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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2024
- Harry's Bracelet - A 6th Field Regiment RCA Battlefield Inquiry
With Denis Renaud
Part of our DDay and the Battle of Normandy series
• DDay and the Battle of...
A small bracelet lost in a slit trench in 1944 in Normandy became the steppingstone of a historical inquiry that revealed the life of a young Canadian gunner and his family. On one side: H.F. and a service number: B-44812 On the other side: “From Rose” In 2014, 70 years later, a team of French archaeologists found the bracelet which started the journey with the author to uncover its history. After several years of research, Denis Renaud finally solved the mystery of “H.F.”. It belonged to Harry Edward Fox from York, Ontario who had sadly passed away in 2005 before this discovery. His family, however, is still alive and is in touch with the author. “Rose,” nonetheless, remains a partial mystery … Harry served in the 6th Field Regiment RCA (Royal Canadian Artillery) and landed in Normandy in July 1944 in support of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. His Regiment ended the war near Oldenburg, Germany, in May 1945 after firing over 360,000 rounds of artillery in their contribution to the freedom of Europe.
In today's show, Denis takes us through all the finds from this archaeological dig south of Caen. From a pilot's coin, to ammo boxes, beer bottles and toasters!
Denis Renaud is an archaeologist and has been teaching archaeology at the University of Ottawa since 2003. His interest in the military started as a young child and this childhood hobby became his passion. In 2008, his book of short stories about French-Canadian soldiers was published in France. His field of research shifted from his initial specialization in ancient Greece after completing a degree in battlefield archaeology in Paris in 2013. Over the years, he participated in digs in Greece, France, and Canada. He lives in Gatineau (Aylmer) and works in Ottawa.
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What a master class. Fantastic show from Denis and Paul. If you're ever doing another dig in Normandy I'll pop over for a beer or five and a chat about gunners! ha!
Thank you as ever for a fascinating presentation. The philosophical high ground especially of Dr Reynard and his profoundly humanistic approach moved me deeply. I think your series stands out for always recognizing that war and everything else is about the human condition even if you take the responsibility to investigate the dehumanization of so much of conflict. Again thank you as ever.
Very interesting look at how archaeology can help our understanding of WW2
Wow!!! I wasn't expecting that. Denis delivered something special there.
Great stuff as usual Paul! I so enjoy the great variety of experts you bring on that shine light on the subject of WW2 from so many directions. We can't keep looking at a subject from one direction with a single lens or we will miss so much. I also enjoyed the passion and humanism that Denis brought to his investigation. I don't know where some short sighted people came up with idea that you must disconnect yourself or detach yourself from an investigation, implying that if you don't detach yourself then your are not being professional. When I did aircraft accident investigation with the Canadian Air Force, immediately following an accident I went into my office, printed off a picture of the deceased(not the human remains - please people!!!!) and/or the injured people and tacked it to my wall and in my investigation notes. The people that we lost had families and they deserved an answer as to why their loved one died and it pushed me to do my best for the families and for those aircrew who will have to continue flying that particular type of aircraft. The connection made me more passionate about finding an answer and drove many long hours that I enjoyed putting in order to find that answer. Sorry for the long rant but you have stated that comments help the algorithm!!!! PS: One of your previous guests mentioned "the Rapture of Research" well I have it and all the people that I worked with in Accident Investigation had it to the max! That is what makes a good historian, archaeologist, accident investigator, detective etc etc. Thanks again Paul :)
As a fellow aviation technician who served with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard, I can totally relate making a personal connection during such investigations. I have lost many comrades due to aviation accidents and always tried to remember them as people with families and friends who wanted to understand what happened and why. I also saw the emotional toll suffered by the accident investigating team members. For awhile I was overwhelmed by the number of funerals I attended over the years, especially during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you for your service to Canada. I had the honor to work with some outstanding Canadian Air Force personnel in the mid 1980s. Tremendous fellows who were always willing to share there liquor rations with us yanks for the exchange of a unit patch (insignia) I have a few hat badges from those blokes that I treasure. So glad to see an archeologist explore a Canadian position and educating all of us with his presentation. Is Denis a Francoise Canadian? His accent reminds me of my Grandmothers when I heard them speak French or English. Never mind. I heard him say he was Canadian after this post.
@@davidlavigne207 Thanks for your service David!!!! I always wondered about your name when I saw you in chat as it is a very common French-Canadian name. When my friends were in Qatar in the first Gulf War they mentioned that if they noticed an aircraft missing on the USAF side of the ramp that they would drop off a case or two of bubbly for the lost crews. I found that doing the investigative work helped to deal with the loss - it felt like I was actually doing something about it. Stay safe! :)
Fantastic show, supremely well delivered with great photographic evidence. My two favourite subjects are covered. Perversely, WW2 and archaeology are not usually a solid mix. One tends to think of archaeology as a more ancient history subject. Denis shows that the two are inextricably linked also.
Perhaps one day we shall see the work of Denis Renaud in a Canadian version of the U.S. "Battlefield Detectives" which has done some amazing work with American battle sights ranging from the Revolutionary War to World War II's Battle of the Bulge. This was first class work done here to make a personal connection with the efforts of the Royal Canadian Field Regiments in July of 1944 in Normandy. I appreciated how Denis combined two different disciplines to tell us a story of valor in such a human way. Imagine what future archeologists might make of WW2 in say 1,000 or so years from now?
An fascinating episode with a slightly different focus. I appreciate the systematic methodology of academic research. I wondered where the poor residents of Caen went during the relentless allied bombing and shelling of their city. Many, it seems, took shelter in those limestone quarries. Was glad to see the Canadian gunners received their beer ration.
What a great show! Thank you for presenting this guest and his research. Sorry I missed the livestream - work got in the way.
Regarding geophysical surveys, ground penetrating radar would probably be the most useful tool to use in sites like this as GPR is excellent at detecting even minor discontinuities in the subsurface (i.e. probable slit trenches and other historic/prehistoric excavations and structures would be readily delineated and mapped). It could possibly even show features as small as those ammo boxes.
There is an upcoming program on National Geographic (August 6th I believe), which covers both subjects on the show tonight...' The Bombing of Pompei'.
Might be worth a watch.
Excellent show on the detective work needed to discover the human story behind an inanimate object.
Maybe reaching out to the Time Team may provide a research avenue to find Rose in England. They often involve locals in their digs and they are currently working on excavating the 101st Airborne's English training camp.
Considering the presentation's somewhat mystifying title, turned out to be an interesting and entertaining excursion (compared to WW2TV more documentary focus) into history by alternative methods.
I thought the title summed up what the show was golng to be about pretty well