The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2004 THE NEW TANNER ll 25,000 Canadians were in the forefront of invasions Art Ford among local boys who took part in invasion BY MAGGIE PETRUSHEVSKY The New Tanner Crescent Street resident Art Ford drove the first ammunition truck onto the beach at Courselles for his regiment when they landed in France on D- Day, June 6, 1944. "Tt was just breaking day when I drove onto the beach," Ford recalls. "The guns had just landed and the infantry behind them. We left our 2 IG-(second in command) for the regi- ment on the beach. We went about five miles that first day." An Acton resident from a very early age, Ford en- listed in the 12" Field Regiment, 43" Battery in Guelph the day he turned 18. Norm Price joined the same day. Since Ford already had considerable training with the Lorne Scots before en- listing for active duty he was put in charge of the machine guns when he joined the artillery. The regiment went to a camp at Sussex, New Brunswick when they fin- ished training locally. Ford was part of the advance guard for that move. They arrived November 5 and were billetted in tents. "We forgot how to shave in a hurry," he says. "The water froze up in the ba- sin so you just didn't bother." That was the camp where they encountered the Chaudieres from Que- bec. Ford says they were such brawlers and rabble- rousers the store windows were barred and everyone in town was afraid of them. When a group re- turned from leave, the camp commander sent a company of soldiers with loaded rifles to escort them, back to camp. That way they all stayed out of trouble and they didn't tangle with the 12" Field Regiment. In July 1941 they crossed the Atlantic on the Duchess of York, or the Drunken Duchess as she was known because of her tendency to roll from side to side -- even in calm seas. They were sent to East- bourne, near London, when they first arrived and wound up on coastal duty for most of their stay. It was while he was in England that Ford asked for and received his trans- fer to driving an ammunition truck. He wanted the switch because it was less responsibility. continued on page 12 'Toronto's Queens Own Rifles received the worst battering of any Canadian unit on D-Day. The initial bombardments on their sector of Juno Beach had barely dented the enemey's fortification. Only a few tanks made it to shore because of high waves. The men made a dash from shoreline to a seawall 183 metres away with no-cover. It was a TAM 32d REVISION Ere tee GeamiEses: 2,209 'The Royal Canadian Navy provided 109 ships and 16,000 sailors as its contribution to the massive armada of 7,000 Allied vessels which put to sea on D-Day. Battling choppy waters and drenching rains they kept the enemy fleet bottled up it its ports...' 'blood bath. Only a handful survived." Their sacrifice on the beaches of Normandy will never be forgotten. "Ted Chuleigh MPP North Halton Constituency Office: a 192 Main St. East, Suite 100 Milton, Ontario LOT 1N8 Tel: (905) 878-1729 Fax: (905) 878-5144 'Ontario Acton Market Place Plaza 372 Queen St. E. 853-1960 Open 24 hours (except Holidays) fobeys UE NOH RernECE moor senet ey iaXe cy) D-Day June 6",1944 UVR RR LOLMCL CMC ALCL LOMO CH Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning eRe "We Will Remember Them" BU item svete wal MecMy oT ROU mSIULIT CC NANT ou Oa elem icon ean Me NC LCL ace Beye) Perit