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Prince Charles, Clarkson honour D-Day fallen

Clarkson speaks at a D-Day commemoration ceremony in France

Clarkson speaks at a D-Day commemoration ceremony in France

Prince Charles and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson

Veterans observe D-Day ceremonies

CTV.ca News Staff
 
Updated: Sun. Jun. 6 2004 1:34 AM ET

Prince Charles, along with Canada's Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, honoured Canadian soldiers buried in a French war cemetery with a private wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday.

In a low-key affair, Prince Charles added a personal note to his wreath, reading, "In continuing in grateful memory."

The Prince talked with veterans who attended the ceremony and toured the cemetery with Clarkson.

Among the rows of headstones, the names of 1,694 Canadian soldiers and 15 airmen who died in the Battle of Normandy, can be found at Beny-sur-Mer. Three hundred and fifty-four Canadians gave their lives on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

By the time it was over 5,000 Canadian soldiers were killed in the three-month Normandy campaign.

Clarkson later attended a public ceremony along with surviving veterans who made the trip to France to pay tribute to their fallen comrades.

Among them were members of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, who landed on the beaches and faced the carnage of D-Day's early hours.

Clarkson spoke of her affinity with the regiment, whose ranks included the father of her husband, John Ralston Saul. She spoke of French citizens who also suffered casualties during the war.

"Here you will meet descendents of those survivors, for whom the word 'Canadian' is synonymous with the word 'liberation'," she said.

Minister of Veterans' Affairs John McCallum addressed the assembly of dignitaries, Canadian veterans, and French citizens who came to honour the memory of the soldiers who liberated their towns and later, their nation.

McCallum used the words of one soldier who was one of the first to land on the beach and witness the sacrifices made that day.

"Our commander was a good soldier. The last order I heard from him as our ramp went down was, 'Okay, boys, let's go.' We hit the water waist-deep and men were falling in the water, and then they fell on the beach. The machine gun fire was so devastating."

In a speech Canadian Veteran Duff Roblin, his chest covered in metals, praised his fallen comrades. "They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old," he told the crowd. "Age shall not weary them or the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them."

The mayor of Mesnil Patry, where 123 Canadians were killed, expressed his gratitude. "I put myself in the place of the parents of those killed," he said in French. "I think of the children who will never know their fathers. I would like the young people of France to think of that."

Canadian veteran Edward Cheney expressed his pride in fighting the Germans. "It's some sort of relief to know that people know that you did something for them," he said.

Prime Minister Paul Martin will attend the major Canadian commemoration service on Sunday at the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer.

After the Canadian ceremony, Martin will attend a general D-Day service commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, along with the Queen and other world leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush, whose presence has warranted French authorities to provided unparalleled security measures.

The D-Day operation, codenamed "Operation Overlord", opened Hitler's "Fortress Europe" to another front and was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany almost a year later. More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed on Juno Beach on June 6.

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