Please send 100th birthday message to this Canadian D-Day veteran

People in France are being urged to send birthday wishes to a 100-year-old D-Day soldier in Canada. 

Alfred Cormier, who was born in 1925, lied about his age and weight when joining the New Brunswick's North Shore Regiment at 16 years-old.

He landed on Nan Red beach on 6 June 1944, alongside 14,000 other Canadian troops who fought to liberate the French commune of Saint-Aubin-sur-mer.

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Mr Cormier also served in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany and received several medals in recognition of his efforts, including France’s highest order of merit, the Légion d'honneur which was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.

Mr Cormier will turn 100 years old on Tuesday, February 25.

Facebook appeal for messages from France

Arnaud Blin is the organiser of the Semaine Acadienne, an association responsible for the only event in France to pay homage to Acadian soldiers (descendants of 17th and 18th Century French settlers in the Canadian Maritime provinces).

“Honestly, I think that Alfred Cormier must be the very last living Acadian soldier to have fought at the D-Day landings,” Mr Blin told The Connexion. 

He posted the appeal for birthday messages on the festival’s Facebook page after being contacted by historian Bruce Morton and the Cormier family. 

“Thanks to the magic of the internet, this gentleman is going to receive lots of messages, which is super, and he deserves it,” said Mr Blin. 

“When the family sees that, ‘Ah, it is someone from France who has written to us,’ it touches them deeply to know that we haven’t forgotten about them - that 80 years later we remember and are saying thank you.” 

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How to send birthday wishes

Birthday wishes can be sent via email to Mr Cormier’s daughter, Patricia Cormier: patriciacormier@shaw.ca

Mr Blin assures that messages in French or in English would be greatly appreciated. 

“Ca va faire une secousse,” he added, hoping that the ripple of birthday wishes will help to put things into perspective, after such a long time. 

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Unique memorial exhibition

To mark the 81st anniversary of the Normandy landings, the Semaine Acadienne will be presenting an exhibition devoted to New Brunswick's North Shore Regiment - the first of its kind.

The association strives to pay tribute to the Acadian soldiers, like Mr Cormier, and share the stories of those who fought at the D-Day landings. 

“The images are shocking,” said Mr Blin in reference to the picture of the young Mr Cormier in his military uniform. “At the time he told them he was 19 but when you see the photo of him at 16-years-old, you wonder how anyone could have enrolled him - he was just a kid,” he added.

A room will be dedicated to the 33 soldiers who lost their lives on 6 June 1944, and the association is currently seeking “good quality” photographs that illustrate their time in the army.

The exhibition will be open to the public for free from May 31 to June 15, 2025, and will be located in La maison des Canadiens, Place du 6 Juin 1944, 14990 Bernières-sur-mer.

For more information contact: infos@semaineacadienne.net