May 8th is a special day for World War II veteran Fred Durrand. Not only is it his birthday, but it’s also the day Germany surrendered, ending the war in Europe; and it’s the day he got married to his war bride Josie, the love of his life.
So not to many squares on the calendar can match May 8. But July 23, 2019 might be in the running for a prize too, because on that day he was honoured by the Naden Band, in front of a packed audience at the Chemainus Band Shell in Water Wheel Park.
Fred is among the few WWII veterans still alive, but his memories of the war years are keen. He hadn’t strayed very far from his hometown of Revelstoke, B.C., when he boarded a train for Calgary to enlist in the Canadian armed forces in October, 1942 at the age of 18. It was a different man who returned home, via Vancouver in 1946.
The second biggest birthday gift Fred can remember in his 95-year history was VE-Day on May 8, 1945; the biggest, his marriage to Josie – the beautiful young Dutch woman he met as a soldier in Amsterdam, and married in Revelstoke on May 8, 1947.
Fred served with the 8th Brigade, in the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. As a signals dispatch rider, he delivered vital information to commanders advancing from the beachhead in Normandy, through Brussels, and on to Amsterdam.
His experiences of war have made Fred a fervent advocate for peace as the only sensible way of resolving global conflicts.
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