Monthly Archives: July 2020

CWGC Newsletter

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A newsletter from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Welcome to this week’s edition of the CWGC Newsletter
This week is the tenth anniversary of the dedication of Fromelles  (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery – the first Commission cemetery built in almost fifty years.

In May 2008, a number of mass graves dating from the First World War were identified at Pheasant Wood, near Fromelles in northern France. They contained the remains of 250 Australian and British servicemen who died in the Battle of Fromelles, which took place between 19 and 20 July 1916. There they remained, undiscovered, for nearly a century until, after extensive research, the graves were discovered.
The CWGC oversaw the recovery of the remains and reburial of these servicemen. Although the remains of fallen soldiers are still discovered at a rate of some 30 a year across France, the discovery of 250 bodies at one site was exceptional; and so, for the first time in almost fifty years, it was decided that a new CWGC cemetery should be constructed. 90 years after these men were killed in battle, they were laid to rest in Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery which was dedicated on 19 July 2010.
The case of Fromelles shows that our work is just as relevant today as it was one hundred years ago. Read on to learn more about what else we are doing.

Remembering Fromelles

In our next CWGC Live, we mark the tenth anniversary of the dedication of Fromelles  (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. Join us and some of those involved in the construction of the cemetery by tuning into our Facebook page at 13:00 (UK time) on Thursday 16 July.

Learn More about Fromelles

Julie Summer’s book Remembering Fromelles charts the story of the discovery of the mass graves, the archaeology behind the excavations, the question of identification and the process of reburial and cemetery construction undertaken during the course of 2009 and 2010 at Fromelles.

Flemish Government Partnership

A generous grant provided by Flemish Authorities has enabled us to bring forward restoration works at seven cemeteries in the former Ypres Salient. This partnership marks a recognition of the importance of our sites to Flemish culture, heritage and tourism.
Looking for somewhere different to visit in England? Following its closure due to COVID-19, the CWGC’s Runnymede Air Forces Memorial in Surrey has now reopened. With plenty of open space to explore, you can now also discover a fascinating new digital exhibition detailing the life of Second World War special agent Noor Inayat-Khan. Watch the video below to learn more.
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Choose our next cover!

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An item from the Legion Magazine.

Cast your vote for the next cover of Legion Magazine!
Front Lines
A soldier, a war bride, and a son

A soldier, a war bride, and a son

Story by Stephen J. Thorne

There’s something about authority that rubs Creagens the wrong way, for better or for worse.

This story begins with Harry Edward Creagen, a native Irishman who fought with the 35th Battalion, 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, during the First World War.

He was captured by German forces during the Battle of Sanctuary Wood near Ypres, Belgium, in June 1916. Private Creagen, now a prisoner of war, escaped three times, only to be recaptured each time. After his third getaway, his captors forced him to stand in a rainstorm for 24 hours. It compromised his health for the rest of his days, and Harry Edward Creagen died a young man in 1930.

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Military Milestones
Sherman tanks storm through Sicily

Sherman tanks storm through Sicily

Story by Sharon Adams

Jack Wallace, a 23-year-old Sherman tank commander with the Three Rivers Regiment, arrived in Sicily in the heat of summer 77 years ago, he recalled in Shermans in Sicily: The Diary of a Young Soldier, Summer 1943.

Aboard ship for Reveille before 6 a.m. July 10, by 5 p.m. his regiment was ordered to join the attack on Burgio, says the diary, reproduced in Canadian Military History in 1998.

In the next two days, they rolled through three towns that were taken or surrendered. Things were about to heat up.

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This week in history
This week in history

July 10, 1940

Canadian Spitfire pilot Charley Fox strafes a black car,
injuring German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, known as the Desert Fox.
READ MORE
Simply Connect
Legion Magazine

