News and Views from The Winnipeg Tribune, February 16 - 17, 1944
'Berlin Smashed', 1000s Cheer, 'Cassino Broken', "Marines...Ooh!"
The editor has something to cheer about. More details will follow in this post.
(No, I'm not going to star in a movie about army camp. I'm a navy guy)
Introduction:
We are now past the mid-point of February 1944, on the last leg of the journey to locate stories about Canadians who returned to their homes - to recuperate perhaps - before moving on to other duties.
I tip my hat to the digitized version of The Trib because not only do we get a fairly broad look at action related to Allied progress on various fronts, but we usually spot a good story or two about the men and women who had served overseas in a wide range of roles.
Many Canadians in Combined Ops had served aboard landing crafts from Dieppe (Operation Jubilee, August 19, 1942) to the toe of the boot in Italy (Operation Baytown, beginning September 3, 1943) before returning to Halifax - and then aboard trains to many villages, towns and cities across Canada. (See the previous entry to read Al Kirby's interview after landing in Woodstock, Ontario).
We read about several other returnees in this post and learn a little bit more about the scores of sailors who settled into new barracks at HMCS Givenchy III on The Spit at Comox, Vancouver Island. A lot of other news and views are presented as well.
Moving on to headlines from February 16:
News about bombing missions in Germany and the tough fighting in Italy will grace the pages of The Trib for several more months, but this project ends on February 29th:
The story of Canadian FO John Anthony Vasicek, including details about his earlier reconn missions and subsequent death (in Jan. 1944) can be found on this site. (re FO J A Vasicek, Chatham Ontario)
Now, the story about the shelling of the Benedictine monastery continues:
War correspondent Douglas Amaron of the Canadian Press interviewing two
British members of a Bofors anti-aircraft gun crew, Grave, Netherlands,
11 February 1945. Photo Credit - Library at Archives Canada, Ottawa
Writer Dick Sanburn (of above article) is listed as a "Tribune War correspondent" and I'm pretty sure he wrote for The Ottawa Citizen as well at some other point during the war, e.g., in September 1943, at Operation Baytown. Of course, it was a long war and he might have appreciated the changes of assignment.
Somehow this next article seemed timely when I ran across it yesterday, April 1, 2021:
The following art work is part of a full page spread. It will appear in its entirety in "the arts of war" section of the website, time willing. Readers can visit the full page now at the digitized version of The Winnipeg Tribune here.
The art work related to "30 Stars" will also be featured again in "the arts of war" section of this website along with other examples of good cartooning, sketches, etc. Visit when time allows.
The following article was found on the editorial page of The Winnipeg Tribune and touches on factors concerning the "steadily tightening chain of disaster for our enemies."
When my father sat down in the 1970s and wrote his "naval memoirs" he introduced the second half* of his WWII service with the following paragraph:
Then I went to Givenchy III, known as Cowards Cove, at Comox on Vancouver Island. It was absolute heaven there. Just normal routine: I trained a few zombies on cutters, and played ball five or six times a week under a good coach.
* the first half was two years overseas' service as a member of RCNVR and Combined Operations, training aboard and operating landing crafts in preparation for the unknown; the unknown turned out to be Dieppe raid and invasions of N. Africa, Sicily and Italy. (FYI - no other reference to 'Cowards Cove' has been found re Canadians in Combined Ops at Comox).
The zombies my father mentions, however, are given some coverage in news articles found in August 1944 issues of The Comox Argus newspaper.
Hard copies of the newspaper are found at the Courtenay Museum
and Archives. Courtenay, Vancouver Island, BC
The following is from the Feb. 16 issue of The Winnipeg Tribune:
Did you read the "Full Up!' story? No? Go back, and take your time
To Bridge players everywhere - Sorry about the "Horse Sense Bridge"
getting cut off! But I did provide a link to the digitized news earlier.
Don't you just love the prices on Eaton's "Third Floor?" And dress up when you go!
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"He's my Daddy," a young girl cried when she saw her father after he'd spent over three years "overseas with the Camerons." Details below:
"You bet I'm glad to be back," said Cpl. P. Watt.. His wife and three children were at the station to greet him. (Photos from Victoria, BC. Editor's trip to Vancouver Island, 2012)
The following photos are of a navy duffle bag that was likely given to one sailor from Ontario I know - as part of his kit - while he, among many other duties, trained zombies on navy cutters at HMCS Givenchy III on The Spit at Comox.
I had not seen the duffle bag since I used it to haul gear to a Boy Scout camp
outside Norwich ONT in the early 1960s. Perhaps I will be making a purchase
from a militaria collector who reached out to me in April 2021.
Perhaps there will be some positive news to share in the near future re the above navy duffle bag.
Stay tuned!
Photos GH
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