DAHLIN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-06-06 published
Wounded on the sands of Normandy, his one-day war ended on D-Day
His life was saved by a thick letter from home he had tucked
into the breast pocket of his tunic. It deflected a bullet into
his ribs and his arm, and he spent the rest of his life selling
insurance in small-town Ontario
By F.F. LANGAN,
Special to The Globe and Mail, Page S8
Don DONER's war lasted just one day - D-Day, June 6, 1944.
The night before, he boarded a ship in Southampton on the southern
coast of England. It was pitch dark, but he and the rest of the
Queen's Own Rifles of Canada had practised the drill so many
times they didn't need any light.
They had been in the port since June 4, waiting for the signal
for the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. They knew the real
thing was coming when breakfast arrived. "The last meal, so to
speak, of the condemned," he said in a memoir written in 1982.
"It was bacon and eggs - something unheard of in the army."
A storm had just passed through the area, leaving behind rough
seas. Just off the French coast, he and the other men from 8 Section
of 9 Platoon, "A" Company of the Queen's Own, left the mother
ship, transferred to assault craft A9 and headed toward the beach
at Bernieres-sur-mer. It was their bad luck to be among the first
to land in Normandy on D-Day, and worse for Mr.
DONER. He was
second in line to enter the water, right behind his pal Corporal
Hugh ROCKS.
"We were elected to be the assault section for the platoon, which
meant that we would be first to leap off the assault craft, carry
bangalores [long, cylindrical mines], steel ladders, wire mesh
and any other material that would assist us in scaling the sea
wall and blowing holes in the barbed wire," wrote Mr.
DONER.
Don DONER was no gung-ho, Royal Canadian Legion cliché of a soldier.
He was just a kid who joined the army at 19 and soon grew cynical
about the military and the war. He often went Absent Without
Leave, mostly to visit girlfriends. A good-looking young man,
he found falling in love rather easy. One time, he got cold feet
and backed out of an engagement to a young British woman, although
he did leave the material for the wedding dress - he'd had it
sent from Canada - at her front door.
Riding toward the beach that morning he felt frightened, and
believed most of the young men on the landing craft were no braver.
"Just a bunch of ordinary guys thrown together by fate, not mad
at anybody, not wanting to die or be maimed or blinded, just
wanting to live and let live," he wrote. "Had 90 per cent of
us known then what we know now, there wouldn't have been a war
because none of us would have been there to fight it."
They may have been scared, but it didn't stop them fighting.
As their boat approached the beach, a shell destroyed another
landing craft that had been advancing alongside. Their own landing
craft stopped in deep water, unable to go closer. Cpl.
ROCKS,
who was 5 feet 5 inches and a non-swimmer, asked Mr.
DONER to
go first. Standing 6 feet 2 inches, Mr.
DONER stepped off the
boat and found the water up to his chin. Cpl.
ROCKS gamely followed.
Burdened by a full battle kit, ammunition and a rifle, he sank
to the bottom. Mr.
DONER grasped his friend's hands underwater
and led him part way to the beach.
Meanwhile, enemy machine-gun bullets flew thick and fast, and
artillery and mortar shells exploded all around. Wounded or killed
outright, many of the Queen's Own never cleared the surf.
The soldiers had orders that if a man was hit they were to leave
him until the beach was secure. Mr.
DONER saw one of his Friends
in the water with massive wounds. He ignored his call for help,
in part because it was obvious he was close to death. In the
confusion, Mr.
DONER lost sight of Cpl.
ROCKS. A short while
later, he went back to look for him. He found him dead, shot
between the eyes.
Cpl. ROCKS, a hard-rock miner from Kirkland Lake, Ontario, was
40. Probably the oldest man from the unit to be killed on the
beach that day, he had lied about his age to get into the war.
As a married man in what was considered a vital industry, it
is unlikely he would have been conscripted.
By that time, Mr.
DONER had also been wounded. As implausible
as it seems, his life was saved by mail from home. A bullet aimed
straight at his chest hit the corner of an envelope containing
a thick letter from his sister. He had put the letter in his
breast pocket, and its many folds absorbed most of the impact.
The bullet deflected off a rib and ended up in his arm. He was
also struck many times over by bits of shrapnel that entered
other parts of his body and would, years later, set off metal
detectors at airports.
The key to survival was to get out of the line of fire. All around
him, soldiers furiously dug down into the sand. "Steve DE
BLOIS
and I set a world record for digging a slit trench, wounded or
not," he wrote.
The Queen's Own Rifles had landed near Bernieres-sur-mer just
after 8 a.m. The rough seas meant the tanks were late coming
ashore, and the infantry landed without their support. To make
matters worse, the assault craft had taken them several hundred
metres away from their planned objective and set them down right
in front of a strong German position that included a powerful
88-mm gun.
