330 V O L . 8 0 P A R T 3 M A Y 2 0 2 2 THE ADVOCATE
Sadly, page 186 of the federal government’s Second World War Book of
Remembrance lists Flight Lieutenant William John Maitland of 408 Sqdn. as
having been killed in action on December 13, 1943. He was 22 years old. Bill
Maitland is remembered on Panel 172 at the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey,
England as one of the more than 13,000 members of the Royal Canadian
Air Force who gave their lives during World War II. The plaque is
inscribed:
IN THIS CLOISTER ARE RECORDED THE NAMES OF TWENTY THOUSAND
AIRMEN WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE. THEY DIED FOR
FREEDOM IN RAIDS AND SORTIE OVER THE BRITISH ISLES AND
THE LANDS AND SEAS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN EUROPE.
Twenty thousand. C’est la guerre indeed.
One of the better outcomes of the Second World War was the creation of
the United Nations, which helped to advance international collaboration
and develop international law. Currently 193 members strong (plus 2
observer states), its purpose has been to maintain international peace and
security, develop friendly relations among nations and achieve international
cooperation among its members. In Europe, at least, this has been
mostly successful (although bumpy) for close to 80 years. Certainly, the
Advocate has not had to send packages to soldiers there for quite a while.
Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations states that all member
states “shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of
force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,
or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United
Nations”. Article 2(3) requires member states to “settle their international
disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and
security and justice are not endangered”. Perhaps these are grand or even
lofty ideals, but the mere existence of the United Nations and its storied formation
are testaments to what happens when the very best of human
beings come together for the betterment of all. On the other side, of course,
is war.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. This remarkable and devastating
action brought to an end the relative peace enjoyed in Europe for
decades. Apart from Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014
(of which the 2022 invasion can be seen as a continuation), it is the most
overt act of aggression (as that term is used in international law) since Germany
and the Soviet Union invaded Poland in September 1939. In 2022,
most of the world, still reeling from and dealing with the ongoing COVID-
19 pandemic, dropped its collective jaw and condemned the invasion—
something Russia calls a “special military operation”.