HTW Speaker Series welcomes Juno Beach Centre executive

This year, 2025, marks 80 years since the end of World War II, and many organizations, landmarks and individuals are marking the occasion in various ways.

Uxbridge will have the opportunity to learn about Juno Beach on this 80th anniversary when Alex Fitzgerald-Black, executive director of the Juno Beach Centre Association (JBCA), comes to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 170 on Thursday, Feb. 6, to speak as part of the Honour Them Well Remembrance Speaker Series.

The JBCA is the charity that owns and operates Canada’s Second World War Museum, the Juno Beach Centre, located on the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy, France. As taken from the Juno Beach Centre website, junobeach.org, “The Centre pays homage to the 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives during the war, of which 5,500 were killed during the Battle of Normandy and 381 on D-Day. Opened in 2003 by veterans and volunteers with a vision to create a permanent memorial to all Canadians who served during the Second World War, the Centre’s mandate is to preserve this legacy for future generations through education and remembrance.”

Fitzgerald-Black holds a Master of Arts in military history from the University of New Brunswick and a Master of Arts in public history from Western University. He is the author of Eagles Over Husky: The Allied Forces in the Sicilian Campaign, 14 May to 17 August 1943. He has also co-written multiple exhibitions at the Juno Beach Centre, and has led numerous battlefield tours in Normandy.

Honour Them Well founder Tish MacDonald says, "As a friend to many soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy, many of whom have since passed, and as someone who is dedicated to honoring their legacy - through efforts such as leading overseas Remembrance tours that always include visits to the Juno Beach Centre - I am thrilled to welcome Alex to speak about the Juno Beach Centre."

Everyone is invited to take part in the Action of Remembrance and learn about the Juno Beach Centre through the 80th Anniversary of the Second World War.

Thursday, Feb. 6, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 170, 109 Franklin St., Uxbridge, 7 p.m.