War graves commission launches
virtual tours of remote sites

Story by Stephen J. Thorne

For more than a century, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has tended war graves the world over, beginning with the First World War and, since 1945, the Second, as well. That’s some 1.7 million war dead in 150 countries.

There are 110,000 Canadians among them—the vast majority buried close to where they fell. It wasn’t until the 1960s—and notably, during the Afghanistan war—that Canada started bringing its war dead home.

Many others, however, died as the result of war wounds, illnesses and other war-related causes and are thus buried in Canada—almost 19,000 commission-administered graves, in fact, located in nearly 3,000 cemeteries across the country. About 1,900 of those cemeteries have just a single war grave.

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The sinking of U-536

Story by Sharon Adams

In an irony of war, a German U-boat meant to harry the eastern coast of Canada came to its bitter end in the mid-Atlantic, its surviving crew rescued by Canadian sailors.

U-536 was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Rolf Shauenburg, who had joined the navy in 1934, and was already an officer when war was declared. He had served aboard a German destroyer that sank nine vessels at the beginning of the war. The young officer became a prisoner of war, escaped and was recaptured. After his release was negotiated, he returned to Germany, served on minesweepers, then was given command of a U-boat in January 1943.

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November 21, 1950

A westbound train carrying members of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
collides with an eastbound train east of Canoe River, B.C.; 17 die.

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