New series: Meet Canadian Studies! Plus: student research, Canadian film, & more

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An item from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.
Canadian Studies Announcements
In this issue:
  • Meet our program: Interview with advisory board chair, David Stewart
  • Hildebrand recipient publishes study on minority political coalitions
  • Call for papers on Canada’s image abroad
  • Canadian films streaming at International Ocean Film Festival
Meet Canadian Studies: Advisory Board Chair David Stewart
Canadian Studies is pleased to introduce a new series of profiles highlighting our friends and supporters as they share what our program means to them. For our inaugural interview, we sat down with advisory board chair David Stewart to discuss why he supports Canadian Studies and how he envisions the program’s future.
David grew up in an Anglophone family in Québec and was educated at McGill University. He moved to the United States in 1995, and became involved with Canadian Studies after settling in the Bay Area in 2007. He joined the external board in 2016. As chair, David has taken energetic steps to revitalize the program’s community outreach and research support. David also chaired the Digital Moose Lounge, a social club for Bay Area Canadians, from 2014-2017. He currently works as a consultant on Canada-US ventures.
Highlights from our interview with David are below; read the full piece here.
On the importance of the Canadian Studies Program:
I value the community and fellowship, as well as the opportunity to be exposed to new ideas that challenge the way I think about things or see problems… I believe it’s an effective way to explore and understand cultural differences. Many Americans and Canadians assume that their cultures are quite similar, but of course there are important differences too. These differences can sometimes surprise students, which can offer moments of reflection and discovery.
On his vision for the program’s future:
Our recent work has helped me to realize how much supporting students and scholarship remains at the heart of our mission and our impact. We’ve heard feedback that our members and stakeholders really enjoy hearing how our program has impacted students and scholars, and where they go after their time at Berkeley. So we will be devoting more time and attention to this moving forward.
On his favorite moment being a Bay Area Canadian:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to San Francisco, and my wife and I were invited to the reception. I brought along some kitschy lapel pins that a Canadian friend of mine had designed, featuring fun expat slogans like “The Eh! Team”, and “Zed not Zee!” I hoped to present one to Trudeau as a gift. Trudeau entered the room to applause. He was wearing a pastel blue suit that matched my own… I presented him with one of the pins, with a smiling maple leaf and the slogan, “Eh to Zed!” Trudeau placed a hand on my shoulder and said, “Thank you for being a champion for Canada. You and your friends are the true diplomats here. Ton pays te remercie.” After pouring my heart into Canada for years, it was exactly what I needed to hear.
Hildebrand Fellow Jae Yeon Kim Publishes Study on Minority Coalition Building in US & Canada
Berkeley grad student and Hildebrand Fellowship recipient Jae Yeon Kim recently published a paper in Studies in American Political Development, the flagship journal in its field. Entitled “Racism is Not Enough: Minority Coalition Building in San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver”, the study was based on research supported by his Hildebrand award and compares the formation of ethnic housing coalitions in three West Coast Chinatowns during the 1960s and ’70s.
According to Kim’s research, while all three cities had a legacy of anti-Asian racism, each produced a distinct movement shaped by local history and development pressure. Arguing that these factors were more important to determining inter-group cohesion than the simple shared experience of racism, Kim proposes that coalitions were strategically constructed and expanded. He contrasts the ethnic groups included or excluded in each coalition’s composition: in contrast to the largely Asian groups in the United States, the housing coalition that developed in Vancouver included European immigrant groups. Kim examines the reasons behind these divergences, and their implications on the understanding of the formation of minority coalitions.
Read the full study here.
Call for Papers: Canada, Near and Far
Deadline: April 1, 2021
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), the Association will host its 26th biennial conference, October 21-24, 2021, in Washington, DC. The conference is open to all proposals with a significant Canadian focus. We welcome papers and panel proposals from graduate students,
professors, independent scholars, and practitioners on all diverse and critical
perspectives related to the theme, ‘Canada: Near and Far’. How is Canada perceived and portrayed from outside its borders, and by the international community? In recognition of ACSUS’s 50 years work, what role do non-governmental agencies around the world play in shaping Canada’s relationships with the world?
Submissions must be received by April 1, 2021. Read the full requirements for the paper and logistical information for the associated conference here. For more information, please contact Dr. Christina Keppie at christina.keppie@wwu.edu.
Canadian Films Streaming At International Ocean Film Festival
July 30 – August 9 | Online
Film festival season continues with two award-winning Canadian documentaries covering critical issues facing Canada’s oceans. The films will be available to rent online from July 30 through August 9 as part of the 17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival, sponsored in part by the Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco. Learn more about the festival and register for the virtual screenings here.
The Mill (2019)
52 minutes; English.
Near a First Nations community in Nova Scotia, a paper mill had to stop in January the discharging of waste into noxious ponds that polluted both air and water for decades. The company proposed piping its effluent into the ocean, but met strong opposition from both the native community and fisherfolk. If the mill closes, others will also, putting over 10,000 jobs at risk. Resolving such conflicts is becoming a challenging worldwide problem.
98 minutes; English.
Extreme divers Jill Heinerth and Mario Cyr explore above and below northern Canada’s ice sheet. It is a hunting ground for beluga whales and narwhals, for walruses and seals that depend on the ice to nurture their young, and for polar bears who live on the ice most of their lives. They all feed on a plethora of sea life, but as the ice melts more each year, their entire ecosystem has come under threat.
Canadian Studies Program
213 Moses Hall #2308 WEBSITE | EMAIL
Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley, 213 Moses Hall #2308, Berkeley, CA 94720

 

Royal Canadian Legion – US Branch 25 August Meeting

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As we are still unable to meet in person, but also have business that we need to attend to, we will be holding an August business meeting for the membership of US Branch #25 representing the San Francisco Bay Area. The meeting will be held online using Zoom on Tuesday, 04 August at 7pm. The dress for the meeting is casual (i.e., Legion attire is not required).

The details on how to join the meeting can be obtained by e-mailing mkbarbour@gmail.com

The agenda, minutes from the previous meeting, and various written reports will be e-mailed prior to the event.

If you have not used Zoom, you can download the program to your computer by visiting https://zoom.us/support/download (there are also links on that page to download it to your phone or tablet). To join the meeting follow the steps outlined in this video – https://youtu.be/9isp3qPeQ0E – or the instructions under the “How do I join a Zoom session?” portion of this website https://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2020/how-to-use-zoom.html

We hope to see everyone there…

Michael Barbour
Vice President, US Branch #25
Royal Canadian Legion