Four Windsor brothers who went to war
This picture at right was taken on Jan. 26, 1946, after my dad, Clarence Girard, came home from Europe. He was the last of his brothers to arrive home after the war. He joined the Kents on July 20, 1940, at the age of 19 and before the war was over, he would serve in three regiments.
He was transferred to the HLI before being shipped out and when he landed in Naples, he had his first taste of war. They were ambushed and he was shot in the arm and a field mine exploded in front of him, leaving a piece of shrapnel jutting out of his forehead.
After he recovered, he was transferred to the Perth regiment, where he stayed for the duration of the war. In the picture is my dad Clarence Girard standing behind his mother, Rena Girard. Next to my dad are his brothers, Norman, Pete and Leonard, who served in the navy escorting ships across the Atlantic to London. My meme, Rena, and my pepe, William, assistant fire chief. My uncle Pete, whose real name is Edward Joseph, had the most medals of all of them. In May 1945, as the war was winding down, he stuck his rifle in a German bunker and to his surprise, out marched 78 German soldiers, surrendering without incident. My uncle stood only five feet tall and the Germans all stood six feet or more. That, too, was in the Windsor Star — and another of my dad getting off the train, being greeted by my grandfather. I imagine it was taken in the morning of that cold January day when my dad came home.
All of these men are our heroes and especially heroes to my sisters Mary Beth and Cathy and my five late brothers, Ted, Pat, Bill, Don and Paul, who are with him and my mother now. ROBERT JAMES GIRARD, Windsor