DELON SHURTZ
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Canadian Press Published on Thursday, Jan. 03, 2008 1:30PM EST Last updated on Monday, Mar. 30, 2009 2:40PM EDT
Dennis Coburn was expecting the usual spiders, cobwebs, old books and newspapers when he was cleaning out a cupboard at a Royal Canadian Legion office a couple of weeks ago.
What he didn't anticipate was finding a large flag emblazoned with a swastika.
Mr. Coburn, president of the Lethbridge legion, was helping clean the manager's office when he came across a plastic bag. A cursory look inside revealed a photo of a soldier and some folded material.
“I could see it was some kind of a flag,” Mr. Coburn said this week.
He didn't think much of it at the time, but as he drove home he considered the bag and its contents and assumed the flag might be the Union Jack. On further reflection, however, he recalled seeing black on the flag, a colour not found on the Union Jack.
When he arrived home, he unfolded the flag and discovered it was not what he was expecting. In addition to the giant Nazi symbol that unfolded before him, the flag was signed by Canadian soldiers from the 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment that fought in Normandy in the Second World War. It lists various battles and the soldiers killed in action. A Lethbridge soldier also signed his name, although it is hard to read.
Mr. Coburn realized he had found more than just a flag. “The hair stood up on the back of my neck.”
Lethbridge's 18th Air Defence Regiment — although it wasn't known as such back then — formed part of the anti-tank unit during the war. And that's where the flag was returned Tuesday during an official ceremony in which it was unveiled to the surprise of active and retired soldiers and their families.
“This is a very important piece of our history,” said commanding officer Dan Beauchamp.
The flag was signed May 8, 1945, the day of the war's European ceasefire. Mr. Coburn said it was mailed to the legion in 1995 by a Mrs. Osler, the wife of Sgt. William Osler, who is in the photo discovered with the flag.
“It captures a moment in time,” said Glenn Miller, a member of the legion executive and recently retired from the 18th Air Defence Regiment. “It tells a story from when they first landed, throughout their campaign to the last day.”
Mr. Beauchamp said the flag will probably be displayed in a museum located within the 18th Air Defence armoury at the Lethbridge County Airport.
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