Tag Archives: Legion Magazine

Pictures from my father’s wartime photo album

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An item from the Legion Magazine.
Front Lines
Front Lines

Dr. Edward L. Thorne after training in 1941, about the time he met his future wife, Edith, a civilian navy decoder charting the progress of convoys out of Sydney, N.S.
[RCAF]

Pictures from my father’s wartime photo album

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

I was raised on stories and pictures of the Second World War. My father, Dr. Edward L. Thorne, was an air force medical officer who served three of his five Royal Canadian Air Force years (1942-45) overseas with fighter, coastal and bomber squadrons.

The experience shaped the rest of his life. And all of mine.

As I wrote in one of my first features for Legion Magazine, a memoir, “he rarely talked about it and, when he did, it was with such nostalgia, deep emotion and soaring reverence for those with whom he served that he sparked my curiosity and captivated my imagination from childhood to this very day.”

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VICTORY! Canada and the end of WW II

Now available! The newest Canadian Military Moment from Legion Magazine, Victory! Canada and the end of WW II, as told by Kim Coates.

Today, as the world confronts new challenges, shifting allegiances and threatening words, its leaders and, most especially, their citizenries, would be wise to remember the lessons of the Second World War.

Perhaps never have the words of philosopher George Santayana been more relevant: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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The Briefing
The Briefing

Ottawa lad, Donaldson (Buddy) Holloway (right), who was killed in WW II, and his close friend Reg Harrison. After the war, Harrison would go on to marry Holloway’s bereaved fiance. [TheCanadianWarMuseum]

Veterans’ post-WW II experience examined in new Canadian War Museum exhibit

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

It’s no secret that the widely known “greatest generation” is fast disappearing.

In August 1995, there were said to be 501,690 living Second World War veterans in Canada.

In 2010, that number had decreased to around 163,000.

As recently as 2023, combined figures for WW II and the Korean War indicated that little more than 9,200 veterans of those conflicts were still alive. That figure has almost certainly declined exponentially throughout the last two years and beyond.

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Email sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com

Canvet Publications Ltd.
86 Aird Place |
Kanata, Ontario | K2L 0A1 | Canada |
1-844-602-5737 | 613-591-0116 | magazine@legion.ca

Canada to meet defence spending target by March 2026: Carney

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An item from the Legion Magazine.
Front Lines
Front Lines

Canadian combat engineers serving with NATO forces take a break near the village of Leyvani, Afghanistan, on July 5, 2004. Canadians had been told the area was a Taliban hotbed, but finding them was proving difficult.
[Stephen J. Thorne]

Canada to meet defence spending target by March 2026: Carney

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Declaring American dominance on the world stage at an end, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada will meet NATO’s two per cent-of-GDP military spending target by March 2026—six years earlier than originally planned.

It will be the first time Canada’s defence spending has hit the two per cent mark since 1990. Now NATO says it wants five per cent.

Addressing a conference of foreign policy wonks, national security officials and defence industry leaders June 9 in Toronto, Carney outlined his plan to reduce Canada’s reliance on the United States and draw closer to its European allies.

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The Briefing
The Briefing

A series of tiny scale models titled “Little Canada Beyond Our Borders,” featured iconic Canadian landmarks. The first of which is a replica of The Canadian National Vimy Memorial. [Little Canada]

Toronto’s Little Canada unveils Dutch liberation miniature

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer was “only supposed to come to Canada for two years.”

It’s now been 26, explains the proud Canadian.

Originally from the Netherlands, one of his fondest childhood memories is being enamoured by Madurodam in The Hague, a miniature park and tourist attraction hosting tiny scale models of Dutch landmarks. Such was its profound impact on Brenninkmeijer, who spent some 10 years in the retail and investment business, that he ultimately replicated its micro magic in Toronto, founding Little Canada.

The displays within aren’t called miniatures, but “destinations,” seven of which depict iconic Canadian landmarks. A recent series called “Little Canada Beyond Our Borders,” however, does what its name suggests and highlights “where our nation played a significant role in the world.” First in the series was a tribute to Vimy Ridge. Now, in recognition of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, Brenninkmeijer has embarked on a journey to mark that occasion.

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Member Benefit Partner
Safestep
Email sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com

Canvet Publications Ltd.
86 Aird Place |
Kanata, Ontario | K2L 0A1 | Canada |
1-844-602-5737 | 613-591-0116 | magazine@legion.ca