Shelburne flies special Canadian flag previously hoisted at Juno Beach 

Written By Paula Brown

The Town of Shelburne and the Shelburne Legion Branch 220 commemorated the 80th anniversary of D-Day with the raising of a special Canadian flag. 

Community members gathered at the cenotaph outside of Shelburne Town Hall on June 6 to witness the raising of the special Canadian flag, which was hoisted and flown for a day at Juno Beach earlier this year and donated to the local community. 

“It's a really unique honour for the Town of Shelburne to have this flag,” said Mayor Wade Mills. “Many thanks to the Rotary Club of Shelburne for thinking of the community when they received this flag and thinking that it should be donated to the Legion so that the whole community could appreciate it.” 

About 14,000 Canadians landed on Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, which was part of five D-Day invasions along the coastline of France. On the first day of the Juno Beach invasion, more than 350 Canadians died, and in the subsequent Battle of Normandy, a further 5,000 Canadians were killed in battle. 

The Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, France, flies the Canadian flag every day and replaces the flag regularly to keep it in acceptable shape. People can purchase the used flags through the centre's flag sponsorship program for a minimum donation of $500. 

The Rotary Club of Shelburne has made various donations over the years to the Juno Beach Centre. 

Joan Wallace, an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Shelburne, spoke about the significance of bringing the flag to the Shelburne community. 

“It's very important to be able to share this with our community and for them to remember that we are a part of history, and the people of our community have been a huge part of it,” said 

The flag was raised at the cenotaph outside of Shelburne Town Hall on June 6 before being taken down the following day and given to the Shelburne Legion for safekeeping.

“It is my privilege to receive this Canadian flag that once flew over the beach at Juno on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. We are very honoured by the Rotary Club for donating this piece of history and it will be proudly displayed in our Warriors Hall at the Legion,” said Phil Norris, president of Branch 220.

The Town of Shelburne and Shelburne Legion will be in talks about raising the Juno Beach Canadian flag each year in honour of D-Day.