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As the sun rose on the morning of 6 June 1944-D-Day-seaman gunner Bill Wilson was standing on the deck of HMCS Ottawa. While normally below deck in hammocks, Bill and anyone who could were watching the scene below them unfold from the deck.
"It was cold and I went through half a pack of cigarettes in a hurry," recalled Wilson as he and the crew eagerly waited.
"I knew things were happening but I couldn't see anything," remembered Wilson as the day started. "We were on the west flank of Utah Beach. We could hear rumbles, when battleships fire they make a lot of noise." At the break of dawn, the clamour became more intense as the invasion ramped up. The sun revealed a scene like no other. A sky chock-full of planes and barrage balloons - below them, landing craft upon landing craft headed directly towards the smoking beach.
"It was quite a sight, the largest invasion in history," remarked Wilson.
William Hargen Wilson was born on 5 November 1924 in Winnipeg. In September 1939, he joined the Sea Cadets and in December 1942, he joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. Only 18 when he first saw service, his years in Sea Cadets gave him the advantage of being more knowledgeable than most recruits.
Wilson spent his first year training and guarding HMC bases. By 1944 he was escorting convoys. D-Day marked a big change for him and his crew. It was time to go on the offensive. "I think all of us felt the same, how well were we going to perform individually and collectively," recalls Wilson. "And of course, in the Navy, you've got to work as a team. You all end up serving together. We depend on each other. You fight as one. You depend on the guy standing next to you, the guy who is above and the one below you. You know that everyone is going to do their job. That's what you're trained to do.
From day one from an ordinary seaman up to the commanding officer.
"It is essential that you work as a team or you all end up swimming together."
The months following D-Day were eventful for Wilson and crew. In fact, they spent the whole month following D-Day at sea. He doesn't remember a day going by that didn't see them drop at least some depth charges. HMCS Ottawa and Escort Group 11 sunk three U-boats and rescued German survivors of another U-boat sunk by Coastal Command aircraft. They also took fire from a German coastal battery. "That was scary," remarked Williams about his ship nearly being hit.
Even the return trip home to Canada was disquieting, when a storm battered their ship and a crew member of an accompanying destroyer was lost overboard in rough waters.
Once back in Canada, Wilson happily recalls getting a care package from his parents containing cake and homemade raisin tarts. The hearty food was warmly received, as Wilson had grown tired of rations, in particular Spam and ketchup. "Lots of Spam," recalls Wilson. "We had boiled Spam, fried Spam, chopped Spam… and lots of tomato ketchup. I have not eaten a can of Spam since 1945."
Known during the war as Tug and later as Captain Bill, Wilson was discharged from active service in the fall of 1945; however, he joined the naval reserve that same year and rose through the ranks over the ensuing years. He retired from active service in 1979, having reached the rank of Captain in the Royal Canadian Navy. He now lives in High River, Alberta and at 100, his house still remains free of tomato ketchup.
"The
thought occurred to me that maybe he was looking at an old man from Canada who
arrived at this exact spot some 75 years ago to help free his country."
Wilson and the young boy who sheltered him from the rain developed a connection that transcended the language barrier they faced. "The thought occurred to me that maybe he was looking at an old man from Canada who arrived at this exact spot some 75 years ago to help free his country," recounted Wilson. "I immediately had a lump in my throat. It was, all-in-all, quite an unexpected emotional experience."
After returning to Canada, Wilson wanted to try and reach out to the boy to thank him. With some investigation, using a photo from the event and a little luck, the boy was identified as 10-year-old Florent Geffrey from Normandy. Wilson sent Geffrey a package that included a photo of the ship Wilson served on, HMCS Ottawa. Geffrey's show of kindness and respect had touched Wilson.
"I lost two close friends who participated in the landing in June 1944," remembered Wilson. "Nineteen year old Joe Shack, in my high school graduating class who was a Rifleman in the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, and Jacky Wheeler who lived four houses away from me and was a Trooper in the Fort Garry Horse (tanks) aged 20, lost their lives within weeks of landing in France. When I visited their graves 25 years ago, I wondered if it was really worth it. Now, having met young Master Florent Geffrey, I feel that maybe their sacrifices were after all, not in vain."
In June 2024,
Wilson will be travelling back to France with the Government of Canada
delegation to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of
Normandy. Geffrey is determined to meet his Canadian friend again. Now 15, he
is the same age as Wilson was when he first joined the Sea Cadets.
Appointed A/SLt, RCN(R) 1949 // Appointed SLt, RCN(R) 1958 // Appointed Lt, RCN(R) 1960 // Appointed A/LCdr, RCN(R) 1963 // Appointed LCdr, RCN(R) 1963 // Appointed Commander, C.A.F. (NR) 1975 // Appointed Honourary Capt (N), C.A.F. (NR) 1975
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