Naval veterans to gather for reunion
Seventy-two years after he helped shepherd D-Day troops ashore at Normandy, Capt. Bill Wilson is guiding navy veterans toward a Calgary reunion.
Wilson, who served as a seaman gunner in the destroyer HMCS Ottawa during the Second World War invasion, is at the helm of the twoday Navy Days at The Military Museums this Saturday and Sunday.
It’s hoped the first-ever event will bring together hundreds of navy veterans and their families, said Wilson, director of the Naval Museum of Alberta which is part of the Military Museums.
“We don’t know who they are but we’re going to try to find them,” said Wilson, 92, whose vessel sank three German U-boats during the war.
“In Alberta, there are a lot of naval veterans, so we view it as a natural extension of our job to keep the naval community in touch with each other.”
He estimates there are as many as 3,000 naval veterans in Alberta whose duties ranged from active war-fighting to peacetime service.
Admission to the museum will be waived for naval veterans and their families, with guided tours of the naval wing on Saturday.
Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr is expected to attend the event Saturday morning when new exhibits — large scale models of HMC Ships Nipigon and Huron — will be unveiled.
On Sunday, the National Band of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve will perform at 1 p.m. while on-ship traditions will be observed.
“We’re going to toast the navy and everybody will get a tot of rum, provided they’re of age,” said Wilson. Those who attend will also have a chance to purchase naval memorabilia such as cap talleys, brass lanterns, ships’ plaques, books, and ship models.
“We’re selling off a whole bunch of stuff we’ll never use — we have to thin out our inventory, we’re getting short of space,” said Wilson.
Navy Days begins at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
The RCN served in at least five conflicts during the 20th and 21st centuries, and during the two world wars, performed vital antisubmarine tasks.