Mr. Speaker, in Belleville I was honoured to preside over the unveiling of the new poppy coin in honour of our veterans.
However, do hon. members know the story of the old veteran on the $10 bill? If one looks at the back right-hand side of the Canadian $10 bill, one will see an old veteran standing at attention near the Ottawa war memorial.
That he managed to survive to 90 years of age is rather remarkable. When he fought in the second world war he faced the German blitzkrieg. He was hit by shrapnel while treating a wounded comrade. En route to hospital his ambulance came under fire from a tank. When he was evacuated from Dunkirk two of his sister ships were sunk.
When he recovered, he was sent to allied campaigns in North Africa and Italy. En route his ship was chased by the battleship Bismarck. In North Africa he served against the Desert Fox, Rommel.
One day out of the blue he received a call from a government official, asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He was not told what the photo was for or why they chose him. “He had no idea he would be on the bill”, his daughter said.
In honour of all veterans, the name of this veteran on the $10 bill is Robert Metcalfe. So now hon. members and all veterans know the rest of the story.