Some months ago I came across a photo of Royal Canadian Engineers (Sappers) in Europe during WWII that I'd never seen before, and located a copy on the National Archives of Canada. The description is "Personnel of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division Bridging Troop, Royal Canadian Engineers (R.C.E.), constructing a pontoon bridge across the Ems River at Meppen, Germany, 8 April 1945." I was taken completely aback. The Sapper manning the crane is my Dad!

While watching a film on the Canadian military at the end of WWII I saw a newsreel showing men waiting for transportation in Nijmegen, Holland. A fleeting glance of one face in the crowd of hundreds of men caught my eye. In this detail from the film the dark-haired guy in the background, with the cigarette hanging out of the corner on his mouth, viewed over the shoulders of several other men. It is quite literally a split second. I showed it to the family. There are no units identified but, like with the previous photo, we knew instantly that is was my Dad. View full size.