Years ago I found myself wandering through the autumn of England and France, with thoughts of emigrating to one of those nations on my mind (I also went to Wales, but come on). It was not a lack of love in Canada that led to such flirtations, but what I saw there that stirred me. There was wealth of history, the un-changed beauty of such diverse landscapes, the simplicity of life and the passion of football – not to mention the idea of a beautiful woman with a muse of an accent. I just felt there was more for me overseas than there would ever be in Canada, that the sense of nationalism and identity in Europe was more encompassing of my ideals. It’s not that Canada lacks nationalism and identity, but they are generally portrayed as things of little consequence that make for funny beer commercials.
Then something happened. I was biking along the coast of Normandy, touring the sites and battlefields of the 1944 invasion with little more than a pack and a flat tire. After moving through the British sectors, I spotted a Canadian flag flapping from the winds that skipped off the English Channel; then another. Gradually, I saw a dozen or so maple leaf flags, standing vigilant watch over the fallen and the free. There was a strangeness to it, as never before had I seen my home country’s flag in a foreign land so predominately displayed. I spent that night in a hotel on the outskirts of Courselles-sur-Mer, happy for the warm bath and fresh linens. I was knackered, and just getting over being fatigue-induced illness.
The next morning I awoke at dawn, organized and packed my belongings, dropped the key off at the front desk and grabbed my bike from the courtyard. Leaving the hotel I slowly walked west along the main coastal road, looked left and was in a state of disbelief. There amongst a beautifully kept garden, with a floral design in the pattern of the Canadian flag, was a D-Day tank. It was taken from the Channel after the invasion and was home to an unfortunate crew that didn’t even have a chance to storm the beaches of the Canadian sector named Juno. As my focus loosened its grip from the relic, I saw something that struck my conscience. There, along the main street of this tiny French village, were hundreds of Canadian flags. Suspended along wires that stretched from one side to the next, they flapped and snapped in the salty breeze. It wasn’t tourism season, far from it actually since I had hardly met anyone travelling and many of the coastal business that normally cater to such crowds were closed. Yet there they were, those hundreds of maple leafs, the mark of an ever grateful town – one of the first to be liberated in all of Europe.
After touring the rest of Juno Beach, I travelled into the country-side to visit a plot of land. Along the way to Beny-sur-Mer, I looked on as cattle sought refuge from the coastal winds in the scars of WWII bomb craters. Turning down what looked to be a seldom used dirt road, I came upon the Canadian Military Cemetery. It was here that I sat and looked upon the waters that these men had crossed to fight a resolute enemy, knowing that death was very much a reality – especially given the Canadian sacrifices at Dieppe two years earlier. I walked through the rows of headstones, reading the inscriptions of the men who were killed in the Normandy campaign. Many were in their late teens or early twenties and experienced either minutes or days of combat before their lives were cut short. It was as chilling as it was moving, to think that so many had the courage to fight for their country and what was right.
Canada is more than a defined territory with borders, trees, lakes and rivers. It is a collection of people that have within them the ability to achieve and the humility to hold ideals and principles above all else. We must be vigilant in nurturing a sense of who we are and our application for what is right, remembering there are places in the world that will forever show their gratitude for what it is to be Canadian. Let us ensure we ourselves don’t lose sight of that same gratitude for the true north.
Happy Canada Day
