Life At The Juno Beach Centre
Dispatches from the Juno Beach Centre!
A former Research and Collections Officer of The Memory Project Archive, Marie-Eve Vaillancourt-Deleris relocated to Courseulles-sur-Mer, France in 2010, to work as the Program Manger of the Juno Beach Centre.
Marie-Eve recently sent over an update on life at the Juno Beach Centre in the Fall of 2011, including the exciting discovery of a new German tunnels and bunkers located not far from the Centre. Here is Marie-Eve, inside the tunnels, which has been covered for 60 some years.
Marie-Eve described the importance of this discovery:
"In the 1950's local teenagers used to hang out in these tunnels or vestiges, which are part of former Nazi defence lines. The tunnels used to be accessible, but being located to close to the sea, over the years these tunnels naturally filled up with sand. It was through a stroke of luck that the brother of the Centre's Director remembered the approximate location of the opening to the tunnel and the crew were able to dig out the sand for a day of shooting. Which reiterates the importance of sharing stories and experiences from one generation to the next. If we loose one generation's knowledge of these things, history can slip into the sand forever."
Here are more snapshots from Marie-Eve are below:
After a studious visit of the museum, the solemn discovery of a German Bunker and Juno Beach, young visitors to the Centre let loose and show their energy!
The new public exhibition, “History at Your Fingertips”, where visitors to the centre can interact with a Canadian guide and learn about the realities of life as a soldier during the Battle of Normandy through objects and artefacts.
The Crescent School Choir from Toronto singing Amazing Grace, next to seven Afghanistan Veterans from the Royal Canadian Artillery on Armistice Day 2011.
Additional articles on life at the Juno Beach Centre are available over at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmaments Studies website.
