Historical Background

The story, main characters, and some of the settings in An Untimely Death are fictional, but are based on true events that took place in World War II.

These are links to online sources where you can learn more about the historical events, settings, and leading characters from World War II that are featured in the story, Canada’s role in the conflict, locations that are mentioned in the text, life during the war, and details from the various military campaigns and other historical periods that are mentioned in the novel.

Please note that all links were fully operational at the time of the book’s completion.

Canada in World War II

Right from the beginning, Canada was involved in World War II. Canadians fought on land, at sea, and in the air in Europe and in Asia. More than a million men and women served in the Canadian armed forces during the war and over 43,000 were killed.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/second-world-war-wwii/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_in_World_War_II

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/first-canadian-army/

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/second-world-war-timeline

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/classroom/fact-sheets/wwchronol

D-Day

Canadian forces landed at Juno Beach during the massive Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Following the invasion, Canadian soldiers were involved in many battles against the German forces in northern France.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_Beach

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/normandy-invasion

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/juno-beach

http://www.junobeach.info/juno-4-0.htm

http://www.junobeach.info/juno-6.htm

https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/d-day/

https://kids.kiddle.co/Operation_Overlord

https://kids.kiddle.co/Juno_Beach

The Liberation of the Netherlands

After fighting to drive the Germans out of France, the Canadian armed forces helped to defeat the enemy in Belgium, liberate the Netherlands, and push German forces back across the Rhine before the war ended.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands_in_World_War_II

https://www.holland.com/global/tourism/holland-stories/liberation-route/hollands-occupation-during-wwii.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_famine_of_1944%E2%80%931945

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/liberation-of-holland/

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/battles-and-stages/liberation-of-netherlands

https://www.warmuseum.ca/liberation/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Scheldt

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-the-rhineland/

https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/campaigns/northwesteurope/rhineland.htm

https://legionmagazine.com/en/fighting-in-the-rhineland/

https://www.cbf-fccb.ca/the-cbf-battlefield-tour/learn-canadas-role-in-world-war-2/northwest-europe/february-march-1945-the-rhineland-campaign/

Canada and the Netherlands

Important and lasting connections between Canada and the Netherlands were forged during World War II. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands fled to Britain following the German invasion and from London became a symbol of the Dutch resistance to the German occupation. Her daughter, Princess Juliana, lived in Canada during World War II and became Queen of the Netherlands in 1948. After the war, 100,000 tulip bulbs were sent by the Netherlands to Ottawa to thank Canada for their support in World War II.

The Canadian Tulip Festival is one of the most enduring reminders of the connections between Canada and the Netherlands, which were first established following World War II. The festival takes place each May in Ottawa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_of_the_Netherlands

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliana_of_the_Netherlands

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Tulip_Festival

https://tulipfestival.ca/

https://ottawatourism.ca/en/see-and-do/canadian-tulip-festival

William Lyon Mackenzie King

William Lyon Mackenzie King was Canada’s prime minister during World War II. He served as prime minster for twenty-one years, which is longer than anyone else to date. King’s third term in office began in 1935 and he was the country’s prime minister all through World War II.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/W-L-Mackenzie-King

http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/king_william_lyon_mackenzie_17E.html

https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/w-l-mackenzie-king/

https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Mackenzie-King/438299

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie_King

Military Medals and Decorations

A large variety of military medals and decorations were awarded during World War II. These included medals awarded to soldiers following their participation in certain campaigns as well as medals awarded to individuals for bravery in the field, such as the Military Medal that’s featured in the novel.

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/medals-decorations/wearing-medals/ww11medals

https://www.warmuseum.ca/tilston-medals-collection/medals/

https://www.identifymedals.com/database/medals-by-country/great-britain-medals/the-military-medal/

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/medals-decorations/details/53

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Medal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Cross_(Canada)

The Military Museums

The Military Museums in Calgary is the largest museum of the Army, Navy, and Air Force in Western Canada and the second largest military museum in the country.

https://themilitarymuseums.ca/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Military_Museums

The Juno Beach Centre

The Juno Beach Centre is a museum located in Normandy, France, founded by Canadian veterans. It’s situated where Canadian soldiers landed on D-Day. The Juno Beach Centre tells the story of Canada’s role in World War II and honours those that served in the conflict.

https://www.junobeach.org/

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/overseas/second-world-war/france/junobeach

Prior to D-Day and the fighting in France and the Netherlands, Canadian forces took part in a number of military operations against the enemy.

The Battle of the Atlantic

Canada played a leading role in the Battle of the Atlantic during the war. Royal Canadian Navy vessels protected Allied supply ships sailing across the Atlantic in convoys to ports in Great Britain and to the Soviet Union. Canadian ships and aircraft also hunted German U-boats in the North Atlantic during the war.

https://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_ii/battle_of_the_atlantic.php

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-the-atlantic

https://www.cbf-fccb.ca/the-cbf-battlefield-tour/learn-canadas-role-in-world-war-2/the-atlantic/

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/classroom/fact-sheets/atlantic

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/u-boat-operations

http://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/convoys/

http://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/anti-submarine-detection/

https://uboat.net/technical/schnorchel.htm

https://www.canada.ca/en/navy/services/history/naval-service-1910-2010/battle-atlantic-1939-1945.html

The Dieppe Raid

In 1942, Canadian troops took part in their first military operation of the war in Europe. Allied forces launched a raid against the French port of Dieppe, testing the defenses that the Germans had set up on the continent.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dieppe-raid

https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/the-dieppe-raid/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieppe_Raid

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/wars-and-conflicts/second-world-war/battle-of-dieppe

https://www.cbf-fccb.ca/the-cbf-battlefield-tour/learn-canadas-role-in-world-war-2/northwest-europe/august-19-1942-the-dieppe-raid/

Italy and Sicily

The invasion of Sicily and Italy in 1943 was another operation in which Canadian forces were heavily involved. Canadian troops fought in many battles that were part of the Italian campaign, which continued until the end of the war.

https://www.cbf-fccb.ca/the-cbf-battlefield-tour/learn-canadas-role-in-world-war-2/italy-and-sicily/

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/canada-Italy-1943-to-1945

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/italian-campaign

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Sicily

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_campaign_(World_War_II)

Weapons, Equipment, and Uniforms

On these pages, you can learn more about the weapons and equipment used by Canadian soldiers in World War II, including tanks, grenades, rifles, machine guns, small arms, and uniforms.

http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/ww2-canadian-tanks.asp

http://www.junobeach.info/juno-7.htm

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/weapons/rifles.htm

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/weapons/grenades/handgrenades.htm

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/weapons/lightweapons/brengun.htm

http://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/arms-weapons/

http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=61

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/weapons/smgs/sten.htm

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/vehicles/tanks/mainbattletanks.htm

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/uniforms/uniform.htm

https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/uniforms/battledress.htm

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/uniforms/boots.htm