Today in the legislature I rose to pay tribute to a constituent Lorne Frame who has recently been selected to be a member of the Order of the Legion of Honor. Originally established in 1802 by Napolean Bonaparte, the Legion of Honour remains France’s highest decoration. Below I reproduce the text and video of my two minute tribute.

Video of Statement

Text of tribute

It is a profound honour for me to rise in the house today to pay tribute to Mr. Lorne Frame, a Canadian hero who resides in the riding of Oak Bay- Gordon Head.

In 1942 at the age of 18, Mr. Frame joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. After further training in Britain he became a pilot in the 419 Canadian Bomber Squadron where he flew Lancaster bombers.

At the age of 20 and on his 13^th mission his plane was attacked by German Night Fighters. His plane was shot down on the edge of the Fontainebleau Forest, south of Paris.

As he fought to control the descending plane, he ordered his crew to evacuate. He was the last person out of the plane.

After walking all night Mr. Frame found himself in the village of Barbizon. There he came into contact with an American woman by the name of Drue Tartière.

Mrs. Tartière spent the war years assisting the French Underground. As she spoke English, Mr. Frame was able to convince her that he was a member of the allied forces and not a German soldier.

Mrs. Tartière hid Mr. Frame in the back of her house where he was eventually joined by members of his crew. They stayed hidden for 7 weeks until Barbizon was liberated in August, 1944.

As befits a true hero, Mr. Frame minimizes his contributions and sacrifices. To this day he praises the women and men of the French Underground and in particular Drue Tartière.

He marvelled at their bravery. In assisting Mr. Frame and his compatriots, they risked their lives and the lives of their families and friends.

Drue Tartière documents Mr. Frame’s story, among others, in her book The House Near Paris that she published in 1947. I’ve ordered the book from AbeBooks and am eagerly awaiting its arrival so I can learn more about this remarkable story.

In recognition of his sacrifice and his service in helping liberate France from the Nazis, Mr. Frame has recently been selected to be a member of the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Originally established in 1802 by Napolean Bonaparte, the Legion of Honour remains France’s highest decoration.

We are privileged to have Mr. Frame with us today in the gallery. I would like this house to join me in congratulating him.