Remembrance Day Made More Meaningful

The Canadian War Cemetery near Juno Beach, France

Every year the media manages to find amazing stories related to Remembrance Day. There are veterans who are over 100 years old and still clearly remember being in the trenches, or relatives remembering uncles, grandfathers, brothers whose lives were tragically cut short through letters and personal items.

For Brad Palin, of Saanich, BC, he discovered more connections to his family that has sparked his interest to find out as much as he can.

Some 2,000 soldiers are buried at this cemetery

He visited the Canadian War Cemetery near Juno Beach in France, where there are more than 2,000 gravestones there and found it overwhelming.

"It brings home what the loss of life was," Palin says. "And it's just one cemetery of many [in the area]."

The tour guide asked him where he was from and took him to the grave of a young soldier from the same area named Roy Pattinson.

It turns out Palin knew of Pattinson -- Palin's late uncle Peter went to the same school as Pattinson -- and that they lived around the corner from each other.

"I remember saying at the grave site, 'They had to know each other,'" Palin recalled.

That night he began searching online for more information about Roy Pattinson and found and black and white photo group photo of him -- with his uncle.

"I just had chills," said Palin.

When he came home, he opened old family files he hadn't looked at in years and found his uncle Peter's autograph book and found Pattinson's signature. There was also a condolence card from Pattinson's family after Palin's uncle had died in a plane crash in England during the war.

Palin discovered Pattinson was his uncle's friend

He later found more pictures he hadn't seen before, including photos of his uncle and Pattinson when they were young, and group photos showing both families had socialised together before the war.

"How can it be that we've made this connection halfway around the world to my family through a random grave in France?" Palin says, still amazed.

Palin never met his uncle, but now knows more about him -- and that he was named after him, as Brad is his middle name, Peter is his actually first name. 

"So I've heard stories about him, but seeing all this brings it all home," he said.

Palin is determined to contact the Pattinson family and try to identify as many people in the group photographs as possible. 

This year's Remembrance Day has more meaning for Palin, remembering not only his uncle but his friend and neighbour too.