[Continuing a series of short excerpts from The Story of Canada, the recently republished history of Canada for kids and families that makes such a good Christmas gift.]
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| Alan Daniel, "Homecoming" |
from Chapter 9:
"During the Second World War, Canadians went all over the world to fight by land, sea, and air. In 1941, Canadian soldiers sailed away to defend the British colony of Hong Kong. After the Japanese army overran the colony, more than 500 Canadians died horribly, in battle ore in the prison camps. Most Canadian soldiers, however, went to Britain. The army trained there, waiting for a chance to liberate Europe. Farley Mowat, a young soldier in the Canadian Army's First Division, wrote, "The troops fought imaginary battles in the English fields and landes until they grew numb with fatigue." The soldiers complained about the cold and the damp and the food, and many swore that after the war they would never eat Brussels sprouts again."
