Finding An Old Photo Treasure Of My Father

While writing my recent post about this year’s Remembrance Day and looking for photos to include there was one special one I wanted but couldn’t find. In fact, I’d been looking for this lost photo ever since I started blogging. Then yesterday, while looking for an old cable in the gadget box in the closet behind my office, I happened to see an envelope of Kodak pictures – and there it was. The photo below was taken at the Victoria Veteran’s Cemetery on November 11, 1999 and was featured on the front page of the local Victoria Daily Colonist newspaper.

November 11, 1999 – Veteran’s Cemetery, Victoria, B.C.

In the above photo left to right are my Father, Tom Doyle (77), Adrianne Jenks (6) and Tom Bell (101).  My Dad served in the WWII and landed with the Winnipeg Rifles on D-Day on Juno Beach, he was captured and spent the remainder of the wary in a German POW camp; Adrianne Jenks is the daughter of a Canadian Forces soldier who was on peacekeeping duty in East Timor; Tom Bell served in both WWI and WWII and retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1946 as a Squadron Leader.

One of the reasons I really wanted to find this photo was because it is the only one our family has of my Dad wearing his war medals. Growing up, I never ever saw him wear them as for some reason he never went to Remembrance Day ceremonies. His medals just stayed in a case in a dresser drawer in his bedroom;

It wasn’t until after he traveled back to Juno Beach in Normandy in 1994 for the 50th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion that he slowly began to change a bit. He joined a Royal Winnipeg Rifles WWII veteran’s association and he and my Mom used to attend all the reunions, dinners and dances in Vancouver. That, I believe, is how he came to be chosen to represent WWII vets for the 1999 ceremony but again, I don’t know for sure as all the “war stuff” was always a “big secret”. Glad I found the photo!

Mason’s first visit to his Great-Grandpa this past November 11th

Our daughter Carrie has pretty much always assumed the role of family historian and custodian of important photos, mementos, albums and other items related to our family. She is very interested in this and does a great job. So, I wasn’t surprised at all when Carrie took Mason to the Veteran’s Cemetery on November 11th to place flowers at the gravesites of her Grandfather and Grandmother; Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother as well as two Great Uncles.

Here, Mason is sweeping pine needles off the plaque of his Great-Grandma

One thing is for sure and it’s that Carrie told Mason all about his Great Grandparents while they were there. Even though he’s far too young now to understand, I’m sure this will become an annual tradition and gradually he will get to know all about why so many of his family members are buried in the Veteran’s Cemetery. It’s never too early to begin to teach our little ones a bit of family history.

My Grandfather, Richard Doyle – gravesite in the foreground

Thanks for visiting!