Today's Itinerary and Activities
Day 8: May 13
Today we bid farewell to Ortona, taking pause at Cider Crossroads. We'd driven through it several times and observed it carefully from Casa Berardi two days before, but we needed to stop in the centre of that bustling intersection which Rupert Brooke might allow us to say "is a corner of a foreign field that is forever" Canada. It is a particularly special place for our Gregg Centre crew, tied closely to many Canadian units that struggled nearby in the December 1943 mud, not least being Milton Gregg's own beloved Royal Canadian Regiment. Today our group considered what the Ortona toast means to The RCR. Each December they raise glasses, wherever in the world they serve, to those of the regimental family lost in the sodden vineyards surrounding Ortona. Kelly considers how this experience shapes her understand of the war in her blog post.
The students also came face to face with 'Athena', a Three Rivers Regiment ( now perpetuated by 12e RBC) Sherman tank displayed in the centre of the new roundabout, in memory of Canadian tank crews from 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade. The Ortona township, the Chieti provincial government, and the Ortona Rotary Club maintain the site in top shape.
Today we visited Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, where participants gave the graveside biographies of Captain George Dinwiddie, Corporal Isaac Eckford, Private Donald McIvor, Corporal Thomas Beckerton, Private Donald Lewis, Lance Corporal John MacDonald, Private Leslie Hilliard, Gunner John Barker, Lance Bombardier Robert van Buskirk, Gunner Romeo Brissard, and Gunner Adrien Howe.
Today we bid farewell to Ortona, taking pause at Cider Crossroads. We'd driven through it several times and observed it carefully from Casa Berardi two days before, but we needed to stop in the centre of that bustling intersection which Rupert Brooke might allow us to say "is a corner of a foreign field that is forever" Canada. It is a particularly special place for our Gregg Centre crew, tied closely to many Canadian units that struggled nearby in the December 1943 mud, not least being Milton Gregg's own beloved Royal Canadian Regiment. Today our group considered what the Ortona toast means to The RCR. Each December they raise glasses, wherever in the world they serve, to those of the regimental family lost in the sodden vineyards surrounding Ortona. Kelly considers how this experience shapes her understand of the war in her blog post.
The students also came face to face with 'Athena', a Three Rivers Regiment ( now perpetuated by 12e RBC) Sherman tank displayed in the centre of the new roundabout, in memory of Canadian tank crews from 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade. The Ortona township, the Chieti provincial government, and the Ortona Rotary Club maintain the site in top shape.
Today we visited Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, where participants gave the graveside biographies of Captain George Dinwiddie, Corporal Isaac Eckford, Private Donald McIvor, Corporal Thomas Beckerton, Private Donald Lewis, Lance Corporal John MacDonald, Private Leslie Hilliard, Gunner John Barker, Lance Bombardier Robert van Buskirk, Gunner Romeo Brissard, and Gunner Adrien Howe.
Student voiceToday we learned about the most notorious Italian battle that occurred in Ortona. Despite the fighting, the soldiers decided to have a wartime Christmas dinner in December of 1943, in the church of Santa Maria di Constantinopli. They built tables and chairs to use in the half blasted church. They ate oranges, apples, and roast pork, and they drank a big quart of beer. They had 90 minutes of laughing and singing, before they had to walk on and continue fighting the battle. This was really powerful to me because the solider I'm doing my presentation on was in the regiment that was fighting in Ortona at that time, so he must have been apart of the wartime Christmas dinner. This made it a much more personal experience for me, and got to know my solider a bit better!
Sydney Hetherington |
We need your help!While in Ortona we were fortunate to meet Tomasso Cespa who was almost 11 years old during the war. He remembers Canadian soldiers fondly and since the end of the war he has been trying to find Frank who was an Orderly Lieutenant with the Royal 22nd Regiment.
Can you help us find him or news of him for Tomasso? |