Another twist in history

Today is the 70^th anniversary of D-Day and Operation Overlord is precisely the reason why I am alive.  In the war in London my grandmother was romanced by a Canadian of Ukrainian origin.  I never asked for her to spell the name but I do remember Leonard (Leonid?) Bukorski in her reminisces.  They got engaged and talked about moving to Canada after the war, then he went away for the battle which became D-Day and never came back.

Now, whether ‘Leonard’ died on the beaches or shortly thereafter or whether, having had his way with her (she would not surrender her crown jewels without a proposal, though she was always coy about this to me), this was a convenient escape route from early marriage, my grandmother never knew, though she clung fiercely to the former.  Maybe it is a little odd that no correspondence from the War Office came through but there was a rash of engagements in ‘The War’ and perhaps he may not have had time to give her forwarding details to the relevant authorities before battle (I don’t know the exact length of this relationship).  Being from Canada may have further complicated the lines of communication.

Had my grandmother moved to Canada, she would never have met my grandfather at an evening class in London, thus my father and eventually I myself would not have entered the world.  I have a lot to be grateful that D-Day happened, if for slightly macabre reasons.  ‘Leonard’ may have disappeared at a later stage in World War Two had things been different - my grandmother’s belief that he perished in the Juno Landings is credible enough in the absence of any other information.