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Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
John Edward Anderson served in the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Second World War. Read and listen to his testimony below.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
"We got to be just a family of friends, which was very good but it’s hard to look back at." See below for Mr. MacLean's entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
John Gay was a cook in the Canadian army and recounts his experiences during D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
In 2003, The Memory Project interviewed John H. Gorsline, a veteran of the Second World War. The following recording (and transcript) is an excerpt from this interview. Gorsline was born on 12 November 1924. In 1942 at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve in Toronto; he was assigned to the landing ship HMCS Prince David, where he handled radar operations. D-Day was his first combat mission, which was then followed by the invasion of Southern France and the liberation of Greece. The ship’s role was to transport troops to battle and collect casualties, as well as to carry materials for use in amphibious assaults. In his testimony, Gorsline gives an account of the campaigns, and talks about the political aspects of military service during the war. Upon the war’s end, Gorsline returned to Ontario to work in construction, later becoming a veteran volunteer with The Memory Project. Gorsline died on 23 May 2020 in Scarborough, Ontario. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
In 2010, The Memory Project interviewed John H. Hamilton, a veteran of the Second World War. The following recording (and transcript) is an excerpt from this interview. From 1942 to 1946, Hamilton served as a rifleman, and eventually a corporal, with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Born in Brandon, Manitoba, on 22 August 1922, Hamilton enlisted in the Canadian army at the age of 20. He was one of the first wave of Canadians to assault Juno Beach on D-Day, and also participated in the Battle at Carpiquet Airport. In this testimony, Hamilton describes his experience at Juno Beach, his resulting injury and the later efforts to save his damaged eye. He also discusses the sabotage of German artillery shells by Czech munitions workers. Hamilton died on 29 July 2017 in Brandon, Manitoba. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
During the Second World War, John Hallett Thompson flew with No. 245 (Northern Rhodesia) Squadron, Royal Air Force, 2nd Tactical Air Force in Northwest Europe. The squadron's Typhoon fighter-bombers provided air support to the Allied ground forces.See a more detailed interview with Mr. Thompson about D-Day.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
During the Second World War, John Hallett Thompson flew with No. 245 (Northern Rhodesia) Squadron, Royal Air Force, 2nd Tactical Air Force in Northwest Europe. The squadron's Typhoon fighter-bombers provided air support to the Allied ground forces throughout Normandy and during operations to close the Falaise Gap in August 1944.See another interview with Mr. Thompson.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
John Doyle served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
John "Jake" Pope Beer served in the Canadian Army during the Second World War and recounts his experiences of D-Day.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
The Memory Project interviewed John Mardling, a veteran of the Second World War in about 2010. The following recording (and transcript) is an excerpt from this interview. Born in Harwich Township, Ontario, in 1921, Mardling served in the Merchant Navy from 1943 to 1945. In this testimony, he recalls trips to Scotland, England and India during the war, and encountering submarines during voyages across the Atlantic (see Battle of the Atlantic). After the war he settled in Chatham, Ontario, where he worked 38 years at Ontario Steel (Arvin Meritor). He was a member of the Canadian Merchant Navy Association, the Royal Canadian Naval Association and the Royal Canadian Legion. Mardling died on 4 September 2013 at the age of 92. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
"Well, when you’re crawling, every time I put my hand down, I thought, golly, you know, you hit a mine, that’s the end of me." See below for Mr. Forbes' entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive
John Roberts felt called to serve in the Medical Corps. Moving with Canadian troops through Sicily and Italy, Roberts was posted to the 9th Field Ambulance and recalls his duties tending to the wounded and dying.
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Memory Project Archive
Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
"https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MemoryProject/JohnRossDannyDaniels/6179_original.jpg" // resources/views/front/categories/view.blade.phphttps://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MemoryProject/JohnRossDannyDaniels/6179_original.jpg
