The Allied invasion of Nazi-controlled Europe on June 6, 1944 was the most unique military operation of its kind in modern times, presenting an awesome sight to the participants.
 
It was especially breath-taking from the air, where pilots had a bird’s eye view of what was happening. Flight Officer Bill Golden of St. Thomas was right above the invasion force when it landed at Normandy. It was a sight he’ll never forget, the vast armada and daring landing. “It’s the most impressive sight anyone will ever see at any time. It beat Star Wars all to pieces.”
 
“As the saying goes, you could have lowered your wheels and taxied over,” to Europe from England, he said, reflecting on the enormity of the task force.

There is nothing to compare to the unexpected pleasure of hearing a loved one's voice on the telephone no matter how sketchy the details or how harrowing what you do hear maybe. This was certainly the case for Air Force Warrant Officer Bill Burton's mom, Mrs. E.A. Dunn.  It was wartime and like many other stories from the front, a report found it's way into the St. Thomas Times Journal.  She might have been caught up in the moment just listening to his voice but I am quite sure her imagination received a workout when she had time to take in words such as jungle and wild game.

Ottawa, Sept.28 (CP) – Long-range,Liberator bombers operating from a base on the Canadian east coast carried out six separate attacks against submarines of a German “wolf-pack” during a recent two-day running battle in the mid-Atlantic, the RCAF announced today.

The 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1994 stirred memories far and wide including in the mind of a determined Frenchman who was only sixteen when a young Canadian 'soldier' turned up at the door of a neighbour in German occupied France.

Thus, Michel Juniau and his wife from Beaumont le Roger in the Commune d'Ecardenville la Compagne, France began the search for 'Jones Stanley.' Memories fade after fifty years; Michel thought that 'Jones' had lived on a farm somewhere in Canada before the war and that he had a sister named 'Lucie'. This was not much to go on but they persevered approaching the Canadian embassy in Paris and then writing countless letters to municipal offices all over Canada.  It was a long process.

On 2 June 1944, Flight Sergeant Stanley Jones, a Tail Gunner of 4 Group, 158 Squadron took off from RAF Station Lissett at 2200 hours in Halifax 877A to carry out a bombing raid on the rail marshaling yards at Trappes, a suburb of Paris.

All went well; the target was successfully bombed, and the aircraft turned for home.  A short time later they were attacked by a German fighter aircraft and unceremoniously shot out of the sky. There was enough time, however, for all seven members of the crew to bail out. It was later determined that the Pilot was injured on his descent and was captured by the enemy, but the remaining six crew members  all landed safely and were sheltered by French families until their return home.

Time sure does fly! Looking through the veteran's files at the Elgin Military Museum is one of my favourite things. It's a chance to see many of the names and faces of my childhood from an adult point of view. The stories I heard at gatherings on the lawn at our house on Hwy 4 and on the veranda at the cottage at Port Stanley take on a new dimension as I read through the files and move on to the war diaries. Those were the faces that had just come through WW II and before. I expect them to have a 'folder'. 

It is slightly more alarming to come across an item announcing the 1994 retirement of someone who was a friend of my younger brothers at Wellington St. School! As I said, time flies and some are better at it than others. Bruce Robinson had a stellar career in the RCAF and went on to graduate from the US test pilot training school at Edwards Air Force Base in California - a real Top Gun.