David Thompson’s father served in the 19th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, 63rd Battery from Guelph which was assigned in the Rhineland and the liberation of the Netherlands during WWII. David later served alongside his father in the same local Militia unit in the 21st Field Regiment. He’s also self-publishing a history of the 19th Field Regiment titled “Armoured Trains to Wooden Locomotives”. He stands here with his portrait, #008/100 in the 100 Portraits / 100 Poppies project. Guelph Public Library. July 13, 2015.
What motivated you to be a part of this project?
My daughter encouraged me to become involved because I was just going through the process of self-publishing a book on my father’s World War Two artillery regiment. “Armoured Trains To Wooden Locomotives” is the story of the men of the 19th Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery who landed on D-Day in Normandy and fought through northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands into Germany. One of the three batteries that made up the 19th Field was a Guelph battery, the 63rd Battery, one of four Guelph artillery batteries that served overseas.
What was going through your mind when you were “Sitting in Remembrance” for the project?
I was very interested in how Greg built the portrait using what seemed to be random blobs of paint. My father unlike myself did not wear glasses all the time nor did he have a beard so there was a point in the painting that I could see his face very clearly only to be replaced by my own when the glasses and beard were added.
What message do you want to pass along to future generations about your life’s experiences?
The men and women who served in the Second World War were mainly civilians who stepped out of their comfort zones and risked their own lives to protect their family and friends. Although few of us are asked to face the possibility of being killed, we can learn to risk a little outside our comfort zone periodically to learn the life lessons of dealing with adversity through commitment and sacrifice.