REMEMBRANCE
As told through their families
John Charbonneau
Tom Smith
John and Tom are both major contributors to our club and the district. John has worked on numerous events and is responsible for leading our much-appreciated Christmas light project. At the start of the pandemic he came to the rescue of the club by initiating and teaching members about zoom meetings. Tom has served on every committee and been past club president while taking on directorships at the district level. Named Rotarian of the Year he served as chairperson of the 2020 District Conference.
Tom began his presentation with the stark information that on Aug 27, 1943 his uncle Tom was killed while piloting a flight crew on a bombing run over Nuremberg, Germany. Fortunately, many of his crew members got out safely and, after spending the rest of the war in POW camp, collaborated in writing a book on their experiences. Tom read from parts of the book that described the final heroic actions of his uncle on the fateful run.
His uncle's memory has been preserved; visits to his grave in Europe, a commemorative plaque was shared by the family and a lake in Manitoba was named after him. Tom ended by describing the experience of sitting himself in a refurbished Halifax bomber in the similar seat that his uncle last occupied.
John described his father's experiences in WWII where he was part of the 2 Tank Troop Workshop which worked on the refurbishing of damaged tanks. A volunteer in 1942, he married just prior to being shipped out to Europe and experiencing 10 days of seasickness before landing in England. He ended up on Juno Beach two days after D-Day and later showed John the actual ditch where he was forced to take shelter those many years ago. From Normandy his dad was then stationed with the Canadian troops in Holland.
With the help of a series of photos John then related some of his Dad's experiences in Holland. He stayed for a time and made a close connection with a Dutch family. During the mop-up operation in the early days of the peace he had many adventures involving securing all manner of contraband from margarine to bolts of cloth. Moving to more recent times John showed photos of the two of them on their return to Juno Beach, the elementary school that was named after him and even his dad taking a jeep out for a nostalgic spin. John concluded by expressing the pride he feels about his dad doing his service duty in those challenging times.
Sherrie Jamieson thanked John and Tom for sharing their stories in such a meaningful way. The legacies of naming a school and a Manitoba lake reflect how the country values their contribution. Stories such as these cause us all to reflect and to remember.