UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CIVIL LIBERTIES FOUNDATION
LA FONDATION UKRAINIENNE-CANADIENNE DES DROITS CIVILS
УКРАЇНСЬКО-КАНАДСЬКA ФУНДАЦІЇ ГРОМАДЯНСЬКИХ СВОБОД
HEROES
OF THEIR DAY
UCCLF hallows the sacrifices and service of the thousands of Ukrainian Canadian men and women who enlisted in the armed forces of our country.
HONOURING UKRAINIAN CANADIAN VETERANS
UCCLF hallows the sacrifices and service of the thousands of Ukrainian Canadian men and women who enlisted in the armed forces of our country. In particular, we recognize those who volunteered for overseas service during the Second World War and who, in England, organized the Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen's’ Association (UCSA) and a “London Club” (at 218 Sussex Gardens, London). Some of their number- the sons, daughters and grandchildren of Canada’s Ukrainian pioneer-settlers - remained in Europe to help save Ukrainian political refugees and Displaced Persons (DPs), organizing the Central Ukrainian Relief Bureau (CURB) with the financial support of the Ukrainian Canadian Relief Fund (UCRF) and United Ukrainian American Relief Committee (UUARC).
Tens of thousands of DPs and victims of the war eventually rebuilt their lives in Canada, the USA, Australia and across Europe - the parents or grandparents of many of us - becoming a diaspora that never gave up on the cause of Ukraine’s freedom and persisted in reminding the world of the crimes against humanity and genocide perpetrated by the Soviet and Nazi occupation regimes in Ukraine. Those who saved these DPs were, as Flight Lieutenant G. R. B. Panchuk once described them, “ the heroes of their day.” Fittingly, we shall honour them with a commemorative stained glass window where these brave men and women once had their HQ. A unique project that honours those who served and those they saved.
Please consider supporting this project with a donation.
The artist's image of the commemorative stained glass window to be installed at St. James's Parish, Paddington, London, England, once conditions allow.
The UCCLF will be reaching out to surviving veterans, their families and descendants by mailing some 3,500 postcards (pictured) across Canada and internationally, calling attention to the importance of this date and the contributions of Ukrainian Canadians in uniform.
Given the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic in England and around the world, the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation (UCCLF) and its partners have postponed the unveiling of a memorial stained-glass window in London, originally scheduled for May 8, 2020 – the 75th anniversary of V-E (Victory in Europe) Day.
Over the past several years, the UCCLF team has worked hard to ensure that the service and sacrifices of the thousands of Ukrainian Canadians who served overseas during the Second World War, and Ukrainians who did likewise in the armed forces of the other Allied powers, would be recalled on this historic date.
Commenting, UCCLF’s chairman, Borys Sydoruk, said:
"Obviously, we are disappointed at not being able to witness the unveiling of this commemorative stained-glass window on May 8. Other possible dates are now being considered, public health and safety considerations permitting. In the meantime, we will be reaching out to surviving veterans and their families by mailing some 3,500 postcards across Canada and internationally, calling attention to the importance of this date and the contributions of Ukrainian Canadians in uniform. We have also organized publication of a half-page notice in the May 8 edition of The Globe and Mail, recalling how these men and women volunteered for service overseas, demonstrating their loyalty to Canada by defending our way of life. Some veterans then remained in Europe for several more years, helping to save Ukrainian Displaced Persons (DPs) from forcible repatriation to the Soviet Union. Those victims of Nazi and Communist tyranny were eventually resettled across the free world, helping to strengthen the Ukrainian diaspora we are part of today, whether we live in England, the USA, Australia, western Europe or here in Canada. And many of us are the children and grandchildren of the very same political refugees these Canadian Ukrainians rescued. Simply put, we would not be here today if it were not for the men and women in uniform who saved the DPs. So, on May 8, the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, V-E Day, we call upon our friends and supporters across Canada, and indeed around the world, to remember the Ukrainian Canadians who were the 'heroes of their day'."
