Kerst in de onderzoeken van Historisch Vooronderzoek

After a year full of copmleted investegations, also the team of Historical Preliminary investegations of Den Ouden Bodac has their Christmas break around the corner. In their investagations they come across Christmas, just like in the archives of the library and archives Canada.[1] The teams explain it.

In the war diary of the les fusiliersmont-reyal of December 1944 we found this Christamas greeting: Merry Christmas to everyone from C.M.O staff. This Christmas greeting is a reprint of a drawing made with a pen and is apperantly spread over multiple parts of the Canadian army. The letters C.M.O stands for counter mortar officers (staff). So the Christmas greeting was originated of the Canadian mortars. Besides that at the botom of the greeting it says ps. 'and morep' this is a reference  to the figure that is dressed as santa claus on the greeting, Morep is not a stranger in the War Diaries the Canadian used Morep to make the messages more positive way of alternating between war reporting and communicating. Here below is another image of a similar cartoon in which "little morep" appears.

Back to Christmas 1944, when little morep as santa claus brings a Christmas greeting to the Canadian military in a war zone a long way from home. The light infantrymen of the unity les fulliers mont-royal find themselves in Malden,Gelderland: a place that was already liberated during the operation Market Garden. Thats why they don't reside in the front, but close to it since this walked past Mook and Plasmolen. So the war violence was quite close to them.

In Malden there was more than enough space for Christmas celebrations, like you are able to read in the War Diary: 'Religious Ceremony celebrated by H/Capt M Plante. Personal Christmas message from the C in C Field Marshall B.L. Montgomery read by the C.O. to all rks. Christmas diners organized under coy arrangements. ’[4] The celebration would have been different than at home with their family on the other side of the ocean, but the solidarity among the troops in a similar festive atmosphere must have been have been a pleasant change in a time of war. 

[1] Library and Archives Canada, https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/index (Geraadpleegd 13 december 2023).

[2] Library and Archives Canada (LAC), RG24-C-3 War diaries - Second World War, inv. nr., 15066, Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, Dec. 1944 - Sept. 1945.

[3] Library and Archives Canada, https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/collection/research-help/military-heritage/Pages/military-abbreviations.aspx#alpha-C (Geraadpleegd 13 december 2023).

[4] LAC, RG24-C-3 War diaries - Second World War, inv. nr., 15066, Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, Dec. 1944 - Sept. 1945.