Category Archives: Legion Magazine

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LIBERATION! Canada and the WW II fight to free the Netherlands

How a Manitoban sister and brother more than did their bit in WW I

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An item from the Legion Magazine.

Nursing Sister Sarah Persis Johnson and her brother, Pte. James Eillis Johnson did the family proud during their First World War Service.
[Glenbow Archives; Johnson family archive]

How a Manitoban sister and brother more than did their bit in WW I

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

He was a decorated soldier. She was a decorated nurse. They were brother and sister.

Born in County Cork, Ireland, and raised in rural Manitoba, Private James Willis Johnson and Nursing Sister Sarah Persis Johnson both enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force shortly after war broke out in 1914. He was 22. She was 28.

A cavalry trooper, James was wounded soon after he reached the front in 1915. He would survive a six-month recovery process and go on to earn the Commonwealth’s second-highest award for valour.

Military historian David Borys specialized in studying the Canadian war experience and hosts the “Curious Canadian History” podcast. [David Borys]

Exhibit on WW II’s Dutch liberation unveiled at the Canadian War Museum

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

This year marks 80 years since Canada’s leading role in the liberation of the Netherlands. In recognition of the anniversary, the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa has unveiled an exhibit highlighting the bitter struggles that delivered freedom to the Dutch populace in the last months of the Second World War.

The thought-provoking “Liberation! Canada and the Netherlands, 1944-1945” display was launched in 2020, but has subsequently been revitalized. It runs until May 9, 2025, detailing the “sweetest of springs” through 11 key images and six personal stories. An online version is also available on the museum’s website.

Jeff Noakes, the facility’s WW II historian, spoke to Legion Magazine about commemorating the Dutch liberation eight decades on.

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North Korean soldiers impress Ukrainian fighters

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An item from the Legion Magazine.

A North Korean soldier takes aim at a Ukrainian drone.

North Korean soldiers impress Ukrainian fighters

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Widely considered “cannon fodder” with “the opportunity to defect” foremost in their minds when they were deployed last fall, North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russians against Ukraine have nevertheless impressed their opponents with their commitment, fitness and courage.

“They are young, motivated, physically fit, brave, and good at using small arms,” Lieutenant-Colonel Yaroslav Chepurnyi, a Ukrainian army spokesman, told Politico.

“They are also disciplined. They have everything you need for a good infantryman.”

Military historian David Borys specialized in studying the Canadian war experience and hosts the “Curious Canadian History” podcast. [David Borys]

Ted Barris talks Canadian airmen at the Battle of Britain

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

In October 2024, award-winning author Ted Barris released his 22nd book, Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour. Detailing the 113 days in 1940 that became a turning point of the Second World War, Barris brings to life the experiences of some 300 Canadian airmen and groundcrew who, against all odds, contributed to an aerial victory that checked the German war machine.

Here, the Canadian writer reflects on his latest publication.

On why the Battle of Britain deserved another book