Honfleur and Juno Beach -- Canadian connections

Honfleur
Yesterday we visited Honfleur -- a cute little harbour in Lower Normandy. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain organized an expedition that founded what we know now as Quebec. Honfleur thrived on trade with Canada.

Its beautiful little wooden church, Église Sainte-Catherine, is the oldest wooden church in France. It was built in the second half of the 15th century by local axemasters from the naval yard -- without using any saws! The timber church resembles a ship turned upside-down, and the wooden belfry is situated across the street in Place du Marché.

Juno Beach

On June 6, 1944, the Allied armies from Britain, Canada, and the U.S. began Operation Overlord -- the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach. Some 14,000 young Canadians stormed ashore in the face of fierce opposition from German strongholds and mined beach obstacles. They raced across the wide-open beaches swept with machine gun fire, and stormed the gun positions. In fierce hand-to-hand fighting they fought their way into the towns of Bernières, Courseulles and St. Aubin and then advanced inland, securing a critical bridgehead for the allied invasion. The victory was a turning point in World War II and led to the liberation of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany.

We visited the Juno Beach Centre and took a guided tour, which included going down into the German operations bunker, through a tunnel, and into a German observation bunker. We also stood on the vast beach of fine sand, trying to imagine the unimaginable scene that took place on that very spot 71 years ago.

Canadian Cemetery

We were tired after the tour and walking through the many exhibits, but we still wanted to see the Canadian Cemetery in Beny-sur-Mer. We had to ask directions from some locals, but we found it, and I'm so glad we persevered. It was a peaceful place, and an emotional experience.

It is the final resting place of more than 2,000 Canadian servicemen, 19 of whom remain unidentified. Most were members of the Canadian 3rd Division who fell during the landings and the Normandy bridgehead, and the majority were killed between D-Day and the capture of Caen on June 18, 1944. It is also the final resting place of one French and four British servicemen.