Lieutenant Fred Williams and eighteen-year-old Lance Corporal George pollard of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders captured near Buron while on patrol. pollard’s body was never found and is still most likely concealed somewhere in the Abbaye’s grounds. In the wake of the battle for Normandy, the French began to return and rebuild their lives. Among them was Madame Vico who once lived near the Abbaye and tended its garden. In the early spring of 1945, Madame Vico noticed her snowdrops were beginning to bloom in an odd manner. Instead of the neat and orderly rows she had planted, the flowers grew in a disorganized manner. Madame Vico knew the Germans had disturbed her garden for some reason. After removing a few shovelfuls of soil, the grisly secret was revealed. A shallow grave containing the bodies of some of the murdered Canadians was discovered. Soon all but pollard were found. To honour the murdered Canadians’ memory, the Vico family placed a small shrine in the garden shortly after the discovery. Later, the Canadian government erected a more permanent memorial beside the original. As for the flower beds, they were reformed into the shape of teardrops and remain so to this day. The inscription on the memorial reads: “In memoriam: on the night of 7-8 June 1944, eighteen Canadian soldiers were murdered in this garden while being held here as prisoners of war. Two more prisoners died here, or nearby, on 17 June 1944. Lest we forget.” Although I suspect a few tourists who visit the Juno Beach Centre come to the garden at the Abbaye it is most regularly visited by French locals and Canadian pilgrims. They come to honour the memory of the murdered Canadians. Most leave with tears. Lest We Forget NORTH NOVA SCOTIAHIGHLANDERS private Ivan Crowe private Charles Doucette Corporal Joseph MacIntyre private reginald Keeping private James Moss private Walter Doherty private Hollis McKeil private Hugh MacDonald private George McNaughton private George Millar private Thomas Mont private raymond Moore THE 27THARMOURED REGIMENT (THE SHERBROOKE FUSILIERS REGIMENT) : Trooper James Bolt Trooper George Gill Trooper Thomas Henry Trooper roger Lockhead Trooper Harold philp Lieutenant Thomas Windsor private Walter Doherty private Hollis McKeil private Hugh MacDonald private George McNaughton private George Millar private Thomas Mont private raymond Moore THE STORMONT, DUNDAS, AND GLENGARRY HIGHLANDERS Lieutenant FrederickWilliams Lance Corporal George pollard
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