"They received the worst battering of any Canadian unit on D-Day
crossing the beaches," said Steve Harris, director of history
at the Department of National Defence, whose father, Lieutenant J.P.
Harris, was wounded while landing with the same regiment. In
all, 60 men of Queen's Own were killed and another 78 were wounded,
the worst casualty figures of any Canadian unit on D-Day.
In spite of the strength of the German positions, the regiment
more than met their objectives. "So fast did the Queen's Own
move against this and other positions that when the Regiment
de la Chaudiere began to land behind them 15 minutes later, the
only fire on the beach was coming from snipers," wrote war correspondent
Chester Wilmot in his book, The Struggle for Europe.
Medics treated Mr.
DONER's wounds on the beach and he was given
the job of guarding some German prisoners. Some of them spoke
English and they engaged him in conversation while all around
the battle raged. "I talked with a German prisoner of war who
wondered, much as I did, why he was there and blamed it all on
the big wheels far removed from the battle area."
Mr. DONER was shipped back to England that day. A week later,
he was sent home to Canada. His one-day war was over.
Don DONER was born in a Prairie village about 100 kilometres
southeast of Saskatoon, but grew up in Toronto. His mother had
died giving birth to him, and soon after that the family moved
east to Ontario, where his father remarried. In Toronto, he attended
Northern Secondary School on Mount Pleasant Road. He spent summers
at his uncle's farm near Stayner, about 70 kilometres north of
the city.
He enlisted in the army in September, 1941, and trained at Camp
Borden in Ontario before being shipped to England. Like many
young soldiers, he was not used to strong drink and freedom,
and he got into a lot of trouble. He was disciplined several
times for returning late to barracks, often after spending the
evening at pubs and dances.
After the war, he worked for a time at European Silk in Toronto.
By 1950, he and his brother Bob had retreated to the peace and
quiet of small-town life in Alliston, Ontario Together, they
set up an insurance brokerage called Doner Brothers. They got
married and bought houses next door to each other. Don and his
wife, Josephine, had six daughters; Bob and his wife, Maxine,
had six sons.
Today, Alliston is the site of a busy Honda factory, and has
grown enormously, but back then it was a typical, small Ontario
community. "Alliston was like Mayberry. It had one stop light
and my father's office was a drop-in spot for every character
in town," said his daughter, Joanna
DAHLIN. "
Once a month, they
ran a poker game in the basement."
Late in life, Mr.
DONER was contacted by George
ROCKS, son of
Corporal Hugh
ROCKS, the man he had tried to save on D-Day. George
ROCKS was 6 when his father died.
"An uncle of mine read Don
DONER's name in a book on D-Day and
I contacted him. Speaking to Don brought everything to a close
for me, to learn just how my father died," said Mr.
ROCKS. "No
one in my family ever spoke much about the war. There was no
celebration in our house when the war ended. I was 30 before
I learned my father died on D-Day."
For his part, Mr.
DONER's views of the war and his role in it
changed little over the years. While he felt the conflict had
a purpose, he believed senior officers did not really know what
they were expecting of Canada's young men. For many years, he
refused to discuss the whole rotten business, and it was not
until he was in his sixties that he began to talk about his experiences.
Donald Grieve
DONER was born in Simpson, Saskatchewan, on July 23,
1922. He died at Sunnybrook Veterans Hospital in Toronto, of
complications from Parkinson's disease, on May 3, 2008. He was
85. He is survived by his wife, Josephine (Josie), and his daughters
Joanna, Christine, Mary, Helen, Martha and Jennifer. He also
leaves his half-sisters Marilyn, Kay, Nan and Dorothy. His brother
Bob died in January, 1987.
D... Names DA... Names DAH... Names Welcome Home
DAHLIN - All Categories in OGSPI
DAHM o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-07-07 published
GUY,
Marjorie "
Mickie" (née
JELLEY)
Of London passed away peacefully at her Mount Hope Residence
on Thursday July 3, 2008. Mickie was born in Weybridge, England
in 1924 and came to Canada in 1946 as a bride with her dashing
Canadian serviceman Harold John. She was predeceased by him and
her parents Fred and Hilda
JELLEY and her dear sister Audrey
BAREFOOT.
Mickie lived a full and generous life. She brought
laughter, music and joy to every occasion. She was a wonderfully
loving mother to Vaughn and Derek, a very warm and generous friend
to her daughters-in-law, Mary Ann and Debbie. She indulged her
four grandchildren Pamela (Toby
JONES,)
Andrew
(Karin
DAHM,)
Devon and Darien with love, stories, gifts, songs and dance steps.
