Monthly Archives: June 2025

Dig this: The lowly shovel held in high esteem by soldiers

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An item from the Legion Magazine.
Front Lines
Front Lines

Entrenching tools like this WW I-era model have long been used for much more than digging. Beginning in 1915, soldiers routinely sharpened the shovel for use as a weapon in close-quarters fighting.
[Auckland Museum]

Dig this: The lowly shovel held in high esteem by soldiers

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Ask a veteran of virtually any wartime infantry what piece of kit he valued most, and chances are he’ll say his shovel.

Yes, the lowly shovel, known in military parlance as the entrenching, or intrenching, tool, also called a trenching tool, or simply e-tool—any way you call it, the shovel, or spade, has provided shelter, convenience, security and, to the degree possible, peace of mind to millennia of grunts. So long as you had your shovel, you had options.

With the right combination of arms, shoulders, legs and back at the top end, the business end of the shovel dug life-sustaining wells, trenches and foxholes; filled sandbags and potholes; removed obstacles and erected barriers. It fashioned cooking pits and latrines; chopped wood and pried objects; removed earth, debris and rubble from trapped soldiers and civilians. And it buried the dead.

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The Briefing
The Briefing

Méharicourt Communal Cemetery is the final resting place of numerous Canadian airmen, including Victoria Cross recipient Andrew Mynarski. [Poppy Mercier]

British-born French resident honours locally buried Canadian airmen

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

In Méharicourt Communal Cemetery, about 45 minutes from Courcelette, France, lies WW II Canadian Victoria Cross recipient Andrew Mynarski. Etched into the white—if weathered—gravestone is the symbol of the Commonwealth’s highest military honour, earned on June 13, 1944, when the Royal Canadian Air Force airman attempted to save a trapped member of his crew while his crippled Lancaster bomber burned around him. Mynarski died shortly after his exploits, but would be remembered.

Immediately beside his final resting place, however, are the names of lesser-known Canadians, who, aboard a different aircraft—KB714—also sacrificed their lives on the same bombing mission that night. Among their number was 28-year-old Flying Officer Russel Nelson Wilson from Landis, Sask., serving with 419 (Moose) Squadron when the pilot and his six other crew members perished amid operations to destroy railyards at Cambrai. Their plane crashed in the Somme, near Courcelette.

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Celebrating Pride with our Hildebrand Fellows 🏳️‍🌈

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A newsletter from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.

Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

News from Berkeley

• New Hildebrand Fellow Alexandra Coakley studies role of gay newspapers in AIDS activism

• Hildebrand Fellow Jennifer Kaplan continues study of non-binary French use in Montreal queer community

External Events

• The SF Expat Canadian Meetup Group 13th Annual Canada Day Celebration

• Berkeley Club of Canada Summer Mixer in Toronto

• Digital Moose Lounge Canada Day Picnic

• Friends of Canada at SF Pride

NEWS FROM BERKELEY

New Hildebrand Fellow Alexandra Coakley Studies Role of Gay Newspapers in AIDS Activism

The Canadian Studies Program is pleased to celebrate Pride Month with the announcement that Alexandra Coakley has been awarded an Edward E. Hildebrand Research Fellowship for Summer 2025.

Alexandra is a PhD student in the Department of History. Her research focuses on small local newspapers and international activism in the late 20th century. Her dissertation project examines the work of queer journalists during the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the ACT UP protest movement. Her Hildebrand Fellowship will support her travel to Toronto, where she will explore the critical role of the Canadian queer press in combating the disease.

Alexandra holds a BA in history from Occidental College, and she worked as an editor before arriving at Berkeley.

Hildebrand Fellow Jennifer Kaplan Continues Study of Non-Binary French Use in Montreal Queer Community

Hildebrand Fellow Jennifer Kaplan will also receive additional funding this summer towards her ongoing research on novel linguistic gender expressions among Montreal’s LGBT+ community.

Jennifer works across the fields of (socio)-linguistics, queer theory, trans theory, and feminist theory. To date, she has conducted research on New York City English, language attitudes and ideologies in the French press, and non-binary Romance language varieties. Her dissertation project, which is supported by the Hildebrand Fellowship and a Fulbright-Hays DDRA, applies the lenses of queer theory and transfeminism alongside methods of linguistic ethnography to examine the language practices and linguistic attitudes and ideologies within francophone queer, trans, and non-binary communities in Montreal. Through a combination of interviews, survey data, and ethnography, she examines what kinds of language(s) are being used and the contexts and linguistic attitudes and ideologies that condition and surround their usage. In her free time she enjoys befriending neighborhood cats, attending drag shows, and haunting your local coffee shop.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

The SF Expat Canadian Meetup Group 13th Annual Canada Day Celebration

Tues., June 24 | 5:30 pm | San Francisco, CA | RSVP

Join the San Francisco Canadian Expat Meetup Group to celebrate Canada Day in the city! ​Wear your red & white, rep your favorite Canadian team gear, and get ready to sing, “Oh Canada!” with fellow Canadians! Everyone is welcome – bring friends, family and coworkers. The event will be held in a new location with its own lane this year – which means block party! Learn more via Meetup.

