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This article was published 05/11/2021 (1657 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A local writer has taken the past year and a half to write and reflect on Headingley citizens who gave their lives during the First and Second World Wars as a way to keep Remembrance Day in the hearts and minds of the community.
“In… searching information about these people, what you find out is the real human side about them,” author Stephen Britton said.
“I grew up in Headingley and the story of their lives is not unlike my own in many ways. You grow up in a small town and unfortunately they were called up during a time to serve their country and their lives were substantially shortened.”
Britton, the chair of the Headingley Historical Society, has done extensive research into the soldiers who grew up in the community, and has written three articles since August 2020 exploring their sacrifices in the two wars. He had hoped to arrange an in-person Remembrance Day service in Headingley, but the community decided to be cautious for one more November.
“This year was a judgment call. We couldn’t have one inside because the policy at the Headingley Community Centre right now was ‘no large meetings,” Britton said. “I think we usually have from 150 to 200 people that attend.”
“One of the traditions at the hall was always if you wanted to pin a poppy on a wreath that we made available, that was very popular. This year we have one that represents everybody and people can go at their own time and do their own thing.”
On Nov. 11, residents from Headingley can visit the cenotaph memorial in Riverside Park where two wreaths will be on display from sunrise to sundown. Britton is encouraging the community to revisit the Headingley Remembrance Day 2020 video on YouTube as a way to acknowledge the sacrifices made by those overseas.
“What we did there was based on Headingley always having something for Remembrance Day in the past,” Britton said.
Britton began his research after learning that the community had planted 14 trees in a large circle around the cenotaph to honour fallen soldiers from Headingley.
Georgia Taillieu, chair of the Headingley Community Foundation, told Britton about John Cremeens, a young man who grew up in town across from the present day Taillieu Construction Site. The writer quickly got to work and discovered Cremeens’ was an infantry rifleman in the Second World War.
“The unit he was a part of, the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, they had a day-by-day regimental diary of what happened, and I tracked down the day John Cremeens was killed, found out the circumstances, and was able to write a little article about his life and service to the community,” Britton said.
Originally from Kenora, Cremeens, like many, lied about his age to get into the army. He travelled to Vancouver to enlist after being refused in Manitoba.
“He survived the Battle of Normandy, but 140 of his comrades from the Queen’s Own Rifles passed away,” Britton said.
“Unfortunately, he passed away on Sept. 9, 1944 as a result, he was a month short of being 18 at the time he passed. He was killed in a little town called La Capelle, meaning the Chapel, which I found ironic. There was a total of 18 Canadians that were killed liberating that town, a shell hit a house that they were staying in and there is now a memorial honouring Cremeens and the others.”
After recounting Cremeens’ story in August 2020, Britton has written two more articles. His most recent article shares the stories of Duncan Brown and Donald Taylor, a pilot and flight engineer, respectively, from Headingley, who were both operating bomber planes in 1944 before their deaths.
Britton’s father was a soldier from the U.K. who survived the Second World War and always took the time to commemorate the service of Canadians in the community. Through his writing, Britton is trying to do the same on Remembrance Day.
“It’s a way of acknowledging all of the people that served and should be recognized,” Britton said.
“It’s very sad to me that they were so young, and I can’t get over that. They were just kids. When you do the research, you find out that they were just like everyone else. The oldest I’ve written about was 24. The definition of hero becomes a very relative thing.”
A local writer has taken the past year and a half to write and reflect on Headingley citizens who gave their lives during the First and Second World Wars as a way to keep Remembrance Day in the hearts and minds of the community.
“In… searching information about these people, what you find out is the real human side about them,” author Stephen Britton said.
