Second World War veteran Jim Parks has kicked off a walk to honour the 45,000 Canadians who died in the war by raising funds for the Juno Beach Centre (JBC) in France.
Parks, 96, began his walk on Oct. 8 in Mount Albert, Ont. He is the official ambassador for the Remembrance Day Races, a virtual run/walk event to raise funds for the JBC, Canada’s Second World War memorial and museum on the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy.
Starting at his branch No. 382, Parks, a former marathoner, decided to take on the JBC’s Strongpoint 1,500-metre distance, named for the German strongpoint and the 1,500-metre stretch of beach that Parks’ battalion, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, had to overcome on June 6, 1944. While cold rain and hail cut short the first leg of his planned distance, he will continue his walk of remembrance with his family's support as Nov. 11 approaches.
Centre in a ‘rough spot’
“The Juno Beach Centre has steadily grown over the years,” Alex Fitzgerald Black, historian, author and manager of outreach and operations of the Juno Beach Centre Association, the charity in Canada who operates the JBC, said in a news release.
“We welcome about 100,000 guests every year, totalling over one million since opening our doors. Many people across Canada will remember the JBC as the site of last year’s official commemorations marking D-Day’s 75th anniversary. It was also featured on the Amazing Race Canada, where Jim greeted the contestants on the beach.”
However, the Juno Beach Centre is in a rough spot due to the coronavirus, Fitzgerald Black continued. The building relies on revenue from areas such as the museum boutique to help fund its operations. The JBC had to close for three months earlier this year and it doesn’t anticipate returning to its normal visitor numbers for several years.
The funds raised through the Remembrance Day Races will help the centre recover the revenue it lost during the pandemic, while the centre will continue to work to ensure people such as Parks and his comrades are honoured and remembered, she added.
Register for the run
The Remembrance Day Races are open for registration until Saturday, Nov. 28. There are three distances from which participants can choose: the Strongpoint 1,500 metre, the Juno Beach 8K — the length of the Norman beach code-named Juno — and the Remembrance 21.1K — named in honour of the 21,000 Canadian and British troops who landed at Juno Beach on D-Day.
Participants receive a race kit from the JBC’s race partner, VR Pro, that includes a commemorative medal modelled after the same medal Parks wears to mark his service in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
It also includes the choice of a neck gaiter or face mask designed for the races, remembrance items from the Legion, a commemorative D-Day map, a Juno Beach coin and more. Race kits will be mailed to participants upon registration. Racers can also set up their fundraising page where people can sponsor them.
Visit The Running Room website to register for the run/walk or to sponsor Jim Parks and his goal of raising $5,000 for the JBC.
Parks’ experiences
Parks enlisted at age 15 and landed on D-Day when he was 19 years old, the news release said. Seventy-six years ago, he would have been engaged in battle to take the Leopold Canal in the borderlands between Belgium and the Netherlands.
At the Leopold, he and his comrades helped secure one of the most important Canadian-led victories of the war. In an environment characterized by flooded fields and elevated dykes, they endured the mud and cold to defeat German forces along the Scheldt Estuary.
This year Parks has chosen to commemorate Remembrance Day by sharing his story and walking to raise awareness of the Juno Beach Centre’s cause, reflect on his remarkable war experience, and pay tribute to those lost in the war 76 years ago. His goal is to raise $1 for every Canadian soldier who lost his life and was laid to rest in Normandy's cemeteries.
“We have 5,200 good Canadian soldiers buried in Normandy,” said Parks. “Regular Canadians — fathers, uncles — (who) are over there 3,000 miles away. We don’t get to see them, so it’s important to bring it forward, to bring the memories back to Canada and show them what this walk is for.”
Vivid memories
Parks has returned to Normandy several times since the war, most recently in 2019, for the 75th anniversary of D-Day at the Juno Beach Centre. The building stands in almost the same spot where he came ashore that June 6, 1944.
“When I am at the Juno Beach Centre, I can look over towards the (Seulles) river and I can tell you exactly where I landed,” Parks said. “I was almost right in front of where the Juno Beach Centre is now.”
One of the most harrowing memories Parks shared about his D-Day experience is when he came upon his wounded comrade, Cpl. William John Martin, lying on Juno beach. Despite the machine gun fire, Parks stopped and held Martin in his arms as the young soldier took his final breaths.
“I do a lot of talks now, and I always stress the importance of remembering the people who gave their lives,” said Parks. “This walk is a walk of remembrance. It brings up a lot of memories for me. They become very vivid. When people are doing their own walk of remembrance, I want them to take the time to think about the reason they are walking. They are walking for all the Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The Juno Beach Centre is grateful for the support it has received from Canadians, along with people from France, Belgium, German, the Netherlands and Australia who have registered for the run, said Fitzgerald Black.
“It is a testament to the importance of the JBC to people all over the world who recognize the important role Canadians played in the Allied victory,” she added. “We are especially grateful to have the support of Jim, because he is the reason the JBC exists, the reason we do what we do.”
