Gilles Moliet flies the Canadian Flag outside his house in Fontaine-Henry, France on the eve of the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, on June 5.Kiran Ridley/The Globe and Mail
Gilles and Christyne Moliet have never been to Canada, nor do they have any relatives or friends there. But the couple, who live in the French commune of Fontaine-Henry, are flying a Canadian flag more than a metre wide in front of their house.
They are among the many French people in towns across Normandy who, despite having no other connection to Canada than the past, mount the Maple Leaf by their doors every year in recognition of the Canadian role in the French liberation 80 years ago.
It’s the Canadian soldiers who, after landing on Juno Beach, made their way inland from Courseulles-Sur-Mer, codenamed “Juno,” and pushed back the German forces after years of occupation.
“Why do we fly this flag? Above all, it’s to remember,” Mr. Moliet says. “It’s to respect those young soldiers.”
The reminders of Canada in this quiet corner of Normandy surround the couple’s stone patio on all sides. In front of their house is the Place des Canadiens, the railings and stone walls strung up with more Maple Leaf pendants.
Mr. Moliet has never been to Canada, but he flies a metre-wide Canadian flag outside his home in remembrance of Canadian forces who liberated the village of Fontaine-Henry.Kiran Ridley/The Globe and Mail
Nearby, a granite plaque commemorates 13 Canadian soldiers who were killed in close combat here in the days following D-Day in June, 1944. And facing the square, the wall of their home is itself marred by bullet holes from the conflict.
In the towns surrounding Fontaine-Henry – all, too, strung with their own Canadian flags, surrounding their own monuments – locals showed their continued affection for Canada.
At a ceremony at the Canadian War Cemetery of Bény-sur-Mer Wednesday morning, when the Canadian anthem was played, the contingent of seven local mayors knew the words by heart. Among them was Hubert Delalande, mayor of Bény-sur-Mer.
“Canada is a country of my heart,” he said. “I come regularly to the cemetery. This is emotional for me.”
After the ceremony, Mr. Delalande was among the mayors hosting a private lunch for the Canadian veterans in attendance to show them local appreciation ahead of an official ceremony on June 6. He said this wasn’t originally part of the event plan, but when they heard that the veterans were staying in a town further away from the Canadian landing zone, they realized they wanted to show the strength of the local appreciation.
“The event in Juno tomorrow is larger, but here, this is more personal,” Mr. Delalande said. “Here, we have local residents laying flowers, even outside of ceremonies.”
Alexandre Raoul hung a Canadian Flag outside his house in Fontaine-Henry on June 5 for the first time on the eve of the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings.Kiran Ridley/The Globe and Mail
Many of the towns in the area are hosting firework celebrations and commemorative parades in the name of their Canadian liberators. Outside the town of Tailleville, in the centre of a roundabout, red and white flowers have been planted in the form of the Canadian flag. And on Wednesday, it was the turn of the town of Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse to unveil a plaque, theirs dedicated to the Royal Regina Rifles.
For many French residents from around here, there is a special reverence for Canada.
Despite having moved to Tarragona, Spain, Nicolas Madelaine makes the journey back to his hometown in Normandy every year to attend the event at the Canadian cemetery. He says he has been aware of the relationship with Canada since he was 5 or 6.
Marie and Jean Foucher, who live nearby, come to honour a family memory. Ms. Foucher says her mother watched the Allied ships crossing the English Channel, and when the Canadian soldiers arrived in her village, they offered her a cigarette. It’s that kindness they commemorate, she said.
Mr. Raoul holds a helmet worn by a Canadian soldier.Kiran Ridley/The Globe and Mail
Aurélie Lemartinel, who lives in the nearby town of Reviers, attended the event with her 3½-year-old daughter. She said that when her daughter is older, she will teach her about the Canadians buried in the cemetery.
“They didn’t have a choice, but they defended our country,” Ms. Lemartinel said, looking at the graves around here – many list the ages of the soldiers on the date they were killed. Those she’s standing closest to are 19, 20 and 23. ”So young. It hurts me, to see them gone.”
In the town of Bény-sur-Mer, Alexandre Raoul, his partner Mariane Batailler and her father Alain Batailler have also hung Canadian flags above their doors. It’s the first time they have done so. None have been to Canada, nor do they have Canadian relatives – but he says it’s a local as well as a family tradition. His grandfather was part of the Friends of Canada, a local club based in the nearby town of Buron, an area of fierce fighting following a German counterattack and a place where Canada faced heavy losses.
Back in Fontaine-Henry, Gilles Moliet lifted a Canadian army pin from his collection box of military memorabilia – brass and heavy-looking, with two crossed guns and Quebec’s fleur-de-lis. It’s from the Régiment de la Chaudière, one of the Canadian regiments that freed his town.
“It was a small group, you know,” Mr. Moliet said. He turned the pin over in his hands carefully, then placed it proudly on the table. “It’s an honour to have one.”