The Globe and Mail Commemorative Notice, May 8, 2020
Bulava Level, Donations $25,000 or more
Funded, in part, by the Shevchenko Foundation, Ukrainian Canadian Veterans Fund and the Temerty Foundation
Gold Level, Donations $10,000 to $24,999
BCU Foundation - Toronto, Ontario
Silver Level, Donations $1,000 to $9,999
Anonymous - Toronto, Ontario
Eugene & Ola Cholkan - Toronto, Ontario
Anonymous - Mississauga, Ontario
Julia Kinar - Hamilton, Ontario
League of Ukrainian Canadians, Edmonton Branch
Nadia Luciuk - Kingston, Ontario
Lieutenant Colonel Mary Romanow (Retired), Orleans, Ontario in honour of BGen Joseph Romanow & Lt Josephine Sawchuk
Barry & Pat Slusarchuk, Calgary, Alberta
Lieutenant General Paul Wynnyk (Retired), Sherwood Park, Alberta
in honour of Captain Walter Wynnyk and Flight Sgt. William Wynnyk
St. Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Men's Club, St. Paul, Alberta
The Ukrainian Self Reliance Association, Calgary Branch, Alberta
Ucrainica Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario
Ukrainian Canadian Benevolent Society of Edmonton, Alberta
Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Calgary
Ukrainian Credit Union Ltd., Toronto, Ontario
Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada, Toronto, Ontario
United Ukrainian American Relief Committee, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Veterans Affairs Canada
Bronze Level, Donations $100 to $999
Elaine Holowach-Amiot & Paul Amiot, Calgary, Alberta
Anonymous - Toronto, Ontario
Albert & Olga Boykiw, Calgary, Alberta
Peter & Mary Charuk, Calgary, Alberta
Alexandra Chyczij - Toronto, Ontario
Tetiana Dzulynsky - Toronto, Ontario
Anonymous - Toronto, Ontario
Dr. Andrey Cybulsky - Montreal, Quebec
Anonymous - Morristown, New Jersey
Anonymous - Ottawa, Ontario
Luba Fedorkiw - Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dr. Jaroslaw & Olya Grod - Etobicoke, Ontario
Anonymous - Vancouver, British Columbia
Andriy & Paula Harasymiw, Edmonton, Alberta
Natalia Harasymiw - Edmonton, Alberta
Borden & Anita Hasiuk, Tilbury, Ontario
Martin Hryniuk - Prud'homme, Saskatchewan
Anonymous - Calgary, Alberta
Anonymous - Calgary, Alberta
Petro Jacyk Education Foundation, Mississauga, Ontario
Victor Lishchyna - Toronto, Ontario
Professor Lubomyr Luciuk, Kingston, Ontario
Andrea Malysh, Vernon, British Columbia
Jim Maclean - Toronto, Ontario in honour of Bohdan Hubicki
Anonymous - Edmonton, Alberta
Mrs. Jean Mekitiak, Calgary, Alberta
Mark Minenko, Edmonton, Alberta
North Winnipeg Credit Union Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba
Tony Pidkalenko - Stratford, Ontario
Inna Platonova - Calgary, Alberta
George & Suzanne Popadynec - Gloucester, Ontario
Mark Preston-Horin, Victoria, British Columbia
Michael & Katherine Pyniansky, Angus-Borden, Ontario
Gregory Mursky - Mequon, Wisconsin
Olga Pankiw-Petty - Toronto, Ontario
Alexandra Sawchuk - St. Catharines, Ontario
Dr. Amil Shapka - St. Paul, Alberta
Maria Shysh - Calgary, Alberta
Dr. Ihor Stebelsky, Windsor, Ontario
Rev. Fr Jeffrey Stephaniuk, Wynyard, Saskatchewan in honour of William Stephaniuk
Borys & Donna Sydoruk - Calgary, Alberta
Dr. Bernie & Mary Ann Trischuk - Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Nicholas A. Turinski, Ottawa, Ontario
Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Vernon Branch, British Columbia
Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Calgary Collection UWAC, Calgary, AB
Chris & Tara Van Kampen, Calgary, Alberta
Jerry Woloschuk - Dundas, Ontario
Darene Roma Yavorsky, Kincardine, Ontario, in memory of Pavlo & Leona Yavorsky
Roman Zakaluzny, Ottawa, Ontario
Roman & Irene Zakaluzny, Calgary, Alberta
Supporter Level, Donations Up to $99
Anonymous - California, USA
Irena Bell - Ottawa, Ontario
Andrey Genyk-Berezowsky - Etobicoke, Ontario
Anonymous - Langley, British Columbia
Jurij Darewych - Mississauga, Ontario
Vera & George Kap, Akron, Ohio
Anonymous - Milton, Ontario
Victoria Karpiak - Ottawa, Ontario
Walter Kish, Oshawa, Ontario
Bohdan Luhovyy - Middle Sackville, Nova Scotia
Vera Malanczyj - Toronto, Ontario
