I’ve usually been requested what was the spotlight of my latest journey to Normandy. My reply is simple: it was my go to with Nicole Hoffer at her dwelling, Canada Home on Juno Seaside. Why was the assembly so particular? Whereas the home is a personal dwelling, it is usually one of the crucial well-known homes in Normandy and an essential historic website.
It was the primary home to be liberated, by sea, on June 6, 1944….the D-Day invasion of Normandy by the Allies. My go to with Nicole was solely in French and I realized some very fascinating issues about the home, the German occupation, and the Canadian position in Normandy throughout World Battle II.
1. Canada Home On Juno Seaside
Canada Home, which is often known as La Maison des Canadiens, or Maison de Queen’s Personal Rifles of Canada, faces the japanese shoreline of Juno Seaside. It’s positioned in Bernières-sur-Mer, which is simply 2.3 kilometres east of the Juno Seaside Centre Museum. This half-timbered Normandy-style home isn’t owned by Canada or Canadians. It’s owned by Nicole Hoffer and her two sons.
Per week earlier than I headed to Normandy on a latest journey, I contacted Nicole. We selected a mutually handy day and time to fulfill at her dwelling and after I arrived, I used to be warmly welcomed by Nicole and certainly one of her mates.
For about 45 minutes, we sat in the lounge and Nicole shared with me the historical past of the home and what had occurred earlier than, throughout, and after D-Day, June 6, 1944.
2. The Historical past Of Canada Home, France
(a) Possession
Léon Enault was a director of the department shops of the Louvre and Hôtel Crillon in Paris and he owned a lodge on the town within the early twentieth century. In 1928 he had the unique home constructed with two semi-detached houses for his two grandchildren, Rogers and Denise. They had been every given half the home beneath one roof. This might grow to be referred to as Canada Home.
(b) Denise Facet Of The Home
Over the following 8 years, there have been varied house owners of this home till 1936, when Edmond and Cécile Hoffer purchased the left aspect of the home, the Denise aspect, referred to as “L’Étrille” and it has stayed within the household ever since. Their grandson was Hervé and he was the husband of Nicole, the present proprietor. Hervé died in 2017.
(c) Roger Facet Of The Home
The Roger aspect of the home (proper aspect of the home) additionally had many proprietors and in April 2023, “Villa Les Goélands” was offered to the Cœur de Nacre neighborhood. Cœur de Nacre covers 12 kilometres of shoreline and has 5 seaside resorts. Bernières-sur-Mer, the place Canada Home is positioned, is certainly one of them.
3. German Occupation And Requisition Of Canada Home (1943)
Through the struggle, the Germans would ordinarily take over the native château however on this case, the one on the town had been destroyed, so that they selected the Hoffer’s home in 1943. Hervé’s mother and father didn’t dwell in the home whereas the Germans occupied it. Nicole mentioned the household lived in Caen (21 km south of Bernières-sur-Mer) and solely used this Normandy home as a vacation home.
One of many explanation why the home was by no means destroyed through the struggle, whereas different properties had been, was as a result of German troops lived there and it supplied an essential strategic place. It was within the excellent location, overlooking the seashore and the English Channel, so they might see any enemy coming onto the Normandy shores. The entrance lounge window was the perfect place to place machine weapons. The Germans occupied the home from 1943-1944.
4. June 6, 1944: D-Day Normandy Invasion
On the stone wall that borders the home, there are a variety of pictures from the D-Day invasion and the assault on Canada Home. As you may see within the {photograph} close to the start of this put up, the home was broken however not utterly destroyed.
(a) The Normandy Invasion Begins
Earlier than the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, the troopers had seen pictures of the Hoffer home, however orders had been despatched to NOT destroy it. It was nonetheless essential for the operation as a result of it was in an elevated spot and supplied a wonderful place for seeing the water and any advancing troopers. Within the early morning of June 6, 1944, the Normandy Landings commenced and the Canadians of the third Infantry Division landed on Juno Seaside.
The Queen’s Personal Rifles of Canada started the primary assault touchdown on the “Nan” sector of Juno Seaside, after which the eighth brigade of the third Infantry Division (La Chaudière regiment) was tasked with taking on Bernières-sur-Mer which was closely defended by the Germans and their anti-tank partitions.
They had been supported by the tenth Canadian Armored Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse). Studying about all of those regiments and teams of troopers was a bit complicated. However their names are extremely essential as a result of they had been those that succeeded in liberating Bernières-sur-Mer.
(b) The place Is The Seawall At this time?
Canadian veterans of the Normandy Invasion who returned to the realm usually requested what occurred to the seawall. It was essential in defending them from gunfire as they moved inland and approached the home and city. The seawall is now gone as a result of the troopers superior and pushed it down and it was finally coated in sand.
(c) Casualties In Entrance Of Canada Home
By the point the Canadian troopers had taken over the city from the Germans within the late morning of June sixth, 93 Canadian troopers had been killed proper in entrance of this home. Many extra had been wounded. The troops occupied the home and captured the German troopers stationed there, together with ones they discovered hiding within the cellar. As soon as they had been all taken prisoner, the Allied troops rapidly moved on…because the Battle of Normandy had solely simply begun.