She is also survived by her dear sister Vera Harrison and many
nieces and nephews. The family recognizes the wonderful care
and support provided by Doctor
BRUBACHER,
Pauline
COUSINEAU and
the 2nd Floor Staff of Saint Mary's. The thoughtful daily attention
provided by Ann
STEMP is remembered fondly. Mickie's family will
receive her relatives and Friends at Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel,
1997 Dundas Street (at Wavell), London, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
on Thursday July 10th, 2008. A celebration of Mickie's life will
follow in the chapel at 11 a.m. Interment will be at Forest Lawn
Memorial Gardens. A reception will be held afterwards in the
Forest Lawn Chapel. Memorial donations to the Heart and Stroke
Foundation are suggested. Online condolences are welcome at www.memorialfuneral.ca
D... Names DA... Names DAH... Names Welcome Home
DAHM - All Categories in OGSPI
DAHMER o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-07-16 published
HESSE,
Stanley
John
Called home to be with his beloved wife on or about May 23. 2008
at his winter home in Hollywood, Florida. Summers he spent at
his Canadian home in Goderich, Ontario. Stanley was born in Stratford,
Ontario on August 23, 1929 and was predeceased by his parents
Wilfred John
HESSE (1956) and
Elimna
Salome
(DAHMER) (1945)
once niece, Cheryll Anne
HESSE (1997;) and his wife
Myrtle
Adeline
(CLARK) (2006.) Left to mourn his passing are his brother and
sister-in-law, Robert and Lucy
HESSE of Brussels, Ontario, three
nieces; Linda
VANKOOLEN of Stratford, Ontario, Barbara
WAHL of
Medicine
Hat,
Alberta and Beverly
HEARN of Calgary, Alberta and
one step-nephew. Norman
WELSH of Kitchener, Ontario. A celebration
and memorial service of Stanley's life and his travels will be
held at the Salvation Army Citadel, Suncoast Drive, Goderich,
Ontario on Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 1: 00 p.m. Visitation will
be one hour prior to the service. Cremation has taken place.
Memorial donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Huron-Perth
Branch or to the Salvation Army. Goderich as expressions of sympathy
would be appreciated and may be arranged through McCallum and Palla
Funeral Home, Goderich 519-524-7345. Friends may sign the book
of condolences at www.mccallumpalia.ca
D... Names DA... Names DAH... Names Welcome Home
DAHMER - All Categories in OGSPI
DAHR o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2008-05-02 published
Suspect arrested
Police won't say if they've established a motive
By Joe BELANGER and Joe
MATYAS,
Fri.,
May 2, 2008
Police search the area around an apartment building at 24 Gammage
St. where the city's first homicide of the year took place early
yesterday. (Susan
BRADNAM,
Sun
Media)
Police arrested a suspect and seized a vehicle yesterday as they
probed the killing of a Halifax man visiting the city.
The body of Wayne Fulton
DAHR, 54, was found late Wednesday night
in a walkup apartment at 24 Gammage Street, north of Oxford Street.
The Nova Scotia man had been visiting London for the past month,
police said.
Yesterday afternoon, about 17 hours after police were first alerted
to concerns about
DAHR, an unidentified suspect was arrested.
Tight-lipped police weren't talking about the suspect, or who
rents the apartment where the body was found.
But the building registry shows an occupant at unit 306, where
the body was found, with the surname
DAHR, suggesting the dead
man had been visiting a relative.
Police had already found the victim's vehicle, a PT Cruiser,
blocks away from the apartment building where his body was found,
near a four-storey walkup at 1284 Gramercy Park Place, off Brydges
Street.
The vehicle was seized for forensic examination, said Const. Amy
Phillipo.
DAHR was found dead with "obvious trauma," police said, declining
to be more specific.
Police wouldn't say if they've established a motive for the killing.
An autopsy is expected within two days, they said.
Residents of the Gammage Street apartment complex said they saw
police knocking on doors early yesterday and asking questions.
Residents in the clutch of six, three-storey walkups were clearly
taken by surprise.
"A homicide? Really? Here? Who?" asked one.
None of nearly 24 residents interviewed said they heard anything
unusual before police arrived about 11 p.m. Wednesday to "check
the welfare" of someone in the apartment.
"The police knocked on my door around 1 a.m. or 1: 30 a.m. and
asked if I'd heard anything, but I'm in the basement with a floor
between us, so I wouldn't have heard anything," said Darren
EEDEN,
EEDEN and other residents in the well-kept complex said the area
is generally quiet, but for the occasional loud party.
"You'll see some sketchy characters around sometimes, but I haven't
seen any violence,"
EEDEN said.
EEDEN and other residents said they suspect a few drug dealers
live in the area.
Curious residents came and went, watching from windows and balconies
as police and reporters worked the scene.
Officers searched on rooftops and through dumpsters and the grass
around the apartment buildings for clues.
A lock to the building. smashed and broken, lay on the sidewalk.
Police also removed an object from a clothing bin they searched.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-661-5670.
D... Names DA... Names DAH... Names Welcome Home
DAHR - All Categories in OGSPI