The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

house. During the battle he descended to the basement to give his radio operator a mesâ€" When Jack returned upstairs his lookout nest was gone. A German artillery shell had taken out the entire attic. His diminutive stature was helpful when a Canadian troop commander was shot through the face when he stuck his head out of his armoured vehicle. Jack was small enough to wiggle through the tank‘s hatch and secure a rope around him so he could be extracted. The man survived. Continued from page 3 Two infantry units often supâ€" ported by Jack as FOO were the Algonquin Regiment and the Lincoln and Welland Regiment. Jack recalls resting with other Canadians on the steps of a bombed out building. Striking up a conversation with a nearby officer, he learned the man was from Kitchener. It was John Martin, who was later to be awarded the Distinguished Service Order for valour and leadership in battle. The two men discovered they had mutuâ€" al friends, including John‘s fiancée Mary Ann. After the war John became a prominent Kitchener lawyer and community leader. He and Jack remained close friends until John‘s death in February 2007. In early August the area around Caen was of strategic importance and was heavily defended by the Germans. At times Jack and his crew spent up to 48 hours under almost conâ€" tinuous enemy fire. From early August to early November 1944 Jack remained in the thick of battle. He was the FOQ with the Algonquin Regiâ€" ment during the hazardous Remembering lost comrades WATERLOO *« Cambridge â€" Wed., Nov. 28 @ 7:30 pm â€" Cambridge Holiday Inn * * St. Clements â€" Wed., Dec. 5 @ 7:30 pm â€" St. Clements Community Centre « Please join us at any of the following public meetings: Waterloo Region has eight municipal governments. Your ideas are needed to help find a better way of local governance for the 21st century. Citizens for Better Government is hosting public discussions on the subject with the goal to have reforms in place by the next municipal elections in 2010. Help shape the future of Waterioo Region * Ayr â€" Wed., Oct. 24 @ 7:30 pm â€" Rambell‘s Restaurant * * Elmira â€" Thurs., Nov. 1 @ 7:30 pm â€" Crossroads Restaurant * * Kitchener â€" Wed., Nov. 7 @ 7:30 pm â€" Village of Winston Park * * New Hamburg â€" Thurs., Nov. 15 @ 7:30 pm â€" Royal Canadian Legion * His greatest challenge came on the morning of Oct. 26, 1944. Jack was the FOO with leading elements of the Algonquin Regiâ€" ment and a troop of South Alberta Regiment tanks. assault crossing of the Seine River. They captured an important crossroad leading to the Dutch town of Bergen op Zoom and were well ahead of the rest of the force when they were cut off by a strong German counterâ€"attack The commanders of the two regiments were wounded. So Jack took command of the force and throughout the day they resisted numerous enemy counterâ€"attacks in spite of incurâ€" ring heavy casualties. Late in the afternoon the force was able to withdraw under smokescreen cover. But their stubborn defence undermined the Germans‘ abiliâ€" ty to defend the approaches to Bergen op Zoom. For his leadership Jack was awarded the Military Cross for "gallantry during active operaâ€" tions against the enemy." The medal was presented to him by King George VI at Buckingham Palace. Two days later, Jack‘s best friend in the 15th Field Regiâ€" ment, Capt. Harold Mogey, was killed instantly when a shell hit a tank parked outside the doorâ€" way in which he was standing. Jack had entered the door secâ€" onds earlier and escaped unharmed. In November, Jack was recalled to England and subseâ€" quently served as an artillery liaison officer between British and American forces that halted what became known as the Batâ€" tle of the Bulge. He took part in the highâ€" casualty assault on the Rhine, linking up with the Sixth Airâ€" TE FOR TB bDVERNMLHNT Wed., Nov. 21 @ 7:00 pm At Waterioo Rec. Complex borne Division on its march to the Elbe. A few days before the war ended on May 5, 1945, Jack rejoined the unit with which he had served so admirably in Canada and overseas: the 15 Canadian Field Regiment. Days were passed repairing and cleaning guns and equipâ€" ment, taking part in parades and waiting for their return to Canaâ€" da. Jack stayed there until the order came through authorizing his return to Canada in time for Christmas and a reunion with his family, which he hadn‘t seen since August 1942. The regiment was sent to Holland for rest and preparation for demobilization. It was at a homecoming party in Kitchener that Jack met Marâ€" garet Dibben, whom he married in 1946, and had three children with. He also became a local car dealer with his brother, Ralph. In 1994, the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Holland, Jack and Margaret returned to Bergen op Zoom with other vetâ€" erans, including John and Mary Ann Martin. "It was wonderful to return and see happy, contented peoâ€" ple enjoying life in their picturâ€" esque community. Quite a difâ€" ference from their existence in 1944," Jack noted. The Dutch citizens there vow they will always revere the Canaâ€" dians who liberated their counâ€" try and town. That sentiment is evident in the loving way townsfolk continâ€" ue to tend the graves of the 904 soldiers and 64 airmen who died in 1944 during the bitter fighting for the Scheldt and are buried in the Canadian war cemetery at Bergen op Zoom. Jack‘s close friend, Harold Mogey, is one of them. 519.579.1860 _ 685 Fischerâ€"Hallmany519.744.5921 _ 519.622.3377 Locations in Brantford, Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterioo and Windsor The Amazing uts â€"> Rate %gé:: 2%' L:,freg : ,,5 90â€"119 day GIC *Min $2500; 4.55% on $20,000â€"59,999; 4.6% on $60,000â€"119,999; 4.65% on $120,000 & up DP ‘ A/ year rate Min $1000; Year 1 â€" 3.5%, Year 2 â€" 3.75% Year 3 â€" 4.25%, Year 4 â€" 4.75% M P