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Old 12-30-2017, 07:21 AM
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Thumbs up WWII veteran, 94, living in Tillsonburg, Ont., appointed to French Legion of Honour

WWII Veteran, 94, living in Tillsonburg, Ont., appointed to French Legion of Honour
By ALANNA RIZZAStaff Reporter - Fri., Dec. 29, 2017
RE: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...of-honour.html

Harry Sanders always loved being around water. So he was excited to join the British merchant navy and serve his country during the Second World War.

Born in 1923 in South Shields, a small town in England, Sanders left home when he turned 18 to be a radio officer during the war. One of his duties was sending and receiving messages in Morse code.

After serving on 18 convoys from 1942 to 1946, Sanders — now 94 years old — was just this month appointed a Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour, the highest civilian distinction in France.

Sanders received the honour in a Dec. 14 ceremony in Tillsonburg, Ont., where he lives with his wife Carolyn.

The appointment recognizes Sanders’ efforts on D-Day on June 6, 1944 when he served as First Class Radio Officer on a ship that transported about 1,500 American soldiers to help take the German-occupied coast of Normandy in France, specifically Omaha Beach.

Taking back Omaha Beach was a priority of Allied forces including the United States, British, Canadian and French. Over 425,000 Allied and German troops died in the Battle of Normandy.

During the ceremony in front of about 150 people, Sanders told the crowd that he was delighted, yet he felt as if he wasn’t entirely deserving of the honour since thousands died during the invasion.

“At the ceremony I said I dedicate and I share my honour in memory of every soldier left behind on the beach that day,” Sanders said in a phone interview. “And may their courage and sacrifice be ever remembered.”

Sanders said he felt as though he brought the 1,500 Americans just to be killed, and that they should be receiving more recognition than him.

“I saw so many people killed. I can’t really describe hell, but I think I saw it that day.”

Tillsonburg Mayor Stephen Molnar said the ceremony was part of the town’s annual gathering to recognize members of the community. Marc Trouyet, the Consul General of France in Toronto, presented Sanders with an insignia.

Sanders was nominated for the award in 2015 after a world-wide search to find potential honorees. Sanders had to fill out paperwork describing his service, which then had to be vetted by the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor.

A letter was sent to Sanders from Kareen Rispal, the French ambassador to Canada, notifying him of his award.

“It is awarded in recognition of your personal involvement in the liberation of our country during World War II,” Rispal wrote in the letter. “Through you, France remembers the sacrifice of all your compatriots who came to liberate French soil.”

According to the Legion of Honour website, about 3,000 people receive the insignia each year for “demonstrated outstanding merits in the service of the nation, in a military or a civilian capacity.” There are five categories: Knight, Officer, Commander, Grand Officer and Grand Cross.

D-Day wasn’t Sanders’ only near-encounter with death. On his second convoy in June 1942, Sanders’ ship was hit by a German torpedo and it began to sink. Sanders said that he, along with nine other men, managed to stay afloat on a raft at first.

With no help in sight, Sanders said, men kept dying one by one over the next 10 days until he was the only survivor.

“No message went out to anyone or it was impossible to send out a message and no one knew where we were or had reported us missing,” said Sanders, who suffered a dislocated shoulder. “So the possibility of us being discovered by anyone was almost impossible. So the days went by and more people died — most during the evening.”

Luckily, he was eventually spotted by a fisherman in the port city of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

Sanders quickly realized his excitement for joining the war was “stupid.”

“I was just a boy. I wasn’t even a man then. I was just a boy thinking I was ready to go to war.”

When his service ended, Sanders moved to Montreal in 1952 for about six months and then to Winnipeg to work as a manager for Hudson’s Bay before ending up in Tillsonburg.

Sanders still found himself drawn to the water after the war.

Twice a year he and his wife took cruises to tropical locations, including Hawaii. “So I was still at sea but in another capacity. I was just enjoying being on a ship.”

Three years ago Sanders wrote a personal narrative for his son titled “WWII at Sea.” In 40 pages, he describes every convoy including Omaha Beach.

“Then came the wounded on crutches helped by nurses. Bloody bandages, I.V. drips, men with missing arms, some blind,” Sanders wrote. “As this dreadful scene was occurring, the cruelest, most unfortunate, most untimely, drama occurred: into the dock area marched 500 fresh healthy raw recruits.”

Sanders wrote the narrative at his son’s request since he didn’t talk much about the war before.

“I just didn’t think it was proper to talk about it. I was just a sailor fighting for my country,” Sanders said.

Now he spends his days listening to classical music and reading for about eight hours a day.

“Life is good to me,” Sanders said. “And I think I’ve got another 10 years.”
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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