b'LEST WE FORGETWe must remember. If we do not, the sacri ce of those one hundredconsciousness; our future is their monument. During times of war, individual WWII VETERAN ORVAL NELSON thousand Canadian lives will be meaningless. They died for us, foracts of heroism occur frequently; only a few are ever recorded and receive I t is a wonderPilot shot down and survivedtheir homes and families and friends, for a collection of traditions theyof cial recognition. By remembering all who have served, we recognize theircherished and a future they believed in; they died for Canada.willingly-endured hardshipsand fears, taken upon themselves so that weThe meaning of their sacri ce rests with our collective nationalcould live in peace.CANADIAN HEROES that Colleen Anderson was even born.Flying ace Billy Bishop was awarded the Victoria Cross and several other decorations for his daringBoth of her late parents were exploits during the First World War. He is crediteddecoratedwarveterans.Bothsur-Lest we forget. with shooting down 72 enemy planes. vivedclosecalls.Herfather,Sgt. During the Second World War, Tommy Prince Orval Milford Nelson, was an army served in what was nicknamed by the enemy thepilot whose plane was shot down in Devils Brigade. In the 1950s, he served in Korea.Belgium. Her mother Janet, a farmer On behalf of Durham Region In all, he received 11 medals and became one of thein the land army, was run over by a Council, we offer our humble most decorated veterans of our time. tractor.appreciation to all veterans pastWarrant Of cer Frances MacTaggart served inIt was a miracle, that they lived, peacekeeping missions in Cyprus, Cambodia and the and present, and their families, former Yugoslavia. In 1993, she pulled 15 passengersColleen commented. for their sacrifice in the protectionand the pilot out of a burning helicopter before itA highlight for Colleen and her of peace and freedom. exploded. She was awarded a Medal of Bravery forhusband Gary was a visit to the site her heroic actions. where her fathers plane went down. Therearestillindentationsofthe John Henry WOMEN IN THE SERVICE airplane on the ground, she said.Regional Chair and CEO More than 3,000 women served as nursing sisters I thought it would be easy, said in the First World War. They were known as the blue- Colleen,offindingtheplaquein birds by the soldiers for whom they cared because of their blue cotton dresses and white veils. WomenBelgium, commemorating the plane who worked with lumberjacks and loggers during thecrash. But it wasnt. Second World War were called lumberjills. They visited a local tourism office, but the staff didnt know anything about it. However, they were help-Mayor Drew and Members of Council fulbyputtingthemintouchwith remember and honour our heroes. alocalBelgiumhistorian,Jhonny Bastiaensen, who was kind enough to escort them to the historic location on November 20, 2019. Jhonnywasamazing,Colleen said.Herhusbandstillkeepsin touch with him. Jhonny refused anyOrval Nelson, 1942.kind of payment, but gratefully ac-cepted a donation towards holdingSquadron,aCanadianUnitofthegunfire.WhentheHampdenburst future memorial services at the site. RoyalCanadianAirForce,whichintoflamesontheportside,Orval On May 6, 2019, there was a servicewas staffed by airmen from England,used the intercom microphone to or-to commemorate the 74th anniversaryCanada, Australia and New Zealand. der his crew to bail out, but he did not of the liberation of camps during theWhiletheirtargetatDusseldorfhear any response.2nd World War. was bombed successfully, the flakOrvaljumpedoutofthefiery Lest We Forget It was pretty moving, Colleen(anti-aircraft gunfire) was very heavy,plane,justbeforeitexploded.He described the experience of visitingandafterdroppingitsbombs,thelanded in a tree, his parachute tan-Remembrance Day the place where the plane crashed,Hampdenwasconedbysearch- gled in the branches. His eyebrows 2kmssoutheastofZevendonk,lights,whichblindedus,Orvalwere burned off and he had a black Turnhout, province of Antwerp.later wrote. He took evasive action byeye, but no serious injuries. The date Ifeltmyfathersspiritthere,diving his aircraft from 16,000 feet towas August 1, 1942.Colleen recalls. almost the rooftops, in order to escapeForfourdays,hewandered Sadly,theotherthreeSergeantsfrom the master searchlight. Havingaroundthefieldstryingtogethis oftheHampdenaircraft(sur- escaped from the searchlights, Nelsonbearings, using a small compass in names, Warr, Lloyd and Price,) didagainclimbedtheHampdenuptohis escape kit. Orval was cold and notsurvive.Theyareburiedina15,000 feet. Navigator Warr gave hishungry and his feet were sore. churchyardclosetothememo- pilot a compass course for England. rial. They were members of the 408The drama began when Orval heardPlease turn to page 4442 FO FOFOCUCSUS S NEOPVTEEMMBBEERR2200126043FOCCUUSS NSOEVPETMEMBEBRER 2 0220016'