02-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Triumph and tragedy
Dora Paul was just 16 years old and a high school junior when news of Germany's unconditional surrender reached St. John's High School in the city's North End neighbourhood 80 years ago this week.
Amid the cheers of classmates, her heart was heavy. Victory in Europe could not erase the profound loss her family had endured.
'My older brother, Lavey Paul, had been killed on May 25, 1944, while serving in Italy (with the British Columbia Dragoons RCAC),' says Dora (who later married Harry Rosenbaum). 'He was my hero. He was the breadwinner for our family after my father left the picture. By that time, my sister was living away from home.'
MARTIN ZEILIG PHOTO
Dora Rosenbaum shows off the commemorative plaque made in honour of her brother, Trooper Lavey Paul, who was killed in action in May 1944.
Trooper Lavey Paul was the son of Rubin and Ida Paul of Winnipeg. According to the Second World War Book of Remembrance, he was 21 when he died with the 9th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
As others rejoiced upon hearing the news of Victory in Europe, Rosenbaum couldn't hold back tears as she walked home from school. Her mother, too, was overcome with emotion. The Paul family had already paid the ultimate price for this long-awaited victory, and the pain of Lavey's absence overshadowed the day's triumph.
Across the city, Winnipeg had transformed into a jubilant hub of celebration. Flags from the Allied nations adorned buildings and people thronged the streets, waving and cheering.
Yet, the war's shadow lingered. While the surrender of Germany marked a monumental victory, the battle in the Pacific theatre continued. Prime Minister Mackenzie King reminded Canadians of the ongoing struggle against Japan in his broadcast address.
'The war was not over for the Winnipeg Grenadiers, who had been captured during the defence of Hong Kong in 1941 and were still prisoners of war in Japan,' says Gord Crossley, Heritage Officer at 17 Wing Winnipeg.
Thoughts of these men weighed heavily on the minds of Winnipeggers as they commemorated VE-Day. Along with reports and photographs of the celebrations, the Free Press also included solemn reports on its pages: 16 Manitobans Are Included In 2 Army Casualty Lists. Another inside-page headline stated: Winnipeggers Throng to Church Services — Deep Humility Marks Worship.
For Dora Rosenbaum, the journey of remembrance would continue decades later. In 1997, accompanied by the Canadian Legion, she visited Monte Cassino in Italy, where her brother was buried. This pilgrimage fulfilled a promise her late husband, Harry — a Second World War veteran — had made to her. Standing at her brother's grave in the Commonwealth Cassino War Cemetery was a deeply moving experience, reconnecting her with the sacrifices her family had made during those tumultuous years.
'Harry and another Jewish man said Kaddish (the Jewish mourner's prayer) at Lavey's grave,' Dora, a retired Winnipeg School Board office employee, recalls.
'They also did it at every other cemetery we stopped at. The rest of the men on the tour looked for the Mogen Dovid (Star of David) at all the other cemeteries for the two of them to say Kaddish. What a wonderful thing that was. I think only Canadian veterans would do this.'
Meanwhile, as VE-Day celebrations echoed in Winnipeg, soldiers who had returned home and those in the Royal Canadian Air Force joined in the revelry. Many of these airmen had been placed on reserve, their services no longer required in Europe but held in readiness for the Pacific War. Wearing their uniforms with pride, they became symbols of both sacrifice and hope.
This writer's own father, Morrey I. Zeilig, who was a signalman during the war and served in Canada, Britain and northwest Europe, received his honourable discharge on Feb. 2, 1946, having enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces on Aug. 5, 1942.
SUPPLIED
Morrey I. Zeilig served as a signalman during the Second World War.
'The nightly drone of bombers is a music which only inflames the desire of the anguished but heroic people of Europe to hear the full symphony of freedom,' Morrey wrote in an April 1944 letter to a sibling living in the U.S.
'I am proud that I will be a member of the greatest orchestra of all time.'
It would be three more months — after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki — until Japanese leaders surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945. It set off another wave of celebration to Winnipeg.
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The end of the war brought changes in employment and social structure in Winnipeg. 'Soldiers returned to rebuild their lives, aided by a point system that determined their discharge and return home,' Crossley explains.
'Factors such as family responsibilities, civilian occupations and length of service played a role in deciding who came home first.'
In the Netherlands, Canadian troops, including Winnipeg's own Fort Garry Horse, Royal Winnipeg Rifles and Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, contributed to rebuilding towns, leaving a lasting legacy, Crossley says. This sense of duty and commitment to rebuilding resonated throughout the post-war years, shaping the character of those who had served and the communities to which they returned.
The memory of VE-Day and VJ-Day remains alive in Winnipeg's history. For individuals like Dora Rosenbaum, the days are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the enduring impact of loss and the collective joy of a nation emerging from the darkness of war.
Martin Zeilig is a Winnipeg writer.
