Veteran Remembrance Day

The Remembrance Day is observed in memory of the sacrifices made by men and women who fought during the two World Wars, the Korean Conflict and many other United Nations Missions to protect the Commonwealth and to preserve the system of Democracy that allows different people to live together in peace and enjoy freedom. This Day is celebrated in Canada on 11th November. Ceremonies includes Parades, Marches with Colour Parties, Guests, Veterans, Cadets, Scouts and Pipes/Brass Bands. Ceremonies at the Cenotaphs are Offering of prayers for the War Dead, Placing of wreaths, Observance of 2 minutes Silence, Sounding of Last Post, Sounding of Reveille and delivering of Speeches by invited Guests/Dignitaries in Lounges.

Remembrance Day is of great significance to me because my late father and I both put our lives on the line of fire, in World War I and World War II respectively, alongside the Commonwealth Armed Forces. Irrespective of the different nationalities, faiths and cultures, fighting in North Africa during World War II in the 8th British Army under World famous Field Marshall Montgomery, we developed comradeship, esprit de corps and tenacity and formed ourselves into a United Family. “Not only did we respect each other, we would even die for each other”. Together we faced successive enemy air raids and intensive firing from tanks, artillery, rocket launchers and small arms. But we survived. We also survived when our reinforcements did not arrive on time, when our ammunition stocks ran low, when our rations and water supplied by Air were cut in half and half again, when we had sleepless nights due to non-stop enemy hostilities, when we received no mail from our kith and kin back home for months together and when we faced extreme heat and non-stop dust storms of the World famous Western Desert of Africa.

My late father once mentioned that while fighting at Basra, Iraq during World War I, their rations ran out and they had to live on mule meat alone for days.
We kept advancing in the enemy territory all the time. Before attacking At El-Alamein we halted for properly planning a major Corps attack. I vividly remember that supported by the Royal Force bombers and fighters, and ground artillery, we launched the attack on the enemy, at its heavily fortified, strategic, mountainous positions. After a stiff and lengthy battle which included hand to hand fighting, we captured our objectives. The enemy which suffered very heavy casualties was defeated. The morale of the enemy forces being extremely low, they ran helter-skelter. Withdrawing in a most disorganized manner they left their dead, wounded and large quantities of arms and ammunition behind. We also captured thousand of Prisoners of War (POWs) whom we sent to our Rear Echelons for interrogation.

During World War II, being an Operator Telegraph, I was always detailed with the forward-most fighting troops where my duties consisted of providing signal communications for the Commanders enabling them to plan and execute Operations of War as required. Life there was not a bowl of cherries. It was a matter of touch-and-go. The mere fact that I too, fought alongside those thousands of men and women who lost their lives fighting bravely in war, fills me with pride. Luckily, I survived. I consider death of my comrades, my personal loss. And when I remember those dear departed friends, I find it difficult to control my emotions and cannot help shedding many tears on each Remembrance Day.

Pritam Singh Jauhal
Lt Col (Retd)
World War II Veteran
Founding President Indian Ex-Servicemen Society British Columbia
October29,2007