May 8, 1945: the streets of downtown Ottawa were filled with thousands of joyful people. Sparks Street was littered with millions of paper streamers. Dominion flags were flying from the buildings. Parliament Hill had turned into a crowded parade and celebration ground. After six years of fighting, the Second World War in Europe was over.
Canadians had a right to celebrate the end to the fighting in Europe. Knowing that our nation’s youth would no longer have to cross the Atlantic to risk their lives to put an end to Nazi Germany’s reign of terror over Europe must have provided a sense of relief to many. But after all of the celebrations, the time of remembrance came. Three quarters of a century later, that mission to remember still means something.
This year, due to COVID-19, major ceremonies and celebrations have been canceled. For the safety of the public, gathering at the National War Memorial and other memorial sites around the world is impossible; however, people can still remember the fallen from home. It is our national duty.
Canada’s sacrifices during the Second World War were another example of our nation stepping up to the plate and punching above its weight. Over a million men and women answered the call to action – the population of Canada was around 12 million at the time. Overseas, over 45,000 made the ultimate sacrifice, and over 55,000 others were wounded.
One young Canadian who answered the call to action was my grandfather, Bernard Roderick Pelletier. Grandpa Bern had just turned 18 when he decided to enlist with his twin brother, Leonard. Their older brother, Alfred, had already enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy, while his mother and sister were working hard on the home front.
My grandfather already knew the horrible impact of war on people’s lives. His father, William Pelletier, had fought with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. William was with the artillery and survived some of the war’s toughest battles, including the Somme, Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele. He suffered several respiratory injuries from gas attacks, leaving him medically unfit for combat. He was discharged in early 1918 and married his wife in England before resettling in Toronto. After having four children, the trauma of the Great War caught up with William, and he would spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital being treated for shellshock.
Grandpa Bern grew up without a father figure throughout his life. Although he was born after the First World War, this upbringing showed that the war still impacted his family life. But still, when Canada was calling on young men to enlist, he did.
The Italian Campaign
Grandpa Bern would not see a battle until July 1943, when he and the Canadian 1st Division took part in the Allied Invasion of Sicily. With his battalion, the Saskatoon Light Infantry, Bern took part in some of Canada’s toughest fighting in the Italian Campaign. In his first battle, Bern had his first near death experience. While his landing craft was making its way to shore, the landing craft ahead of him was hit by an enemy torpedo and exploded. There were no known survivors. But my grandfather’s boat kept moving and made it to shore. Throughout the war, my grandfather would face other near-death experiences and injuries. He got trapped under a Sherman tank, his hearing was permanently damaged when a bomb exploded right next to his position, and he was shot in the hand.
“Jesus did that ever surprise me, I heard the bullet whistle right past my ear,” he said in a recorded conversation in 2012.
On mainland Italy, Bern fought the Germans in the tight city streets. He described the Germans as “terrific” soldiers; or in his words, “you had to shoot them.” On one occasion, his platoon sergeant instructed him to take a young soldier named Tommy under his wing as they occupied a building.
“Watch the other side of the road, Jerry is sniping over there, so keep away from the windows,” he said. The term, Jerry, was a nickname for German soldiers that has its origins in the First World War.
Tommy did not hear Bern’s instructions. As he moved closer to Bern to get some clarification, he was shot and killed.
“He could have picked me off… but I was battle savvy, and I knew just where they would be,” Bern said years later. “His first day in the line, he shouldn’t have been up there with us.”
This was almost an everyday occurrence for Canadians in Italy; however, Canadians pushed forward. After heavy fighting at Ortona and Monte Cassino, among other major battles, Canada and the Allies liberated Italy. These victories came at a heavy cost: over 26,000 casualties, 6,000 of which were fatal.
Liberation of the Netherlands
Towards the end of the fighting in Italy, the Germans, for the most part, were on the retreat. While American and Soviet forces invaded Germany, Canadians were sent north to the Netherlands. During their occupation, the Germans starved the people of the Netherlands. When the Canadians arrived, they encountered weak but hopeful citizens. Canadian soldiers would give emergency rations to young Dutch children.
My grandfather often collaborated with local underground Dutch resistance fighters. The Canadians and local resistance shared a common goal: liberation. Resistance members shared secrets with Canadian soldiers, which helped them find German positions and advance.
On May 5, 1945, the Canadians liberated the Netherlands. Sadly, this successful campaign came at the cost of 7,600 Canadian lives.
“There [comes] a point in war when you feel like nobody should have to go through this, and more often than not, I felt that way,” he said, when talking about the slaughter of the war. “There’s nothing you can do about it, you just have to live it out.”
Camaraderie and the end of the war
Despite the horrors, there was a lot of humanity and camaraderie between fellow Canadian soldiers. Together, they would drink, go sightseeing, play games and gamble. In Italy, Canadian soldiers liked the wine – it was a luxury to many of the boys.
My grandfather used music as a way to find peace during his downtime. During the war he played the clarinet, and after the war, he picked up the harmonica. He admitted he was not a great clarinet, but he played it anyway. On April 8, 1945, when the war in Europe had officially ended, he celebrated by playing an American marching band song he had learned called Anchors Away. The Saskatoon Light Infantry was positioned across a river from one of the last remaining German positions.
“I played to the Canadians, I played to the Germans… I just played, I was just so happy,” he said.
“Come on, Pelletier, that’s enough,” a fellow Canadian soldier said to him. “Look at the Germans over there, even they can’t take it.”
“I feel sorry for you guys, you don’t deserve it, but those bastards do,” he said, joking about his playing abilities. “They’re going to get a little more, and then I’ll knock it off.”
After the war
When the Canadian government offered free university tuition to all Canadians who served overseas, my grandfather knew that was the right path for him. He started his studies at McGill, eventually earning a PhD in geology at Johns Hopkins University. He then pursued a successful career as an arctic explorer and geological researcher for the Government of Canada.
He got married, had six children, and six grandchildren. While he was working, he largely tried to move on from the war, but it followed him for the rest of his life – just like many other veterans who served.
In the 2000s, he made several trips back to Europe for the celebrations and anniversary events for the Italian Campaign and the Liberation of the Netherlands. In his later years, he spoke to schools and community organizations about his experience, he was interviewed by many newspapers, and he opened up about his experience during the war to his grandchildren.
During one of his trips overseas, he visited the Canadian cemetery at Monte Cassino. There are hundreds of cemeteries across Europe with Canadian graves, but this one had the remains of someone he never really personally knew, but who meant a lot to him: his brother-in-law and my great-uncle, Lieutenant Harry Lamb. At Harry’s grave, Bern had a moment of reflection. He pulled out his harmonica and played Amazing Grace.
Part-way through the song, he paused and said, “Harry, you rest in peace. You’re my comrade, my brother.” And then, he finished the song.
Bern Pelletier died May 20, 2013 at 89. He was a funny man with incredible stories, who lived through the greatest armed conflict that the world has ever seen. He may not be with us anymore, but his stories live on through his children, grandchildren and all of the available recorded archives we have from his experiences during the war.
This year, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. As the years go on, the number of living veterans gradually decreases. Eventually, there will not be any more of them alive.
The world is focusing on the current events relating to COVID-19, but that does not mean we should stop thinking about the past. Let us always remember those who served and sacrificed during the Second World War. These young men and women put their lives on the line for our freedoms today.
If my grandfather or his siblings were still here, I would be thanking him for his actions. Instead, I thank all of those who are still with us to share their stories, and I remember all of those were not fortunate enough to do the same.
Feature image provided by Jeff Pelletier.
