Canada Remembers Times - 2009 Edition - Page 4

Toronto Wins 1942 Grey Cup

The Western Interprovincial Football Union and the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, two unions who would later come together to form the Canadian Football League, suspended operations for the duration of the Second World War. Why? Many of their players enlisted for service.

However, this suspension of operations did not mean no one played for the Grey Cup. Teams were formed in the military services, which included players from the two football unions.

The Toronto Royal Canadian Air Force Hurricanes and the Winnipeg Royal Canadian Air Force Bombers played for the 1942 Grey Cup at Varsity Stadium, in Toronto. In icy field conditions Toronto defeated Winnipeg 8 to 5. In London, England, Canadian servicemen and civilians listened to a radio broadcast of the game.

Did You Know?

To improve their weather forecasting capabilities, the Germans secretly placed weather stations in sparsely-populated areas in the Arctic during the Second World War. In 1943, an automated weather station was placed in northern Labrador by a German U-boat. It stopped working after only a few days and was forgotten about until the late 1970s. It is now on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Keeping Fit in the Desert

Being a member of the Canadian Forces means you have to keep in top shape. But how to get a good workout when you are in war-torn Afghanistan? Surprisingly, finding a gym is not usually a big problem! The larger army bases have modern weight rooms, but even the smallest bases often find a way of setting up a bench and some weights so the soldiers can still workout.

The Inter-Allied Games

Even though fighting in the First World War had ended with the Armistice on November 11, 1918, there were still thousands of Allied soldiers in Europe, either waiting to go home or as part of the Army of Occupation.

To keep these soldiers busy—and fit!—the Inter-Allied Games were held at Pershing Stadium just outside of Paris, France, from June 22 to July 6, 1919. Twenty-nine countries were invited and nearly 1,500 soldier-athletes participated in some twenty events including baseball, rugby, swimming, track and field and boxing. Canada took home the silver medal in the 4 x 200 metre relay event, while J. Howard and H. E. Lapierre won the bronze medals in the 100 metres and 1,500 metres, respectively.

Entertaining the Troops

To help maintain the morale of soldiers during the rough crossing to France on D-Day, Sergeant Johnny Lombardi, an Italian-Canadian from Ontario, played popular songs on the trumpet. Lombardi remained in Holland until 1946, entertaining troops waiting to return to Canada. On June 6, 1966, exactly 22 years after D-Day, he established CHIN Radio in Toronto. The station is devoted to multicultural programming and is still broadcasting today.

For more information, see the “Juno Beach” Historica Minute at
www.histori.ca/minutes.

Alice Robitaille was born in Québec in 1923. A musical prodigy, she joined Rose Ouellette’s troupe at the Théâtre National in Montréal at age 12, changing her name to Alys Robi.

During the Second World War, Alys toured military bases, becoming the “soldiers’ darling.”

In 1947, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) invited Alys to sing during the first-ever televised programme. She sang “Vive la Canadienne,” the military march of the Royal 22e Régiment.

Experience Vimy

You can visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, the site of one of Canada’s famous battles of the First World War, from the comfort of home!

View it from different angles, zoom in for a closer look at the statues, or read the 11,285 individual names inscribed on the Memorial.

Go to the Veterans Affairs Canada Web site at www.veterans.gc.ca to “Experience Vimy” today!

A Hero on Two Fields

Jeff Nicklin was a star lineman for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football team in the 1930s. He joined the army in 1940 and became a paratrooper (a soldier who parachutes onto the battlefield). He landed behind enemy lines on D-Day and was wounded in action, earning a decoration for bravery. Lieutenant-Colonel Nicklin became the commanding officer of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. He was killed in March 1945 during the Battle of the Rhine.

The “Jeff Nicklin Trophy” is now awarded annually to the most valuable player in the Canadian Football League’s Western Conference. 

Student Guide Program

Live in France for four months, learn and teach others about Canada’s military history and make friends while working at a Canadian War Memorial! The Veterans Affairs Canada Student Guide Program offers this unforgettable experience.

Public Announcements

December 18, 1916

The St. John’s branch of the Newfoundland Women’s Patriotic Association will be collecting any mitts, socks and scarves, which local ladies have knit for the boys fighting overseas in the Great War this Thursday at Government House.

May 2, 1943

St. Catherine Street will be the site of a parade today to kick off the next Canadian War Bond campaign. Help Montréal meet its fundraising goal for the war effort. Alys Robi will perform.

September 7, 1952

All servicemen are invited to a dance in the Officers’ Mess at CFB Shilo Saturday evening, prior to deployment to Korea. Volunteers from the Ladies Auxiliary will be present. Dress uniforms are mandatory.

• Previous: Page 3 of search results
• 1: Page 1 of search results 2: Page 2 of search results 3: Page 3 of search results 4Page 4 of search results