Day 1 - Paris to La Bouille

We are settling down in our apartment on the banks of the Seine River in La Bouille, France, after a long but successful day of travelling. Everything went according to plan, and without any delays. We made it to the airport a few hours before our flight. Gerry and Audrey had some extra vouchers to the WestJet lounge, so they brought us in for some snacks and drinks. When it was time to board we headed to the gate, and got our seats - Audrey and Gerry in practically Row 1, Mandy and I in literally the last row!! 🤪

Santé!!

Nine hours later we landed at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.  Customs, baggage claim, rental car agency, and we were on our way!

While doing research for the trip I spent some time focused on the XII Manitoba Dragoons regiment and their movement through Europe.  My mom’s father James Lester and her uncle Kenneth Lester were both a part of this regiment and spent time in France, Belgium, and Holland during the Second World War.  One of the first items I found while doing this research was an article from the Simcoe Reformer, an online newspaper serving two counties south of Hamilton Ontario.  The article tells the story of two armoured cars from the XII Manitoba Dragoons cautiously approaching the French village of Ry.  They were fired on by a German anti-tank gun killing two troopers and mangling the leg of one sergeant.  Perhaps because the Germans were out of ammunition they retreated.  As a result, the town of Ry regards these Canadian soldiers as their liberators, after having suffered five years of German occupation.  A granite marker was erected to commemorate the place where the soldiers lost their lives and to this day an annual celebration is held in honour of them.  The article can be found here.

XII Manitoba Dragoons Regimental Badge

In addition to finding the article mentioned above I contacted the XII Manitoba Dragoons and 26 Field Regiment Museum in Brandon, Manitoba.  A very kind researcher there provided me with some unbelievable material - two files that were a transcription of the war diary of the regiment.  The minimum requirement at the time was that the Regimental Headquarters must give their daily location.  This diary from the XII Manitoba Dragoons was apparently quite a bit more detailed giving details of encounters, and casualties.  It is very sobering to read, especially in light of the fact that my grandfather was the same age as our boys are now, and the thought of them having to witness and participate in events such as these is incomprehensible.  I cross referenced the journal with the date in the news article above and this was the entry:

"30 AUG 1944 "B" Sqn loses two armoured cars to A/T guns. "D" Sqn loses an armoured car with two dead near Granville sur Ry. "C" Sqn on reaching Bierville, has a car destroyed by a 'bazooka' weapon. Sgt Bell's car last seen heading into enemy lines. "B" Sqn loses an officer to a sniper shot near Blainville. Five Dragoons dead in all, this day."

T-17E1 Staghound armoured cars

Our first stop in France was in Ry to see if we could find the stone marker mentioned in the article.  Before we left for the trip I first found a spot where I thought it was located using Google Maps Street-View.  Unfortunately when we got there the marker at that spot was from the 1800’s, and not from the Second World War.  Amanda suggested we ask around in shops to see some of the locals might know.  The clerk from first shop we went in didn’t know, but suggested we go to the mayor’s office across the road and ask.  We went across but the doors were locked. 😡 Fortunately we got some workers’ attention and they let us in.  They immediately understood what we were trying to communicate, and pointed us up the block towards the local church.  Sure enough, on the side of the church under a flagpole we found the marker!!!!

XII Manitoba Dragoons Memorial Stone

Mission Accomplished!

It felt so amazing to see it in person.  I don’t know if my grandfather was in the exact location we were today, but it felt very special to us knowing he had been somewhere close by doing something so important and selfless.

Feeling good about accomplishing our first mission, we hit the road again headed for La Bouille where we are staying tonight.  La Bouille is a commune in the Normandy region of France set on the banks of the Seine River.  It has a population of 710, and is situated about 20 km southwest of Rouen.  Based on what we saw this evening it is likely a bustling tourist area in the summer, with a number of nice restaurants to choose from.  We went to a little diner/cafe at about 19:00, and were the only ones there when we arrived.  There were some great local choices for the main course and for dessert.  I had a tarte au pommes Normand, and Audrey had crème brûlée.  Yummy!!!  Amanda had her first café crème of the trip (decaf).

Tagliatelle Au Saumon

 Burger Classique

Crème Brûlée

Tarte Au Pommes Normand

Café Crème Decaf

We went for a little walk after dinner, and then headed back to the apartment where we are all getting tucked in for a much-needed sleep.

Tomorrow we are all looking forward to waking up and heading to the bakery a block away for some fresh pastry! After that we will pack up and head to the Canadian Military Cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer, and to the Juno Beach Centre.  It should be a very fun and interesting first full day in France.

Goodnight everybody, and thanks for reading!

Other tidbits:

We stopped at a gas station for a drink and snack. Mandy and I had an Orangina and shared a bag of “French Fry Sauce” flavoured potato chips. We think they tasted like a mixture of French mustard and mayonnaise.  Not too bad!

We drove through the city of Rouen today.  Joan of Arc was executed in the Old Market there on May 30, 1431 by the English and their French collaborators.  She was burned to death for allegedly being a heretic, and her ashes were thrown in the Seine at pont Mathilde.

We were surprised to see a full-sized ship go by on the Seine.  Mandy and Ger checked, and the river Seine is 30 m deep between Rouen and the ocean, which allows for it!