During the final 3
years of his life, esteemed Winnipeg journalist Val Werier (Order of Canada and Order of Manitoba) shared many
stories with me. At times, I would scribble volumes as he spoke. Occasionally,
we would dispense with the writing and simply record the conversations. “I
thought you might make of some of these recollections a series of short vignettes,”
Val had suggested. “What do you think?” “Val’s Vignettes!!” I enthusiastically
declared.
Before Val moved into assisted living, I would often walk the few
blocks home through a quiet River Heights neighborhood from his place to mine,
after enjoying a drink with my friend. On this particular night, I had written
in a small, ringed notebook with a blue nylon tipped pen. Making my way along
the sidewalks, I flipped back through the pages whenever I passed under the dim glow
of a streetlight, and tried to imagine the young man Val had been that foggy night in
1944, returning from yet another mission over Germany….
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| Val Werier receiving the Winnipeg Press Club Presidents Award for "Someone Who Made a Difference" in 2012, and an Honourary and a Life membership in the organization. |
Early on in his 75 year journalism career, WW2 erupted and
Val Werier answered the call to serve his country in the RCAF. He was a
navigator – the lone Canadian on an RAF Lancaster bomber crew. There were, of
course, many harrowing experiences for the men. The missions were fraught
with danger.
Each year on November 11, as Val honoured his fellow
countrymen who gave their lives, he would reflect in particular on the friends
and crew mates he lost exactly 70 years ago this Remembrance Day, and upon his
own very narrow escape. Here is Val’s story as he related it to me:
“It was the second time in my life that I evaded death. We
had just bombed an oil refinery in Dortmund, Germany. We had been attacked by
fighters there, but managed to get away and make our way back to England. One
of those foggy, foggy nights. Couldn’t see your own hand in front of you.
"No lights were used on the airfield during the war. We were
supposed to be circling the base at 2000 feet, when in fact our Lancaster was
flying just above ground level. Unbeknownst to us, our altimeter wasn’t
functioning. We flew so low over the control tower that everyone there ducked –
they were sure they would be hit. Shortly thereafter, we smashed into some
trees and crashed on the ground. Every engine was knocked off!
"I’ll never forget that night. It occurred on November
11, 1944. Two of the seven member crew were killed – my pilot and my bombardier. The others were all seriously injured,
including myself. My injured fellow crew members were taken to the big
hospital. I was unconscious for hours, and was the only one taken to the
station hospital. I was well treated there.”
It was a lengthy convalescence, but by April 1945, Val was
eagerly anticipating his return to Winnipeg and to his job as a reporter with
the Winnipeg Tribune. Speaking in
London to the Tribune’s James C.
Anderson, Val said, "The time between briefing and take off is worse. You look around at the rest of the fellows and know that some won't come back. Funny, you never think of yourself as being one of them." About what he was most looking forward to in Canada, Val told Anderson “You know what I want? Well, a nice brook so I can sit and throw pebbles into it, and a nice lawn where I can wander about and kick grasshoppers in the teeth.”
Back home in Winnipeg and with the Tribune, Val resumed his civilian life, but with permanent injuries
to his back and his leg. He championed for many important causes with an unshakeable love, respect and optimism for our country, our province, our city - and the people living here. A quarter century later, his January 1, 1971 column carried his
New Year’s message to his readers:
“This is one of the challenges
as Manitoba enters its second century - to strive for a quality of life where
people are more important than buildings, machines, or development at any
price. It is important that squirrels play in the city, that the deer still
roam around the outskirts, that the trees rise in the centre of the city, that people
count more than beltways or freeways. All this we have now and we must cherish and
maintain it.”
~ Wendy Hart
More on Val:
- Senior Scope - Goodbye "Sir Val" - Wendy Hart
- The Globe and Mail - Winnipeg Was Val Werier's Beat For 75 Years - Susan Ferrier MacKay
- Winnipeg Free Press - Big Talent Fought For The Little Guy - Gordon Sinclair
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