those fighters that went in,” he said, holding back tears.
Fowler served as a member of the 1st Battalion of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, a company made up of soldiers from Kingston, Brockville and Peterborough.
The display case in Brockville City Hall highlights three soldiers from Brockville who were part of No. 2 Company Brockville Rifles who, like Fowler, were transferred to the Highlanders to fight overseas in the Second World War.
The display, made up of honours, uniforms and pictures from the war, was put together by officials with the Brockville Rifles Regimental Museum.
“Most of these surviving members are in their 90s. Someone has to tell the story of these members after they leave,” said retired Maj. Roger Hum CD, curator for the museum.
It’s important that the younger generations be aware of what happened.”
Brockville Mayor Jason Baker was also on hand for the unveiling ceremony, emphasizing the importance of keeping the memory of Brockville’s veterans alive.
“We live under the freedoms that this generation provided us so it’s important to remember, to reflect back and also to make sure we learned lessons that were taught to us by that generation,” the mayor said.
Brockville’s D-Day display will be featured in city hall and is open to the public until the end of June.