Homeowners Reminded through WW2 Postcards: Your Residential Area Once Hosted the Dead
Getting Up Close and Personal with Canada's Heroes: The Juno Beach Centre's "He Lived Where You Live" initiative
HOLY CANADA - Over the past week, homes scattered throughout our great land have received a heart-touching nod to the brave souls who fought valiantly in the final stages of World War II.
Each residence received a postcard, not just another piece of mail, but a tangible link to the past, bearing the name, history, and fate of an individual soldier, sailor, or airman who called that very home their own before they answered the call of duty for Canada.
Pubicized under their "He Lived Where You Live" program, the Juno Beach Centre - a war memorial museum nestled in Normandy, France - sent out 1,945 postcards to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, which took place on May 8, 1945.
Gary Domski and his family, among others, were recent recipients of one such memory-bearing postcard. Their Toronto abode now stands as a humble but poignant memorial to Pte. Peter Forbes Flett, a gallant member of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. Flett perished on Nov. 2, 1944, at the tender age of 20, just two days after he was wounded in the Netherlands. His final resting place is the Adegem Canadian War Cemetery in Belgium.
Before the postcard, Domski had already heard Flett's story due to a letter left by one of the late soldier's kin, detailing the family's history linked to the residence that Domski had purchased a decade ago. Domski shared that he strives to instill Canadian history into his children, and receiving the postcard nurtures that connection.
"It provides a personal touch," Domski said during an interview on Thursday. "It connects you directly to the event and the sacrifice. As a parent with a son, it resonates even more. This (postcard) serves as a fantastic reminder, and I'd say it's a splendid idea to bridge the nation."
Sal Falk, spokesperson for the Juno Beach Centre Association, shed light on the purpose behind the program.
"We're here to honor Canada's fallen soldiers, while forging connections between communities and the emotional stories of the war," Falk explained. "This is a pivotal moment for Canada as we grapple with a heightened sense of pride and identity. I believe this is a piece of our history that transcends the political landscape, reminding us that individuals from all walks of life, neighborhoods, and communities served Canada wholeheartedly during the war efforts."
For the past two years, the centre has been conducting in-depth research, utilizing digitized files from Library and Archives Canada, as well as the archives of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, to gather information about service personnel and their last known Canadian addresses. This data was paired with records from Canada Post to confirm that the chosen addresses of the 1,945 service personnel who perished between July 1944 and May 1945 still stood.
"While the number seems somewhat arbitrary, selecting 1,945 postcards to honor these individuals felt fitting given the symbolic connection to the year 1945," Falk stated.
Another postcard made its way to an address in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, where Cpl. Gerald Austin Ellis once resided. Born in Digby, Novia Scotia, Ellis was a machinist at the nearby Trenton Industries steel plant before joining the army in February 1944.
Ellis landed in Europe in September 1944 and fought in the Netherlands, where he met his end on February 27, 1945. Ellis now rests in peace at the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery beside the over 45,000 fellow Canadians who lost their lives during the war, with approximately 14,000 of those fallen in Europe during the decisive last months of the conflict.
Following the ferocious Allied breakout from Normandy in August 1944, the Canadian Army took part in the relentless pursuit of German forces through France, Belgium, and into the Netherlands, eventually striking the heart of Germany.
Falk revealed that the Juno Beach Centre's current postcard campaign is their third initiative, initially conceived to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, resulting in about 200 postcards being sent out. A similar endeavor was carried out in 2022 to recognize the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.
"The response we received was stellar," Falk noted, "This initiative has allowed the D-Day museum at Juno Beach to reach Canadians at home, ensuring that the history of these heroes lives on in local communities."
This report was originally published in the Canadian Press on April 25, 2025.
[1] Juno Beach Centre: He Lived Where You Live - A Commemorative Postcard Campaign[2] The Toronto Star: Juno Beach Centre sends out commemorative postcards to families of fallen soldiers across Canada
- The Juno Beach Centre's "He Lived Where You Live" program sent out 1,945 postcards to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, which took place on May 8, 1945, to homes across Canada.
- Gary Domski, a resident of Toronto, received one such postcard that bears the name, history, and fate of Pte. Peter Forbes Flett, a gallant member of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada who perished in 1944.
- In the spirit of education-and-self-development and lifelong learning, Domski strives to instill Canadian history into his children, and receiving the postcard nurtures that connection.
- Sal Falk, spokesperson for the Juno Beach Centre Association, explains that the purpose of the program is to honor Canada's fallen soldiers, foster connections between communities, and share emotional war stories.
- The Juno Beach Centre's current postcard campaign is their third initiative, initially conceived to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, with another being in 2022 for the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.
