Sunday, May 3, 2015

The Second World War Ended Seventy Years Ago

    Readers will be thinking that I'm on a roll as far as posts on war is concerned.

     A  number of things have come together at the same time to make this post more meaningful.   I was born in October of 1939 so it was a few days after the war started. I remember small bits of the war from the experience of a young child. We saw many soldiers. Our farm was near a training airport so planes flew over all day. As  a child I was very interested in planes so I stopped to watch each plane. Some of our uncles were overseas so Mom sent many parcels and I remember watching the packing of the parcels. I remember news reports and it seemed like all they said was German, German, German. We did not get what the message was. 

    After the war many people came back and the war was a common topic. Some things about the war were taught in school. There were ceremonies to mark some of the points of the war.

    As an adult I've read a few books on the Second World War. I've read a couple of biographies about Hitler. 

    Right now I'm reading a biography of Matthew Halton, who was a major war correspondent. He was also carried by the United States news. This biography covers the period before the war and some of the things that lead to the war. The major battles were covered. Halton moved across North Africa and then up Italy. Later he was there for the liberation of Paris and Holland. This has brought back many parts of the war.

    So when remembrances are made on the end of the war I  just happened to be reading about it's history. Major remembrances were made in Holland as Canadian forces were key in liberating Holland. Canadian veterans always remember the kindness of the Dutch people. 

    So I had to take a few moments and post about a major historical event as I was reading about it when the remembrances took place.

     Dispatches from the Front is a very good read. It's written by David Halton, who is the son of Matthew Halton.


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