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| When I visit the Garden of Remembrance in Perth, I'm reminded of the sacrifices of Bede, and all those who put their personal lives and dreams on hold to serve their country. Even in death, they fall into line, united. |
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| A lone Canadian maple leaf on a plaque in Perth commemorates the military service of Captain B J Smith. After the war, Bede brought his wife and daughter home to Australia. They had two more children and raised a family. His final years were spent teaching dentistry at the Perth Dental Hospital. |
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| In 2003, I was helping my mother sort through her books, when I came across this volume of poetry. ‘That was your Dad's,’ she said. ‘He had it with him all through the war in Europe.’ Now, I can just imagine him, taking solace in the lines of Keats or Longfellow, trying to blot out the insanity of war |
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| Bede landed in Normandy with the Canadian Fourth Armoured Division in August, 1944. They faced a formidable German defensive wall of barbed wire, metal and concrete bunkers. Later, after the Victory in Europe, Bede returned to the area and photographed the Atlantic Wall. |
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| In September 1943, Bede was posted to England to prepare for the Allied invasion of Europe. He’s seated here (middle left), relaxing on a sunny day with his mates in the medical team. These men will be sharing tough times ahead, treating the wounded, working in field hospitals close to the front. |
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| Bede died in 1965 of a war-related illness, just after we’d moved from Sydney to Perth. He never discussed his military service with me. In later years, my mother told me what she knew. I’ve pieced together his life as a soldier, using military records, photos and objects. |
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| My father, Bede James Smith, was on board ship, headed for Canada when the war broke out in 1939. He planned to take a postgraduate course in dentistry, before returning to Australia. But he fell in love with Marg, a Toronto girl, and stayed on, enlisting with the Canadian Army. |
