Geoffrey Crowe

While Geoffrey’s family connections to the military date back to the beginning of the 20^th century, spanning generations and continuing well beyond the end of the Second World War, it was his great granduncle Ralph’s story that drew his interest in the Italian Campaign.

Ralph joined the military before the Second World War, graduating from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario in 1931. He was sent to England at the beginning of the war. In 1943, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and placed in command of the Royal Canadian Regiment, leading the advance into Sicily. Enemy resistance grew as the soldiers moved further into Sicily, and Lt-Col Crowe died while leading a heroic rescue mission on 24 July, 1943. He is buried at the Agira Canadian War Cemetery.

“At the outbreak of the Second World War, he immediately volunteered to go overseas.”

One thing in particular has stood out among the many stories passed down to Geoffrey about his great grand uncle. “His devotion to service. He graduated from RMC and joined the RCR. After some overseas service in India and England he was appointed to the staff at RMC. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he immediately volunteered to go overseas.”

Recently, the Government of Canada commemorated the 75^th anniversary of the Italian Campaign, an important military effort for Canada during the Second World War. More than 93,000 Canadians took part in this bitter struggle from July 1943 to early 1945. As they pushed from the south to the north of Italy over a 20-month period, our soldiers faced mountainous terrain, harsh weather and bloody battles against some of Germany’s best troops. More than 26,000 Canadians became casualties in this campaign, including nearly 6,000 who lost their lives.

“When I heard that one of the 75^th anniversary ceremonies was taking place at Agira, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to remember him.”

When they saw that there would be a delegation making the trip to Italy, Geoffrey and his family were inspired to connect with their history in a special way. “When I heard that one of the 75^th anniversary ceremonies was taking place at Agira, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to remember him.”

To do so, Geoffrey provided staff at Veterans Affairs Canada with two envelopes from the family containing letters, photographs, and a poppy. On 28 November 2019, prior to a commemorative ceremony, the items were placed at the grave of Lt-Col Crowe at the Agira Canadian War Cemetery by Corporal Peter Romanko, a current member of the Royal Canadian Regiment. He was honoured to participate in this moment of remembrance on behalf of the family members—a great example of the importance of preserving the legacy of Canada’s Veterans, and a commitment to never forget about their sacrifices.

To mark the 75^th anniversary of the Italian Campaign, Geoffrey Crowe is one of our Faces of Freedom.

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