Part One: A local war veteran speaks about his battle with his memories
CTV
Like many veterans of the Second World War, Allan Brunsden came to terms with his battle memories late in life. At 99, he keeps his therapy dog ‘Bo’ close by in case his recollections get the better of him.
Like many veterans of the Second World War, Allan Brunsden came to terms with his battle memories late in life.
At 99, he keeps his therapy dog ‘Bo’ close by in case his recollections get the better of him.
“The nighttime is worse. It is a bad time for me. I have a lot of flashbacks during the night,” he told CTV News.
For Allan, vivid memories of battle come from a long tour at sea in 1945. Combat was so intense that 18-year-old Alan penned a farewell note.
“So, I wrote a letter to my mother. I remember that clearly, and I told my mother I loved her and that I was afraid I was not going to return.”
Allan's war-time story had begun long before he shipped out.
The Brantford-raised son of a wounded Great War veteran, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy in London, Ont. to avoid the fate of foot soldiers he had read about in the newspapers.
