The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
On behalf of the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment, the Honourable Gerard A. Phalen, Senator, this week unveiled a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque in Italy. The plaque commemorates the national historic significance of the Canadian campaign in Sicily. "When several thousand Canadian soldiers landed on these beaches on July 10, 1943, it marked the real beginning of Canada's sustained fighting efforts in the Second World War," said Senator Phalen. "These were true heroes who came ashore here, and many of them made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. They wrote a very proud chapter in Canadian history and we will never forget them, or their brave deeds." The Canadians landed on beaches near Sicily's southeast coast. After overcoming initial light resistance, they began a tough march through the mountainous terrain of central Sicily in debilitating heat. They would encounter entrenched Germans in the centre of the island, who contested every metre of ground before withdrawing to the Italian mainland. These Canadians became part of the largest sea invasion in history to that date. Operation Husky was an unprecedented combined operation, comparable in scale and complexity to the 1944 Normandy invasion. From their beachhead, Canadian soldiers went on to emblazon the names Leonforte, Assoro, Agira, Regalbuto and Etna in history, proving themselves as brave and resourceful fighters. Canadians in all three military services participated in the invasion. The Royal Canadian Navy carried assault troops from ships to shore, while the Royal Canadian Air Force struck military targets and supported the ground fighting. Most of the Canadian soldiers involved were in the Army's 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade. The members of both these units were made up from all regions of Canada. This was the last of three plaques that the Government of Canada unveiled in Italy recently. The first was unveiled in Ortona on October 27 to commemorate Canada's role in the Battle for Ortona, and the second in Rimini on October 30 to commemorate the Canadian Army's Breaching of the Gothic Line. Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of the Environment about the national historic significance of persons, places and events that have marked Canada's history. The placement of a commemorative plaque represents an official recognition of their historic value. It is one means of informing the public about the richness of Canada's heritage, which must be preserved for present and future generations.
