J.L. Granatstein: ’The Dutch remember. They teach their children about the war in their schools. On Christmas Eve every year the children of Holten go to the Canadian cemetery to light a candle on each grave to make the point that freedom had—and still has—a price.’
The Normandy campaign, from D-Day until late August 1944, saw almost 5,000 Canadian soldiers perish. But that offensive, launched 75 years ago, jumpstarted the liberation of Western Europe.
Here’s a look at what Canadian soldiers ate and drank to sustain their bodies—and First World War efforts. Many looked forward eagerly to their daily rum ration.