Derek O.
Kincaid, Saskatchewan
Moose Jaw Regional Heritage Fair
World War II
My project is about World War ll, mostly the Canadian involvement but I had to include some non-Canadian facts for the whole thing to make sense. I chose this project because I thought it would be interesting to find out about my family's history — my great-grandpa Vincent was in World War II. I think the most important part of Canada in World War II was the soldiers fighting on Juno beach and defeating the Nazis.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
The German submarine attack of Bell Island, Newfoundland, meant the war was happening right here in Canada. My grandmother's family is from Bell Island and so they were closer to danger than other Canadian civilians.
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
I have learned that it is important to know about your family history. I am proud to know about my great grandfather's contribution to WWII as a member of the merchant marine. Without the merchant marine soldiers would not have had the supplies they needed in order to defeat Germany.
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
Back in WWII time soldiers didn't have as much technology as we do today. It would have been harder for them to gather information and fight back then. Nowadays we have all our nifty gadgets that make life easier.