Berkeley Club of Canada Summer Mixer in Toronto

Fri., June 27 | 6:00 pm | Toronto, ON | RSVP

The Berkeley Club of Canada invites all Toronto-area Bears to their summer mixer – a vibrant evening dedicated to fostering connections and celebrating our shared Berkeley spirit. This is a wonderful opportunity to mingle with fellow alumni, engage with current students, and warmly welcome the newest members of the Cal family. Please RSVP by June 20.

Digital Moose Lounge Canada Day Picnic

Sat., June 28 | 11:00 am | San Mateo, CA | Tickets

Our friends at the DML invite you to celebrate Canada’s birthday at their always-popular annual Canada Day Picnic on the Peninsula. Enjoy a family-friendly afternoon of games and activities for all ages along with a delicious BBQ lunch. Meet new friends and reconnect with old ones as you embrace your Canadian pride. Remember to wear your red & white Canada gear, alumni colors or support your favorite Canadian sports team.

Friends of Canada at SF Pride

Sun., June 29 | San Francisco, CA | RSVP

Consul General Rana Sarkar cordially invites you to join Canadians marching in the 55th Annual San Francisco Pride Parade! This year’s theme is “Queer Joy is Resistance.”

All are welcome to join Consulate staff and their families and friends to celebrate diversity and to support the 2SLGBTQI+ members of our communities here in San Francisco, at home in Canada, and abroad. The assembly point and time will be announced approximately one week prior to the parade; please register to receive updates.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

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Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley 213 Philosophy Hall #2308 | Berkeley, CA 94720 US

🍁 81 years ago the Allies landed in Normandy, learn more about D-Day | 🍁 Il y a 81 ans, les Alliés débarquent en Normandie

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We wanted to share this item from the Juno Beach Centre on this, the 81st anniversary of D-Day.

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Le 6 juin 1944, 14 000 Canadiens et 7 000 Britanniques débarquent sur Juno Beach.

Entre 7h30 et 8h00, les unités de la 3eme division d’infanterie canadienne, soutenues par les chars de la 2ème division blindée, prennent d’assaut les huit kilomètres de plages qui s’étendent de Saint-Aubin à Graye-sur-Mer.

Au prix de nombreuses vies, les troupes canadiennes parviennent à vaincre toute résistance et à s’avancer dans les terres. Le 6 au soir, la tête de pont canadienne est fermement établie sur la côte normande.

🍁

On June 6, 1944, 14,000 Canadians and 7,000 Brits landed on Juno Beach.

Between 7:30-8:00am, units from the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, supported by tanks of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, launched attacks along an eight-kilometre stretch of beach between Saint-Aubin and Graye-sur-Mer.

Despite the heavily entrenched enemy, the Canadians overcame all resistance and started inland. By evening, a Canadian bridgehead had been solidly established on the coast of Normandy. So started the Battle of Normandy.
Learn More
En savoir plus
Curious about the different Canadian Army units in the Normandy landings?
Nos ressources en ligne contiennent des informations sur chaque unité de l’armée canadienne qui a débarqué en Normandie, y compris des détails sur leurs objectifs, leur avancée et leurs pertes.

🍁

Our online resources contain information on each Canadian Army unit that landed in the Normandy landings, including details on their objectives, timing and casualties.
Discover the History
En savoir plus
Cérémonie du Jour J au Centre Juno Beach / Juno Beach Centre D-Day Ceremony
Malgré une averse en début d’après-midi, un grand nombre de personnes ont assisté à la cérémonie du Jour J au Centre Juno Beach en Normandie. Le soleil s’est finalement invité pour accueillir les délégations et les élus de France, du Royaume-Uni et du Canada.
Si vous l’avez manquée, vous pouvez revoir la retransmission en direct sur Facebook ici.

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Despite an early afternoon downpour, a large crowd attended the D-Day Ceremony at the Juno Beach Centre in Normandy. The sun eventually came out to welcome delegations and elected officials from France, the United Kingdom and Canada.
If you missed it, you can rewatch the livestream on Facebook here.
Donate to support the Juno Beach Centre! Anyone who enjoys a better way of life today because of the sacrifices of Canadians during the Second World War can show their appreciation by contributing to this dynamic place of learning.
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