Our Ten Dollar Bill, In Rememberance, Prelude to November 11

Our paper money is known to be quite colorful. 

One of the most common denominations of our paper currency, the $10 bill is a commemoration of those who have sacrificed their lives for our country.

On the far right you can see Robert Metcalfe - a British soldier during WW2 - pictured standing at attention at an Ottawa Cenotaph.

Amazingly he survived the German Blitzkrieg on the European mainland albeit wounded in the legs with shrapnel.  En route to the hospital, his ambulance was ambushed by a German tank.   He was evacuated via Dunkirk - and out of the 3 ships that sailed, his was the only one that survived a severe hit by the enemy. 

On his recovery, he was sent to fight with the allies in Italy and North Africa.  En route, his ship was chased by the Bismarck.  They made it to North Africa and he served under General Montgomery, fighting against the "Desert Fox" Rommel.  It was there that he met and married a Canadian Physiotherapist.

After the war, they moved to Chatham where he was involved in politics, then retired to Ottawa.

For the next 60 plus years he volunteered - raising money for Veteran's causes, speaking for the Royal Canadian Legion to high school students, and acting as a volunteer guide in the War Museum bringing to life the sacrifices made by the Canadian troops.   He hosted trips (often at his own expense) by veterans and their families to the different cenotaphs, battlefields and cemeteries in Europe.

When he was 80 he wrote a book about his experiences.

"One day Metcalfe received a call from a government official asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He wasn't told what the photo was for, or why they chose him. “He had no idea he would be on the bill,” his daughter said."

A month ago Robert Metcalfe passed away at age 90.