Griff Jackson likely never would have called himself a hero, but many would argue otherwise.
Like so many of his peers, the Second World War veteran downplayed his role in the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of France.
Yet earlier this year Jackson was awarded a medal signifying his rank of Knight of The French National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Sadly, Jackson died last week at the age of 91, just as local Legion officials were planning an event to officially present him with the medal.
Jackson, loved by many for his storytelling and sense of humour, passed away on March 9.
He was predeceased by his wife of 61 years, Eppie (2009), and leaves behind four children, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
“He was a joyful person, always ready to help,” Fergus Legion service officer Ray Pearse said of Jackson, his longtime comrade.
“He was a very nice person. I was really upset when I heard that he passed away.”
Pearse said a number of area WWII veterans have died in the last 12 months.
“It always hurts. [Griff] was a World War Two veteran and they’re getting very scarce now,” he said.
“It’s always a big loss for the Legion to lose a World War Two veteran.”
The French government has committed to recognizing all living veterans who played a part in D-Day and the liberation of France with the Legion of Honour medal, the highest national order of France, similar to the Order of Canada.
To date about 1,000 Canadian veterans have received the medal.
“The bestowal of these decorations is an expression of both the gratitude that France feels regarding these veterans and of our dedication to ensuring that the sacrifices of the past are never forgotten,” stated Marc Trouyet, Consul General of France in Toronto, in an email to the Advertiser.
“It is our way to pay these heroes of D-Day the tribute that they deserved.”
When the Advertiser featured Jackson in a 2014 article on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, he was able to recall wartime stories with remarkable detail.
“Some of those memories are like it just happened,” said Jackson from the Highland Manor in Fergus, which in recent years he called home.
Born and raised in the Fergus area, Jackson completed basic training in Listowel, before joining a tank corps for more training in Borden and then in Windsor, Nova Scotia.
He was one of about 25 Canadian soldiers who arrived in France on June 7 – “D-Day plus one” – as part of a British regiment responsible for delivering tanks to the frontline.
“The place was all shot up to hell … the whole place was kind of in shambles,” he said.
After a two-week stint delivering tanks with the British unit Jackson was reassigned to the Canadian Grenadier Guards’ 4th Armoured Brigade, where he stayed for the remainder of the war.
“My unit lost 135 Sherman tanks,” Jackson said, estimating an average of 2.5 men were killed in each tank casualty.
He recalled several close calls, including at the Battle of the Falaise Pocket, often regarded as a decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy.
His crew advanced over several months, fighting in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, where fighting was fierce, notably in the Hochwald forest in early 1945.
“There were some mean fire fights in there … It was kind of touchy sometimes,” Jackson recalled.
His crew was in the village of Varel, Germany on May 5, 1945 the day German forces in northwest Europe surrendered.
Victory in Europe (VE) Day was celebrated three days later, and after several months Jackson finally returned home.
“I don’t dwell on it at all,” he said in 2014 of what he saw and experienced in the war. “If you came home, you were lucky.”
Like countless other WWII veterans, Jackson didn’t regret for a moment his decision to join the army.
“As soon as I turned 18 I volunteered,” he said of signing up in January, 1943.
“It was something I wanted to do … You saw your friends were joining up and you wanted to get in there.”
Jackson, who retired in 1990, was a founding member and flight instructor with the Fergus Flying Club and enjoyed building replica airplanes.
He was a music lover who enjoyed travelling and road trips throughout Canada with his wife and family.
He was “a wonderful storyteller, especially about the rich history of the Fergus area and of his experiences in the war,” Jackson’s family stated in his obituary.
“We now hold those stories in our own memories and in our hearts to pass on to others. He was an honorable man. A man of quality and grace.”
A funeral service for Jackson was held on March 14. Memorial donations in his memory may be made to Groves Memorial Community Hospital or Melville United Church.
