On July 18, 2024, the Kelowna Chinese History Group and the Chinese Freemasons of Kelowna partnered to host a visit to the training camp at Commando Bay on Okanagan Lake. This camp existed for only a few months from May to September 1944, as part of Canada’s...
In Part I, we followed the 9th Canadian Armoured Regiment (British Columbia Dragoons), of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, down into the Foglia River valley to breach the German defences of the Gothic Line above Montecchio and into the highlands around Tomba di...
The Italian Campaign saw large contingents of American, British, Canadian, and other Allied forces—both army, air units—unite to liberate Italy from Nazi German control, advancing from Sicily to the Alps. The Apennine Mountains, like a spine down the country’s length,...
One of Kelowna’s primary links to D-Day, June 6, 1944, is through the service career of Rodney Frederick Leopold Keller (1900-1954). [See Friendly Fire from Above at okanaganmilitarymuseum.ca for more about General Keller] Major General R.F.L. Keller CBE [Fig....
Canadian troops were at the forefront during momentous events in 1944. Two British Columbia units, the Westminster Regiment (Motor), and the 9th Canadian Armoured Regiment (British Columbia Dragoons), of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division thrust through the breach in...
To mark Vimy Ridge Day let us remember three Okanagan soldiers that died at Vimy Ridge in France. This battle on April 9, 1917, became a cornerstone of Canadian identity after the First World War ended in 1919. That identity was paid for in blood, sweat, and scars by...