Ever for the reason that home has been liberated it has been referred to as “Canada Home” or “La Maison des Canadiens”.
5. The Hoffers Return To Their Home
As soon as the struggle was over, there was clearly intensive injury to the city and roads. The home was nonetheless standing but additionally had intensive injury. The French authorities paid for renovations to the home. It took quite a lot of years earlier than the Hoffer household might return and dwell of their home. This didn’t happen till round 1950.
6. Guests To Maison des Canadiens
(a) Veterans Go to Juno Seaside In Higher Numbers
Hervé inherited the home from his mother and father, Georges and Christian Hoffer within the Nineteen Seventies. Starting in 1984, (the fortieth anniversary of D-Day) an increasing number of Canadian veterans began visiting Juno Seaside. Hervé and Nicole met and chatted with many who stopped in entrance of their home and so they realized extra concerning the significance of their home. Additionally they started gathering souvenirs from the struggle, a lot of which had been presents from visiting veterans.
In time, the home turned like a museum. Hervé and Nicole turned vice-presidents of the Canadian Battlefields Basis, which “undertakes applications to commemorate and promote public consciousness of Canada’s position within the two World Wars and different wars of the twentieth century.”
(b) Honouring And Remembering The Canadian Troopers
On June 6, 1977, members of the Queen’s Personal Rifles of Canada regiment and their kinfolk positioned a bronze plaque in entrance of the home. The motto of the regiment “In Tempo Paratus” is within the heading. It’s a Latin phrase which means “In Peace Ready”. The plaque reads:
In Tempo Paratus
This home was liberated at first gentle on D-Day, June 6, 1944, by the lads of The Queen’s Personal Rifles of Canada who had been the primary Canadians to land on this seashore. It might have very properly been the primary home on French soil liberated by seaborne Allied forces. Nearby of this home, over 100 males of The Queens Personal Rifles had been killed or wounded within the first couple of minutes of the landings. We are going to keep in mind them.
Along with the numerous Canadian flags, there are different plaques close by displaying the place the troopers landed, the place they made their offensive into France, and a listing of troopers who died there.
7. Visiting Canada Home In Normandy At this time
By Fb, I realized about Canada Home. I noticed many pictures of holiday makers from all world wide who’ve visited Bernières-sur-Mer and this essential place in Normandy referred to as Canada Home. It’s rather more than only a “vacationer attraction”.
Guests have included veterans, present troopers from the Regiment of the Queen’s Personal Rifles of Canada, tour teams, relations of troopers who stormed the seashores of Normandy, faculty teams, younger folks, households, and simply strange people like me who wish to be taught extra concerning the Canadian’s position in D-Day.
(a) World Battle II Artifacts And Souvenirs
In the lounge and eating room, many fascinating artifacts and souvenirs are on show together with pictures, tools, helmets, medals, newspaper clippings, and even a Morse code machine. There’s additionally a model totally outfitted in a uniform. These had been gadgets supplied to Canada Home by veterans, regiments, or folks visiting the location. The embroidered flag above the hearth was donated by troopers of the Queen’s Personal Rifles who had been serving in Afghanistan.
8. Meritorious Service Medal
In 2015 the Canada Home Affiliation was established to assist the Hoffers proceed to keep up the home and its artifacts. In October 2022, Hervé (posthumously) and Nicole had been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the Canadian Ambassador to France, Stéphane Dion. This was on behalf of the Governor Normal of Canada, Her Excellency the Proper Honourable Mary Simon.
The medal was created by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 and “acknowledges a navy deed or exercise that has been carried out in a extremely skilled method or of a really excessive customary that brings profit or honour to the Canadian Forces.”
Within the picture above, Nicole is carrying the medal on the Juno Seaside D-Day Anniversary reception. I’m along with her and Captain (retired) Yves Germain Director of the Canadian Battlefields Basis.
9. Occasions At Canada Home On The June sixth Anniversary
At Canada Home on June 6 there are two D-Day anniversary commemorative occasions. The morning ceremony is attended by representatives of the Canadian embassy and navy from varied regiments, troopers in Forties uniforms, and bagpipers. There’s the laying of wreaths in entrance of the home.
The night ceremony has pipers from Pegasus Pipes and Drums and the standard Lantern Ceremony. A paraffin lantern is introduced all the way down to the seashore and despatched into the English Channel. It’s a symbolic gesture of due to the Canadian troopers who stormed the seashores on D-Day and fought for our freedom.
My go to to Canada Home and the nice and cozy welcome from Nicole Hoffer has left me with an eternal reminiscence of the kindness of the French and a good nice understanding of the historical past and sacrifices of the Canadian troops throughout World Battle II.
Canada Home-La Maison des Canadiens
Tackle: 34 Promenade. des Français, 14990 Bernières-sur-Mer
Fb web page: https://www.fb.com/CanadaHouseLaMaisonDesCanadiens
Contact: contact@maisondescanadiens.fr or use the contact type on the web site
Web site: https://www.maisondescanadiens.fr
For extra details about June 6, 1944, try this put up: D-Day and the Normandy Invasions
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