This past Thursday was the 80th anniversary of D-Day, called the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
Today in our Cochrane history feature, we go back to the 50th anniversary in 1994. That week, the Cochrane Times carried memories of several service people. Among them, Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force member Gwyneth Shirley. She was stationed on the south cost of England.
“On the morning of June 6th, 1944, we were awakened by the steady roar of planes overhead,” she told reporter Ray Palmer. “When dawn broke, we looked in wonder at the sky as the greatest air armada of all time passed over and shook the ground on which we stood.”
Peggy Heatherington provided some memories passed to her by her husband, Robert. He was with the Canadian Scottish Regiment contingent that landed on the beach at Normandy.
She says that after the initial invasion, Robert was sent to Holland to train as a company scout sniper. Peggy told the paper that Robert never talked much about it, but knew what his job was, and did it without question.
Thanks to the Cochrane Public Library for opening its archives for our history feature.