Anonymous - Edmonton, Alberta
Anonymous - Mississauga, Ontario
Anonymous - Ottawa, Ontario
Taras & Larissa Podilsky - Edmonton, Alberta
Vincent Rees, Edmonton, Alberta
Ronald Sorobey - Ottawa, Ontario
Katherine Sydoruk - Calgary, Alberta
Mykhailo Rohatynsky - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
St James's Church, Sussex Gardens, London, May 8, 2020 Invitation
GALLERY
UCSA Ukrainian Christmas Get-Together, January 6&7, 1944
The wedding of Anne Cherniawsky and Bohdan Panchuk, London, February 2, 1946
Tenth UCSA Get-Together in London, November 10-11, 1945. Photograph by A. Louis Jarché, G.R.B. Panchuk Collection, Multicultural History Society of Ontario, 2-1-358.
Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen's Association badge
DOCUMENTS
Heroes of Their Day: The Reminiscences of Bohdan Panchuk, 1983, edited by L.Y. Luciuk
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An Almanac of Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen, 1939 -1945
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The Almanac includes the following sections in this order:
- The names and photographs of Ukrainian Canadian servicemen, allocated among the three branches of the Armed Forces of Canada;
- Photographs of Ukrainian Canadians who were officially reported killed or missing in action;
- The Ukrainian Canadian servicemen who were wounded in action;
- A few of the Canadian women of Ukrainian descent who served with the Canadian Armed Forces;
- A partial list of Ukrainian Canadian servicemen who had been decorated for gallantry or mentioned in despatches for meritorious service in action (A few photographs are included).
The next major section contains the names of 3,830 Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen which names appeared in the official casualty lists that were periodically published by the different branches of the Canadian Armed Forces. The compilation of a complete list was not possible, due to the authors not having access to the complete statistical data.
Then follow the photographs of the three Ukrainian Catholic chaplains who served with the Canadian Army. Hon. Capt. Rev. M. Pelech and Hon. Capt. T. Dobko who served in Canada; and Hon. Capt. M. Horoshko, who had been serving overseas.
Also included is a pictorial section with some forty photographs depicting Father Horoshko's activities overseas. Supplementing these pictures are a few photographs of the Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen's Canteen in London, England. The 'Canteen' photographs show Ukrainian Canadian service personnel commemorating both Christmas and Easter according to Ukrainian customs and tradition.
These are followed by several photographs of servicemen's "get-togethers" in Belgium, especially of the convention held in Brussels in 1945.
An Almanac of Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen, 1939 -1945
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An Almanac of Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen, 1939 -1945
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An Almanac of Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen, 1939 -1945
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An Almanac of Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen, 1939 -1945
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An Almanac of Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen, 1939 -1945
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Some of the Heroes of Their Day who died on D-Day, June 6, 1944
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Makichuk, Michael John: Cpl., Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. Age 23
Miskow, Wesley William: Sergeant Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of Shoal Lake, Manitoba Age 23
Pockiluk, Henry Andrew: Corporal, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of London, Ontario, Age 27
Prokopchuk, Steve: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of Sandy Lake, Manitoba. Age 28
Skwarchuk, Metro: Trooper, Fort Garry Horse, of Devil Lake, Saskatchewan.