JOSEPH BERNACKI
Nov. 2, 2021 - Dedicated to the memory of Headingley residents who gave their lives during the First and Second World War, this cenotaph was created in 2020 to honour the fallen that have served. Found in Riverside Park, the cenotaph is surrounded by trees that have recently been planted to honour each individual marked on the plaque. (JOSEPH BERNACKI/CANSTAR COMMUNITY NEWS/HEADLINER)
“I grew up in Headingley and the story of their lives is not unlike my own in many ways. You grow up in a small town and unfortunately they were called up during a time to serve their country and their lives were substantially shortened.”
Britton, the chair of the Headingley Historical Society, has done extensive research into the soldiers who grew up in the community, and has written three articles since August 2020 exploring their sacrifices in the two wars. He had hoped to arrange an in-person Remembrance Day service in Headingley, but the community decided to be cautious for one more November.
“This year was a judgment call. We couldn’t have one inside because the policy at the Headingley Community Centre right now was ‘no large meetings,” Britton said. “I think we usually have from 150 to 200 people that attend.”
“One of the traditions at the hall was always if you wanted to pin a poppy on a wreath that we made available, that was very popular. This year we have one that represents everybody and people can go at their own time and do their own thing.”
On Nov. 11, residents from Headingley can visit the cenotaph memorial in Riverside Park where two wreaths will be on display from sunrise to sundown. Britton is encouraging the community to revisit the Headingley Remembrance Day 2020 video on YouTube as a way to acknowledge the sacrifices made by those overseas.
“What we did there was based on Headingley always having something for Remembrance Day in the past,” Britton said.
Britton began his research after learning that the community had planted 14 trees in a large circle around the cenotaph to honour fallen soldiers from Headingley.
SUPPLIED
Nov. 3, 2021 - Stephen Britton, the current chair of the Headingley Historical Society has written three articles exploring the lives of the soldiers who grew up in the community and passed during combat in World War I and II. Britton is continuing his research and wants to have an article for each of the 14 names on the cenotaph in Headingley's Riverside Park memorial. (SUPPLIED PHOTO)
Georgia Taillieu, chair of the Headingley Community Foundation, told Britton about John Cremeens, a young man who grew up in town across from the present day Taillieu Construction Site. The writer quickly got to work and discovered Cremeens’ was an infantry rifleman in the Second World War.
“The unit he was a part of, the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, they had a day-by-day regimental diary of what happened, and I tracked down the day John Cremeens was killed, found out the circumstances, and was able to write a little article about his life and service to the community,” Britton said.
Originally from Kenora, Cremeens, like many, lied about his age to get into the army. He travelled to Vancouver to enlist after being refused in Manitoba.
“He survived the Battle of Normandy, but 140 of his comrades from the Queen’s Own Rifles passed away,” Britton said.
“Unfortunately, he passed away on Sept. 9, 1944 as a result, he was a month short of being 18 at the time he passed. He was killed in a little town called La Capelle, meaning the Chapel, which I found ironic. There was a total of 18 Canadians that were killed liberating that town, a shell hit a house that they were staying in and there is now a memorial honouring Cremeens and the others.”
After recounting Cremeens’ story in August 2020, Britton has written two more articles. His most recent article shares the stories of Duncan Brown and Donald Taylor, a pilot and flight engineer, respectively, from Headingley, who were both operating bomber planes in 1944 before their deaths.
SUPPLIED
Nov. 3, 2021 - John Cremeens, a rifleman from Headingley who enlisted in the Second World War is one of 14 men featured on the cenotaph who sacrificed their lives in overseas combat. Cremeens was a month shy of 18 when he passed away in combat in September 1944. (SUPPLIED PHOTO)
Britton’s father was a soldier from the U.K. who survived the Second World War and always took the time to commemorate the service of Canadians in the community. Through his writing, Britton is trying to do the same on Remembrance Day.
“It’s a way of acknowledging all of the people that served and should be recognized,” Britton said.
“It’s very sad to me that they were so young, and I can’t get over that. They were just kids. When you do the research, you find out that they were just like everyone else. The oldest I’ve written about was 24. The definition of hero becomes a very relative thing.”
