Garth Webb
Older gentleman in jacket and tie with a row of medals on his chest
Born1918
Calgary, Alberta
DiedMay 8, 2012 (2012-05-09) (aged 94)
Burlington, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
Known forFounding the Juno Beach Centre

Garth Webb (1918 – 8 May 2012) was a Canadian soldier who founded the Juno Beach Centre. Webb fought in World War II as a member of the 14th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross and the Legion of Honour medal.

Webb was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1918. He was educated at Queen's University, and graduated from the Canadian Officers' Training Corps in 1942.[1] He was a lieutenant in the Canadian Army assigned to the 14th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.[2] He fought on D-Day at the Juno Beach landings where he came ashore at Bernières-sur-Mer with his Priest 105mm self-propelled howitzer.[1]

After the war, Webb completed a degree in commerce at Queen's University and moved to Toronto where he was a real estate appraiser.[3]

Visiting the beaches of Normandy during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, Webb noticed that there was very little to mark the efforts of Canadian troops. This spurred him to lead an effort to build the Juno Beach Centre, a museum and education centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer, France.[4][5] For his work to found the Juno Beach Centre, Webb was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross from Canada (2003) and the Legion of Honour medal from France (2005).[2][6]

Webb died on 8 May 2012 in Burlington, Ontario.[1][2] Garth Webb Secondary School in Oakville, Ontario is named in his honour.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Barris, Ted (14 May 2012). "Garth Webb's national legacy". National Post. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Ferenc, Leslie (9 May 2012). "Obituary: Garth Webb, 93, made Juno Beach Centre a mission". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Nolan, Daniel (10 May 2012). "Veteran founded Juno Beach Centre". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012.
  4. ↑ Kelly, Tim (9 May 2012). "Burlington's Garth Webb was father of Juno Beach Centre". Inside Halton. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Wilson-Smith, Anthony (16 June 2003). "Garth Webb's Good War". Maclean's. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012.
  6. ↑ Tait, Eleanor (4 October 2003). "Founder of Juno Beach Centre humbled by Service Cross". The Hamilton Spectator. pp. A.09. Retrieved 17 August 2012. Webb will receive the Governor General's Meritorious Service Cross.
  7. ↑ "World War II veteran Garth Webb presented with picture of Oakville high school". Halton District School Board. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012.


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