Statement made on 11 December 2009 by Senator Wilfred Moore
Hon. Wilfred P. Moore:
Honourable senators, during the week commencing November 27, 2009, a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians travelled to Italy to commemorate the sixty-fifth anniversary of the Italian Campaign in World War II. The delegation was ably led by the Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs, who was joined by Senator Meighen and yours truly, as well as by Mr. Guy André, Mr. Rob Oliphant and Mr. Peter Stoffer of the other place.
Most importantly, the delegation included four veterans of the Italian Campaign: Mr. Henry Beaudry, 88 years of age, of the Sweet Grass First Nations Reserve near North Battleford, Saskatchewan; Mrs. Betty Brown, 92 years, of Ottawa, Ontario; Mr. Roland Demers, 87 years, of Tecumseh, Ontario; and Mr. David Morton, 88 years, of Gibsons, British Columbia. They were joined by World War II veteran Robert Ross, 85 years, of Mississauga, Ontario.
Each of these veterans spoke about their own wartime experiences, some publicly, some in private.
Minister Thompson aptly characterized our mission when he said:
Together, our unique delegation will walk on some of the same streets where Canadians fell. We will walk among the headstones belonging to the youth of another generation. And we will remember them by reading their names aloud; by running our fingers over letters carved in granite, by thinking of dreams unfulfilled, by remembering lives lost. And by remembering families torn apart by their sacrifice.
One of those graves we visited at Cassino was that of Lieutenant Charles A. Ritcey, of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He was the commander of the 11th Independent Machine Gun Company (Princess Louise Fusiliers). He was mortally wounded near the town of Ceprano on May 27, 1944, age 28 years, in the Battle of Cassino, while acting as a forward observation officer in leading his company. His only concern when he was being treated was for his signaller, Fusilier C.B. Musgrave, of Northwest Margaree, Nova Scotia, who was wounded by the same shell that took Lieutenant's Ritcey's life.
Lieutenant Ritcey was the uncle of my spouse, Jane Adams Ritcey.
Two of the delegation were youth: Nolan Hill from Calgary, Alberta, and Melanie Morin of Drummond, New Brunswick, 16 and 17 years of age, respectively. Each spoke eloquently about a deceased soldier from their respective province whose resting place is known only unto God. These two young people represented the youth of Canada very well, and confirmed our pledge to "remember them."
The delegation also participated in ceremonies of remembrance and laid wreaths at the Price of Peace Monument in Ortona, the Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, the Breaching of the Gothic Line Plaque in Rimini and the Coriano Ridge War Cemetery in Rimini.
The Italian Campaign was one of the bloodiest and costliest for Canada in World War II, where more than 6,000 Canadians died. Of the 16 Victoria Crosses bestowed in World War II, three were awarded to Canadians for their heroic services in the Italian Campaign. We visited the sites where those Canadian heroes earned the Victoria Cross — Major J.K. Mahony in Roccasecca; Captain Paul Triquet in San Martino and Private Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith in Cesena. The Italian Campaign has not received the attention of other campaigns but deserves more attention and should be taught to our young people. Perhaps that attention will prompt all Canadians to reflect on the price of freedoms gained, and ensure that we shall keep our pledge to remember those who fell and those who suffered injury.