Solodiuk, Michael: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C,
Spilchak, George: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of Pine Ridge, Manitoba. Age 22
Warun, William A.: Gunner, 14 Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, of Geraldton, Ontario. Age 22
Wintoniw, Mikie: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of Zhoda, Manitoba Age 26
Wladyka, Edward; Rifleman, Regina Rifle Regiment, of Winnipeg, Manitoba Age 30.
Woronchuk, Eugene: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of Brandon, Manitoba. Age 28.
Remembering The Heroes Of Their Day
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Recalling March 18, 1945, by Lubomyr Luciuk, The Ukrainian Weekly, March 27, 2020
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Project seeks to honor “Heroes of Their Day”, Ukrainian Weekly, June 14, 2019
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Ukrainian Canadians and the Two Great Wars, New Pathway, June 11, 2019
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Ukrainian Canadians played a major role in D-Day, New Pathway, June 11, 2019
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Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen’s Association (UCSA) [Союз Українських Канадійських Вояків], Ukrainians in the United Kingdom, Online Encyclopedia
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UCSA was formed on 7 January 1943 in Manchester, to cater for the social and cultural needs of Ukrainian Canadians serving overseas. Initially the association had 37 members. By the end of the war there were 1,500 active members and over 3,000 additional names on the association’s mailing list.
Bohdan Panchuk, Ukrainians in the United Kingdom, Online Encyclopedia
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Panchuk, Gordon Bohdan [Панчук Богдан] – teacher, community leader; born on 8 February 1915 in Meacham, Saskatchewan, Canada; died on 20 June 1987 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; buried in the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery, Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Stanley Frolick, Ukrainians in the United Kingdom, Online Encyclopedia
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Frolick, Stanley (Sviatoslav Frolack) [Святослав Фроляк] – lawyer, community leader; born on 7 July 1920 in Hillcrest, Alberta, Canada; died on 4 June 1988 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; buried in Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto.
Vladimir Kaye (Kysilewsky), Ukrainians in the United Kingdom, Online Encyclopedia
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Kaye (Kysilewsky), Vladimir [Володимир Кисілевський] – scholar and civil servant; born on 4 August 1896 in Kolomyia (Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Ukraine; at that time – Austrian crown land of Galicia); died on 30 August 1976 in Ottawa, Canada; buried in Notre Dame Cemetery, Ottawa.
The Ukrainian Canadian Chaplaincy during World War Two , Roman Yereniuk, Canadian Ethnic Studies, 2015
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The Ukrainian Canadian Chaplaincy during World War Two
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pp. 307-338
Ukrainian Canadian Military Contributions in World War II, December 8, 2015, The New Pathway
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The Ukrainian Canadian Veterans Association Collection, National Archives of Canada, MG 28, V 119, Finding Aid, Wiktor Holowacz and Myron Momryk, 1988 CIUS, U of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
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The Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen’s Association (UCSA) grew out of the social and religious gatherings of Ukrainian Canadian servicemen stationed in England during the Second World War. The first social gatherings were held by the Ukrainian community at the Ukrainian Social Club in Manchester. Under the leadership of G.R.B. Panchuk and others, these social gatherings developed into the UCSA which was formally constituted in Manchester on 7 January 1943. In June 1943, the UCSA obtained its own building in London, England. The UCSA provided a center of social and recreational activities for Ukrainian servicemen on leave. Visitors and guests also included Ukrainian servicemen from the United States, England, Poland and other countries. After June 1944, the UCSA expanded its activities to assist Ukrainian refugees and Displaced Persons in Western Europe. The UCSA was formally disbanded on 9 January 1946.
"Heroes" In the Media
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VIDEOS
Two Minutes' Silence and Prayers, Victory Day in Europe, St. James's Church, Sussex Gardens, London, May 8, 2020
Royal Military College historian Lubomyr Luciuk marks VE day by honouring the Canadian veteran who helped tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees flee oppression and whose motto was 'just do something.'
Listen at 9:29 minutes https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5561864
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