Victory in Europe meant eventually mobilizing and going home for many Allied troops. For others it was a wait and see in regards to the other theatre of war: the Pacific. This is a certificate welcoming back a veteran of the war by his home town. Milton DeMeuleneure was one of the lucky ones to survive the war.
A letter to his future wife is included here.
Getting veterans resettled back into civilian life became a task in and of itself.
And then there was that other theatre of war. Canadian forces put the bulk of their efforts into the fight against the Nazis, but Canadians saw duty in the Pacific, primarily naval and air assets. And on the first day of the war in the Pacific, Canadian servicemen were stationed in Hong Kong when it was attacked by Japanese forces at the same time as the attacks on Pearl Harbor and elsewhere. Canadians would be affected by this, and that is the emphasis of the second half of this exhibit. It starts with a Japanese anti-aircraft gun.
This is a Japanese good luck flag, signed by dozens of friends and family.
I like the Japanese good luck flag. Hope it worked...
ReplyDeleteDesgraciadamente, no todos pudieron celebrar la victoria y poder vivir en paz, trás un periodo de guerra. Ellos merecen nuestro reconocimiento por su entrega y sacrificio.
ReplyDeleteBesos
My mother's two brothers were also involved in WW2. What a crazy thing!
ReplyDeleteAnother world war would annihilate us all, if climate change doesn't do it first.
ReplyDeleteHow does one ever settle back into life after a war? Such trauma and horror being seen. May God rest their souls.
ReplyDelete@Iris: an unusual concept.
ReplyDelete@Ventana: thank you.
@Italiafinlandia: it was.
@David: it would.
@Gemel: it would stay with you.
It's interesting what people save from that era.
ReplyDelete...war across the world, what a bleak thought and it doesn't seem to end.
ReplyDeleteCanadians don’t talk about the Pacific theatre as much from my experience.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI am sure the families and towns were happy to see their soldiers come home from the war.
Have a happy day and week ahead.
We'd better all focus on the climate crisis. To win that even bigger war, we'd better join forces and financial resources.
ReplyDeleteCanadians have always answered the call when they hear it.
ReplyDeleteThe trauma of returning home to a changed world must have been so hard on them. They didn't have the support available these days.
ReplyDeleteMust be quite traumatic for the survivors to resettle mentally and physically too.
ReplyDeleteI remember the end of the Second world war. We wondered about our uncles as there was no information for a while.
ReplyDelete@Jennifer: it is indeed.
ReplyDelete@Tom: so it seems.
@Marie: that is true.
@Eileen: definitely.
@Jan: quite true.
@DJan: indeed.
@RedPat: how does one go back to normal lives when they've seen so much?
@Magiceye: very much so.
@Red: there's a story here soon to be seen about a Canadian air crew whose remains were found decades later.
Returning was almost as hard as the war.
ReplyDeleteI don't think returning soldiers ever fully recovered from the war William, I don't think my dad did.
ReplyDeletePretty good handwriting, especially considering the conditions under which the letter was probably written.
ReplyDeleteIt is impossible for us to comprehend how soldiers coped with the horrors they must have seen and then returning to a very changed world.
ReplyDeleteSadly, soldiers didn't have a lot of support when they returned home.
ReplyDelete@Sharon: in many ways.
ReplyDelete@Grace: it kept its influence on so many.
@Revrunner: and a lot of writing, at that.
@Fun60: it was a huge change.
@Michelle: that was often the case.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteVery, very interesting!
ReplyDeleteIt was.
DeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteIntriguing historical post ~ sad commentary on human behaviors though ~ good photos ~
ReplyDeleteLiving in the moment,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Thanks.
Deletegorgeous flag.
ReplyDeleteIt's different.
Delete