Cyril Holbrow: Legion of Honour Presentation

Branch 15 member Cyril Holbrow has had a great honour bestowed upon him.   The Government of France had decided to award to allied troops who took part in the D-Day landings in Normandy, France in 1944, their highest national honour, the Legion of Honour.  Cyril was one such soldier and was presented with this award by Mayor Henry Braun at the City of Abbotsford Council Meeting on February 16 (video is below).

As well as his military achievements, Cyril is a noted historian for the Community of Clayburn, which, in 1918, had a larger population than the Community of Abbotsford.  Cyril has been involved in several publications concerning the history of Clayburn.

Cyril has also been prominent in the last several years in visiting local schools to talk about Canada’s involvement in the conflicts including his own experiences…….helping to inform our youth and sharing the legacy with them.

We salute Cyril and congratulate him on becoming un Chevalier du Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur (Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honour)!

Part of the presentation was also a certificate from the Government of France and also, the Mayor gave to Cyril a copy of a plaque that will be installed in his honour on the popular Discovery Trail in Abbotsford, at a location to be determined in the spring.

To watch a video of the presentation at City Hall click the following:

To see some photos of the medal (close-up), the certificates and paving stone presented by the City which will be placed on the Discovery Trail, please click on Cyril Holbrow Medal & Certificates. updated

We thank Reverend Art Turnbull, Chaplain of Branch 15, for making sure that Cyril’s application was made before the deadline on December 31, 2015.