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It was a cold day in Saskatchewan in January 1942, when 24-year-old Randal Hanson walked into his local recruitment centre in Hinchliffe. While he was slightly older than most men joining the military, Randal represented a fairly typical cross-section of Canada’s population at the time. He was a farmer, physically robust, with knowledge of how to drive and shoot a rifle.

By July 1943, he was posted to England with C Company, Royal Regina Rifles, and started training for what would eventually become D-Day. He was part of the 3rd Canadian Division, a powerful formation selected by British General Bernard Montgomery to be in the first wave of landings. Montgomery had witnessed the excellent performance of Canadians first-hand in the difficult Italian Campaign, and valued their contribution.

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Photo by Royal Regina Rifles

He ensured the 3rd was given the best equipment and training possible for their landing at Juno Beach in Normandy. Still, the men were sanguine about their chances of survival. A few days before the invasion, five men in Randal’s company gathered for a few drinks. Three, all in their mid-twenties, thought they may last a few days, or never return. Two, both 18, thought they would make it to Berlin: they were dead by the end of the week.