MELFORT - On July 18 in Langley, B.C., during a private ceremony with family, close ones and members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Cloverdale branch, Richmond Arthur Deck, 103, was presented with the insignia of “Knight of the Legion of Honour”, France’s highest National Order, by Consul General of France in Vancouver, Nicolas Baudouin.
Deck who was born in a two-storey log house on the family farm in the community of Brooksby, Sask., just north of the Melfort area, said he was surprised by the honour.
Richmond Deck was born in 1921, the second oldest of seven. He volunteered to join the Royal Canadian Armed Forces when he was old enough and took his basic training in Brandon, Man.
Deck transferred to England in 1944 and joined the number 429 squadron RAF as a bombardier on four engine Halifax bombers. He made 31 bombing raids over Germany, including one more than required, which was fatal. His bomber was shot down on that last one and he was captured and spent the remaining period of the war as a prisoner of war, from January 1945 until May 1945, marking the end of the conflicts in Europe.
After returning to Saskatchewan, he married Jean with whom he had three children, raised on their farm. In 1958, they decided to move to British Columbia where they purchased a motel which they ran successfully before retiring in Langley. Deck played curling until he was 100.
This decoration is to honour his undertaking at such a young age during WWII, to honour his bravery and recognize the inextinguishable debt that France solemny owes him for contributing to changing the course of history and breaking Europe free it said the press release.
“It was 80 years ago, and yet it feels so real to be in front of you today, someone important, someone who made a difference, someone who made the bravest decision someone can make, that is to join a fight for freedom and values you cared about. We will never forget. La France n’oubliera pas.”, said Nicolas Baudouin, Consul General of France.
The news release said, through Mister Deck, France also wishes to pay homage to his fallen comrades'. WWII touched almost every Canadian family and this reality is not lost on the French people.
Forty-seven thousand Canadians died during WWII. The Legion of Honour acknowledges all Canadians who fought to defend France as well as their families who experienced the conflict in their own way too. France is grateful for Canada’s involvement during WWII.
France’s Legion of Honour was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. It rewards citizens for their merits, irrespective of social or hereditary considerations. It is France’s highest order. The Knight medal is a five-armed cross with a V-shaped cut-out at the end of each arm, generally surmounted by a wreath of laurel leaves. In 2014, on the occasion of the Normandy and Provence landings’ 70th anniversary commemorations, the then-President of the French Republic, François Hollande, undertook to honour the Canadian veterans who participated in the operations to liberate France during the Second World War.
Since 2014, nearly 1,300 veterans were identified and decorated during ceremonies held from coast to coast in Canada. Anyone who knows a living Canadian Veteran who took part in operations on French soil during WWII, is invited to contact our Embassy of France in Ottawa or the Consulate General of France in Vancouver, these veterans could be eligible for the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour). In accordance with France’s Code of the Legion of Honour, this distinction can only be bestowed upon recipients who are still living when the nominating decree is issued. Veterans cannot receive the medal posthumously. Click for more information.
