N.B. couple take emotional tour of battle sites, 80 years after end of Second World War

Dawn Bowie's father was a veteran of the Second World War and returned to Europe in 1995 for the 50th anniversary commemorations of the end of the war.

"That was his first time returning to France and Holland and things since the war, and it really gave him a sense of peace before he died," Bowie said.

Thirty years later, Dawn and her husband, Albert, are in Europe themselves, touring France and Holland as part of the 80th anniversary commemorations. It's an emotional trip for the couple, who live in Maugerville, southeast of Fredericton.

Family members on both sides served during the world wars of the last century.

Dawn's maternal grandfather served in the First World War and the Second World War. She also had an uncle who served as a gunner in the Second World War, and her mother had a cousin, Percy Scott, who was killed in action in the Second World War. 

The connections also run deep for Albert and it was meaningful for him and Dawn to be in Amsterdam for the country's Liberation Day ceremonies on May 5. His father served in France, Belgium and Holland during the Second World War.

"I just basically followed my dad's footsteps when he landed in France and up through Belgium, Holland," Albert said. "It gave me a little bit of closure.

"My dad was an engineer with the 12th Field Company, so I got to see what he did and where he actually worked and what he did to help liberate the Dutch people in the Netherlands."

'We call them our war heroes'

Dawn and Albert went overseas with a tour group and began their trip in Paris. They toured the northern battlefields in France that covered both world wars and are wrapping up their trip in Amsterdam, attending events and sites that commemorate the liberation of the country from Nazi Germany. 

On Sunday, they attended the commemoration ceremony at the Holten Canadian War Cemetery, attended by Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands and Governor General Mary Simon. 

"That was a very emotional and a very beautiful service," Dawn said. "There were about 6,000 of us there."

They brought photos of their fathers, and Dawn had a photo of her grandfather as well.

"We call them our war heroes and we wore [their photos] around our necks," Dawn said.

 "When [we] visited Percy Scott's graveite, I was very surprised how emotional it was. We left a poppy there and a Canadian flag and one of the pins from our tour."

'You're on sacred ground'

There were 46 tourists on the bus with four staff members who knew the personal histories of their passengers. At the cemetery where Percy Scott was buried, one of the tour operators approached Dawn and took her to his grave.

"You have this feeling of connection, that you're on sacred ground," she said. "You almost feel their presence there as if maybe they're saying, 'I know you're here and thank you for coming.'"

Albert is a veteran himself, inspired to join by his mother, who served in the Second World War in Newfoundland, which wasn't part of Canada at the time. She had been inspired to join by John McRae's famous poem, In Flanders Fields.

"So I feel a special connection to John McRae," he said.

Albert's father didn't talk about his experiences in the war, so he's found this visit helpful.

"For me, seeing where he stood or where he actually worked, it gave me a little bit more closure, in as far as that goes, and I'm able to understand a little bit more," Albert said. "But in hindsight, I feel he should have talked a little bit more about it."

Veterans made brave choices

Dawn said many war veterans weren't able to talk about their experiences.

"I can understand why some of them didn't because they faced horrific circumstances," she said.

She admires their bravery for choosing to fight and for their patriotism.

"I understand why they have [such] dedication to their country … because the Canadians were not conscripted," she said.

"They volunteered to go into the military, so they came over with a very strong sense of duty to our country and wanting the world to be a better place and everybody to be able to experience democracy and freedom and stopping those that we're going to get in the way [of that]."