Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 2021-10-15
Invested on: 2022-10-22
Nicole Hoffer, M.S.M.
Hervé Hoffer, M.S.M. (deceased)
Bernières-sur-Mer, France
Nicole and the late Hervé Hoffer have had a front-row seat to the many ceremonies organized by the French authorities to commemorate the Canadian soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Normandy landings as part of the efforts to liberate France. Each June, the Hoffer family opens their home, known as Canada House, to Canadian veterans. The house is part of Bernières-sur-Mer’s cultural heritage because it was the first house to be liberated, on D-Day, by the members of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada.