They put themselves in very dangerous situations

 Norm Constantine enlisted in 1941 in the (RCCS) Royal Canadian Corps Signals.
Liberator of the Netherlands


An interesting sidelight is that his ‘buddy’ Bill Grant  also joined at the same time. Later they became separated and Bill went overseas as an Army Photographer - Correspondent. Bill landed on ‘D’ day with the troops and his pictures and stories were some of the first to be sent back. Bill received many ‘kudo’s for recognition for his outstanding camera work in the chaos of that memorable day. He was wounded there and then returned to Canada and eventually retired  to Gibsons, where, believe it or not, his old ‘pal’ Norm Constantine also decided to come to spend his  retirement days. Norm became a Sergeant in Vancouver in charge of the Signal Office, later moved up the ladder, became a Lieutenant and  went overseas, where he was put in charge of a Re-enforcement unit. Norm did not make it over on ‘D’ day, but eventually his complaints to a “Senior Officer” that he ‘needed’ to be over there, had the desired effect and he was posted with the 2nd Canadian Corps Signals to Belgium and Holland. This was the same ‘Senior Officer’ that Norm had  a few ‘run - ins’ (disagreements) previously, so Norm is not sure if this ‘Officer’ did this because Norm wanted to get ‘over there’, or if it was just to get rid of him. Norm recalls the heaviest fighting took place in the Reichswald and  the Hochwald forests which were strongly defended. Many times the Signal Corps advanced so near to the ‘front’, that they put themselves in very dangerous situations. * Excerpt from History of Royal Canadian Corps of Signals - “ So eager was the Corps headquarters staff to get forward that on 4th March the advance party of 2nd Corps Signals was ordered to establish a site in the Hochwald  less than a mile from the forward defended positions of the 3rd Division. It was a novel situation to be laying lines back from Corps to the headquarters of divisions and brigades, but one which had been experienced by 2nd Corps soon after it became operational in Normandy.”

Story by Linda Williams, Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival