Father Hickey was a cousin of my mother’s. She spoke very fondly of him and how he always had a kind word for everyone. He served with the North Shore Regiment and the men who served with him he called his boys! He loved these men and wrote a book called The Scarlet Dawn. His stories are about his wartime experiences from the time he did his basic training to his trip to England by ship and what happened when he landed in Normandy on D-Day with the first wave going into the German storm of fire. He pulled wounded men from the water as bullets splashed around him, he gave last rites to those who would not survive, and he tended to all around him in spite of the danger. His Military Cross which he kept close was well deserved, but for him, the appreciation of the men he served with was far more important.
As a young child I remember visiting him with my mother and father, he was very kind and had a wonderful sense of humor. I have his books that he wrote which he autographed… great memories. To come full circle though was when my husband and I visited the Beaches of Normandy a few years ago and to hear the tour guides speak of my distant cousin with such admiration and pride was a gift I cannot replace. They even had copies of letters that he had written home of which I now have a copy. Priceless memories.
