Where there's a will there's a way
 | 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. Sixteen year old Michel put on his best clothes to pose with the Canadian 'Jones Stanley' who was being hidden from the Germans by neighbours. |
Seek and Ye Shall Find
As luck would have it, one of those letters landed on the desk of the village of Port Stanley Council and quickly found it's way to the local newspaper in nearby St. Thomas, Ontario. At the time, the Elgin Military Museum was deep in preparations for their own D-Day celebrations but it didn't take board member Stan Jones more than a second to realize that he was the Canadian 'soldier' being sought. The inverted name aside, it was all the more remarkable because he had not been a soldier (he was a rear gunner on a Halifax bomber) and his sister's name was Betty not 'Lucie'. He sat down and wrote a reply.
To capture the feeling of the moment, the following are excerpts from reporter Marg Berry's article in The St. Thomas Times Journal of June 22, 1994 highlighted with images from Stan Jones files at the museum and illustrative headings.
Stan Gets a Letter
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“I think it was through the newspaper article that you found trace of us. I have never forgotten you, and I didn’t know if you had died in the war. I still have several pictures, the letter of Christmas 1944 with your picture, a box of chocolates you sent me also a tie. I still have the little compass that you carried with you. I also Called Maurice Guillou the some of the people where you were hidden. I have tried to get news about you but nothing. I didn’t know if you were still living. This is a letter of massive joy.” _ Michel Juniau |
Mr. Jones, above reading one of the letters commented that they bring back many memories of the summer of 1944. He said he was able to move about in a limited way with the help of the people who sheltered him during his stay in the French countryside. He received help with his French from a school teacher who was a friend of the family where he was hidden that summer. The compass mentioned in the letter was part of his emergency kit and was to be used for escape purposes.
Getting there was half the 'Fun'
Mr. Jones was a tail gunner on a Halifax B III that flew out of Royal Air Force Base Lissett in Yorkshire, England on May 30, 1944 on a mission to destroy a rail yard in the town of Trappes near Paris.The raids were in preparation for the Allied landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944. It was his 12th mission with the RAF Squadron [158] and he was the only Canadian in the seven member crew. They had started back to home base when the plane was shot down by a German Messerschmidt 110 night fighter.After his plane was hit, Mr. Jones pulled on his parachute and jumped followed by the other crew members. The pilot broke his ankle on landing and was captured by the Germans but the other six members escaped. They all qualified for membership in the 'Caterpillar Club'.
Sojourn in France
It was 1 am and Mr. Jones walked until late morning before feeling safe in approaching a farm house, where a man and women with two children took him in, took away his uniform and provided him with worn clothing. During his time in hiding, from June 3 to Aug. 27, 1944, Mr. Jones did go out, but he never traveled far from his shelter. His place of hiding was in close proximity to Falaise and he could hear the sounds of one of the fiercest battles of the campaign taking place nearby. At the end of August the battle of Falaise was won by the Allies. Mr. Jones was picked up by an American scout car and taken to a temporary camp housing other airmen who had escaped. He returned to England to find that he had been promoted from Flight Sgt. to Pilot Officer on the very day that he had been shot down.
Grateful Thoughts on Both Sides
| Mr. Jones is grateful to the people in the French rural countryside who risked their lives to give him shelter 50 years ago. He said it is exciting to be in touch with them once again. In Stan's files at the museum is another testimonial of thanks - from the municipal council of the area in France where he took refuge. |  |
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