N.B. couple take emotional tour of battle sites, 80 years after end of Second World War

Mark Leger · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 4:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Dawn Bowie's begetter was a seasoned of the Second World War and returned to Europe successful 1995 for the 50th day commemorations of the extremity of the war.

"That was his archetypal clip returning to France and Holland and things since the war, and it truly gave him a consciousness of bid earlier helium died," Bowie said.

Thirty years later, Dawn and her husband, Albert, are successful Europe themselves, touring France and Holland arsenic portion of the 80th day commemorations. It's an affectional travel for the couple, who unrecorded successful Maugerville, southeast of Fredericton.

Family members connected some sides served during the satellite wars of the past century.

Dawn's maternal gramps served successful the First World War and the Second World War. She besides had an uncle who served arsenic a gunner successful the Second World War, and her parent had a cousin, Percy Scott, who was killed successful enactment successful the Second World War. 

The connections besides tally heavy for Albert and it was meaningful for him and Dawn to beryllium successful Amsterdam for the country's Liberation Day ceremonies connected May 5. His begetter served successful France, Belgium and Holland during the Second World War.

"I conscionable fundamentally followed my dad's footsteps erstwhile helium landed successful France and up done Belgium, Holland," Albert said. "It gave maine a small spot of closure.

"My dada was an technologist with the 12th Field Company, truthful I got to spot what helium did and wherever helium really worked and what helium did to assistance liberate the Dutch radical successful the Netherlands."

'We telephone them our warfare heroes'

Dawn and Albert went overseas with a circuit radical and began their travel successful Paris. They toured the bluish battlefields successful France that covered some satellite wars and are wrapping up their travel successful Amsterdam, attending events and sites that commemorate the liberation of the state from Nazi Germany. 

On Sunday, they attended the commemoration ceremonial astatine the Holten Canadian War Cemetery, attended by Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands and Governor General Mary Simon. 

"That was a precise affectional and a precise beauteous service," Dawn said. "There were astir 6,000 of america there."

They brought photos of their fathers, and Dawn had a photograph of her gramps arsenic well.

"We telephone them our warfare heroes and we wore [their photos] astir our necks," Dawn said.

 "When [we] visited Percy Scott's graveite, I was precise amazed however affectional it was. We near a poppy determination and a Canadian emblem and 1 of the pins from our tour."

'You're connected ineffable ground'

There were 46 tourists connected the autobus with 4 unit members who knew the idiosyncratic histories of their passengers. At the cemetery wherever Percy Scott was buried, 1 of the circuit operators approached Dawn and took her to his grave.

"You person this feeling of connection, that you're connected ineffable ground," she said. "You astir consciousness their beingness determination arsenic if possibly they're saying, 'I cognize you're present and convey you for coming.'"

Albert is simply a seasoned himself, inspired to articulation by his mother, who served successful the Second World War successful Newfoundland, which wasn't portion of Canada astatine the time. She had been inspired to articulation by John McRae's celebrated poem, In Flanders Fields.

"So I consciousness a peculiar transportation to John McRae," helium said.

Albert's begetter didn't speech astir his experiences successful the war, truthful he's recovered this sojourn helpful.

"For me, seeing wherever helium stood oregon wherever helium really worked, it gave maine a small spot much closure, successful arsenic acold arsenic that goes, and I'm capable to recognize a small spot more," Albert said. "But successful hindsight, I consciousness helium should person talked a small spot much astir it."

Veterans made brave choices

Dawn said galore warfare veterans weren't capable to speech astir their experiences.

"I tin recognize wherefore immoderate of them didn't due to the fact that they faced horrific circumstances," she said.

She admires their bravery for choosing to combat and for their patriotism.

"I recognize wherefore they person [such] dedication to their state … due to the fact that the Canadians were not conscripted," she said.

"They volunteered to spell into the military, truthful they came implicit with a precise beardown consciousness of work to our state and wanting the satellite to beryllium a amended spot and everybody to beryllium capable to acquisition ideology and state and stopping those that we're going to get successful the mode [of that]."