The week continues for the 16 members of the Up The Johns! Association, as they made a stop at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building on Saturday. From Sept. 2 to Sept. 10, those in the association will be in the province to experience the “history, heritage, and culture of Saskatchewan.” The Up The Johns! Association is an association of French people from Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse, France, who are the children and grandchildren of the villagers that were liberated by the Regina Rifle Regiment on D-Day. Before being known as the Royal Regina Rifles, the Regina Rifle Regiment landed in the first wave on Juno Beach in 1944. They advanced further inland in the first 24 hours of D-Day than any other unit. During that time, France had been under occupation by Nazi Germany. Soldiers landed on the beaches and started pushing their enemy back. Royal Regina Rifles historian Kelsey Lonie says the French people were liberated shortly after. “People are able to open their doors and come out into the streets and laugh and smile and wave,” she said, describing the scene. “They’re feeling hope for the first time in a really long time. Relationships form almost immediately; people are welcomed into homes; soldiers are drinking Calvados. They’re being given flowers and kisses on the cheek, and then they keep going through.” Among the dignitaries greeting the delegation was Blaine McLeod, MLA and military liaison for the government of Saskatchewan. “It gives me a chill that runs down my spine, then also the somberness that’s associated with it, that these people put their hand into the hand of God, went over the top of the trenches not knowing what the day would hold, and if they’d make it back,” McLeod said. The Up The Johns Association has been a strong supporter of the Royal Regina Rifles for over 10 years, providing accommodation and transportation to touring members of the regiment whenever they visit Normandy during annual D-Day celebrations. “To this day, they commemorate the exploits of the wartime Regina Rifle Regiment and memorialize the fallen of not just the regiment, but all of Saskatchewan,” said Kevin Barry, the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Regina Rifles (RRR). Members of the RRR, the RRR Association and the RRR Trust have planned a series of activities for the week to show what the regiment, Regina and Saskatchewan can all offer as gratitude for the Up The Johns Association. “Saskatchewan and the areas that were liberated by Saskatchewan soldiers have always had a close link,” said Barry. “This particular organization is unique in that most Canadian regiments have a regimental association of their retired members, veterans, etc. in their home station.” So far, the association has taken a tour of downtown Regina, seen a demonstration by the 435 Search & Rescue Squadron, toured a museum, went through a “soldier for a day” experience at the Regina Armoury and also witnessed a live shoot and firepower demonstration at the Canadian Forces Detachment in Dundurn. For the rest of the week, the Up The Johns ! Association will be attending a black-tie dinner at the Government House, visiting 15 Wing in Moose Jaw, and attending the Saskatchewan Roughriders game on Sunday.
