My wife Johanne and I went on a 47 day journey in 2011 that followed the path of my father and mother as described in the trilogy, Mary and John, The Early Years, from 1939-1945.

The trip took us to the military base in Valcartier, Quebec, where my father, Jean-Pierre Laekas, trained as part of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal regiment, to the port of Halifax where he embarked on the Empress of Australia, to Iceland where his regiment guarded the country against invasion by Germany, to Scotland then to England where he trained for two years, met my mother Mary Baker and fell in love. We also spent time in England following my mother’s own journey visiting the sites that marked significant events in her life as she grew from a youth to an adolescent to a beautiful young woman who found her prince charming. We went to Dieppe, France, where my father fought and was captured, to Poland where he was imprisoned for 33 months, to Germany where he was eventually freed, and finally to Belgium where he made his way back to the love of his life.

This book describes our journey with text and photos. Hope you enjoy it!

Michael John Laekas