CARDIGAN, P.E.I. — Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay recently visited the grave of Private F.B Stewart of Murray Harbour while in Italy to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Italian Campaign. Former minister and Cardigan MP Daniel J. MacDonald visited the exact same grave 45 years ago.
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Italian Campaign, MacAulay is leading an official Canadian delegation including 15 Veterans of the Italian Campaign during the Second World War. The delegation will honour the Canadians who fought during the campaign and especially those that died in Italy at ceremonies at the Canadian War Cemeteries in Agira, Pontecorvo, Ortona and Ravenna.
More than 93,000 Canadians played an important role during this bitter struggle, battling some of the German Army’s best troops. The Italian Campaign began on the island of Sicily in July, 1943, and moved north up the Italian mainland through to the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Nearly 6,000 Canadians would die there.