Presented to the Alberni Valley community at the Community Remembrance Day Ceremonies at the Glenwood Centre by Major Michael Ramsay, Padre, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 293, on 11 November 2024
August
4th,1914 Canada, as part of the British Empire joined World War One.
Four years later, when the fighting ceased on November 11th, 1918,
there were 888,246 Commonwealth soldiers who never returned home – over 18% of
them, 160 000, were Canadian, Newfoundland, and First Nations soldiers.
Then from
September 10th, 1939, until August 14th, 1945; 1,159,000
Canadian, Newfoundland and First Nations service people served in World War 2
and when the war was over, a further 44,090 Canadian, Newfoundland and First
Nations service people had laid down their lives.
Robert
(Robin) Watson was just 14 years-old when he joined the Army. On Thursday, at
the Field of Honour. we held a memorial service for him; he was 96 years old.
He was, I believe, the Valley’s last surviving Word War II veteran.
Many
people marched out of the Valley to serve God, King, and Country in the first
world war, the second world war and the conflicts that followed. In past years
here I have shared many of their stories.
Today
I would like to add to those stories, remembrances of George (Bud) Hamilton,
James George, Eduard Clutesi and others. They were among the Nuu-Chah-Nulth
soldiers who left the Valley here offering their lives for us, our ancestors, our
descendants, our families, our friends and our allies.
George,
'Bud' Hamilton, as he was known, was the youngest boy in his family. He was a
young Hupacasath man. He was a residential school survivor. Even so, he
volunteered to serve with the Canadian forces during the second world war. He
was a bright and resourceful young man. On his tests before entering the
military, it is recorded that he was above average intelligence.
Letters
he wrote home, to his dad Clifford, still exist. He wrote about how he applied
to transfer to the navy. He wrote about how he looked forward to going fishing
with his dad when he returned home from the war.
Bud
Hamilton landed at Juno beach with the Canadian Forces on June 6th, 1944.
Canadian forces on that day alone suffered 1,096 casualties, 381 of whom were
killed in action. By the end of the Battle of Normandy, Canadian casualties exceeded
18,700. George, Bud Hamilton experienced all these horrors and Bud Hamilton survived
to fight another day. But then...
as
fighting continued into Belgium, in one particular small town, an enemy
artillery shell exploded very near to him; it severed his spinal cord, and he
slowly succumbed to his injuries.
He
would never go fishing with his dad again.
Bud
had a daughter whom he never knew. She was born after he died. I understand
that she is living today in Idaho with a large family of her own - whom Bud
never met.
There is
also James Goerge. He was the son of Cecil George (George Hamiliton's brother).
James was his only child. James survived the war; James made it back and with
the money he made, he bought a commercial fishing boat.
One
night he tied his fishing boat at a sandbar near where the orange bridge is
today. There was an explosion, and he died in his boat that he bought with his
pay from serving in the war.
I have
mentioned Eduard Clutesi before, hereditary chief of the Tseshaht First Nation.
[Josh Goodwill, I believe, sits as heredity chief in this seat today.] I will
now share a little more of Eduard Clutesi’s story as I have come to understand
it.
Eduard
Clutesi was of superior intelligence, his military tests showed. He was a
genius. He taught himself to play violin. He could draw your portrait
perfectly. He was very quiet. He did not say much.
He
served with a mortar unit. This was precise work. It involved intricate mathematical
calculations. He served well. He was killed with his mortar unit in the battle
of Caen and he was buried with his military comrades in Europe. He never did
return.
Our First
Nations, in many cases, were forced to renounce their status, in order to be
enfranchised – until as late as 1960. Yet many, I am told saw the greater good
and thus served and found true friendship with their Canadian Comrades and many
died for us. Thank you. Thank every veteran who lived fought and in some cased
died for us.
This
week as well as laying to rest a veteran who signed up to serve in the war as a
14-year-old child, I also got news that my sister’s only child passed away
suddenly at 22 years of age and it dawned on me that of the 200 000 soldiers
who died fighting with the Canadian forces in the World Wars, the majority of
them were children – no older than my niece. Canada’s youngest soldier was 10
years old.
Our service
people, our family members who fought and died; their parents never saw their 22-year-old
children, their 26-year-old children, their 17 or there 12-year-old children
again.
The
veterans who served and survived those wars weren’t in their 90s then, like
they are now, if they are still around. Mostly, they were children in their 20s
or even younger.
Our service
people who died for us and the veterans who lived and saw them die. Please let
us remember them.
And in
remembrance of those who made the supreme sacrifice, Let us be better men and
women, and give us peace in our time.
Lest
we forget.
We
will remember them.
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