I
f you ever happen
to be in the City
of New Westminster,
Canada, just walk up
to Hyack Square near
the 8th Street. There,
right in the middle, is
a glorious sculpture
commemorated in the
memory of the very
famous photograph
clicked by Claude
P. Dettloff of The
Province. ‘Wait for me
daddy’ is considered as
one of the most iconic
photographs clicked
during World War II.
The photograph actually
meant to showcase the
marching of The British
Columbia Regiment
(Duke of Connaught’s
Own Rifles) on October
1, 1940 but suddenly,
a kid, Warren ‘Whitey’
Bernard, no more than
five year old at the time
ran off, freeing his hand
from his mother’s just to
have one last moment
with his father, Jack
Bernard, an officer in the
regiment. The mother,
Bernice Bernard, was
totally surprised by
Whitey’s actions and
her expressions clearly
justify the story.
“Whitey” Bernard was in Grade 1 at General
Wolfe Elementary. Whitey’s Dad was enlisted
in the British Columbia Regiment and was
stationed in the city on various sentry points
throughout the city. Since the declaration of
war in 1939 the men of the BC regiment had
been doing various guard duty assignments
which were boring and monotonous. Finally
after months of waiting the regiment received
word that it was to be moving to a secret
destination “Overseas”. The secret destination
the regiment was heading to turned out to be Nanaimo, only three
hours away. The regiment spent time on the coast defending
against German and then Japanese attack. But it wasn’t until later
in August 1942 that they all sailed for England. They didn’t see any
action until July 23, 1944 when they participated in Operation
Totalize, one of the first attempts to close the Falaise Gap. The last
battle they took part in was on April 17, 1945 when they crossed
the Kusten Canal. A month later, Victory in Europe day (VE-Day)
was declared on May 5, 1945.Whitney’s dad, Jack
survived the war and
came back home in
October 1945. By the
time Jack Bernard
showed up in the town,
Dettloff was ready to
capture the return of
Whitney’s dad. This
was the most talked
about photograph of
that time, and it hung in
every school in British
Columbia during the
war.
The City of New
Westminster also
commissioned a bronze
statue honoring the
photo to be placed at
the bottom of 8th Street,
in Hyack Square. The
city unveiled the statue
on October 4, 2014.
At the same event,
the Royal Canadian
Mint announced the
issue of a series of
three coins featuring a
scene adapted from the
image. It was released
in denominations of $2
(alloy), $3 (1/4 ounce
silver) and $10 (1/2
ounce silver). Canada
Post also issued a stamp
featuring the iconic
image.Although there is a second story hidden in the photograph and
not many people are aware of it. Dettloff unwittingly captured a
lesser known story in this photograph. On the left-hand side of
the photograph, the third woman behind Whitey’s mother (in a
dark long coat and staring directly towards the camera) is Agnes
Confortin who had accompanied her friend Phyllis Daem that day
to see the young men of Westminster off. Even with the limited
resolution of the photo, Agnes’ somber expression reflects her
concern for her two
brothers, Wilfred
and Larry Power,
who have already
enlisted in the Nova
Scotia Highlanders.
Larry returned to
Canada in 1944 with
severe post traumatic
stress disorder.
Wilfred was killed
in action in March
1945 near Arnhem
as part of Canadian
Forces preparation
for the Liberation
of Arnhem in April
1945.Old Is Gold
Wait for me, Daddy
Claude P. DettloffAnurag Khaneja
[email protected]
Youngest member of our team, Anurag
handles the marketing department. He
loves adventure and is a quick learner
and motivator for people around him.