Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 163 continued ... fired on us. I tell you when a 2,000-pound shell lands 50 feet in front of you, you just lay and pray. In that battle the Germans destroyed four of our guns, killed four and injured many. We were shelled for 1-1/2 hours. Our cook was shaving against a tree and the top of his head was cut off. Our Commander ordered us to leave the guns and get into nearby caves until dark. That’s how we got out. After that, my unit sent me to Belgium where I guided planes and did weather reports for about 1-1/2 months. Then we were set up in Dunkirk part of the winter building a border. There were Germans there and at meal time the gunner would shoot a few rounds to keep them active. I met a guy from Saint John, NB. 44-46 years later that had been taken prisoner of war at Dunkirk. He recalled to me how the Canadians would send in airbursts when they were being marched for their meals. I was then sent to Holland and up to Germany doing the same job. That year on the 1st of April they were going to let one man go on leave to England. Out of 1,600 men, my name got picked. I spent two weeks on leave in England. It took me almost a week to get there. I went to see the girlfriends. I still hear from one yet. I stood with her and her husband when they got married. On the 5th of May we overran a civilian camp where the SS were trying to burn down the barracks. There were lots of kids with swollen bellies. We were left guarding 15-20,000 German prisoners who lived in tents with wired fences around them. These were mostly young men officers. One night they even hung their own commander. We never abused any of them. There were about 200 horses. I remember we marched the prisoners to Holland to return the stolen horses to the farmers. There were trucks ahead, on the sides and in back of the prisoners. But coming back we put the prisoners in trucks. You couldn’t trust the young guys; some as young as 14. I left Scotland on the 8th of July and landed in Halifax on the 13th of July. I took the first train out to Sydney arriving that night. There were two girls who met me first and my father and a sister. I didn’t even know my own sister. I was on leave for 30 days and went fishing with my Dad every day and chased girls all night. I was discharged on 10 October end of demobilization. For two years I fished with my father and then I got a job with the Department of Fisheries. I worked for them for 30 years. I married Daisy Latham on 20 July 1948 and we had two children, a boy and a girl. That union lasted 11 years. On 25 November 1960, I married Bethena Stubbert. She passed away on 18 January 2002. I have three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. I’ve been a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 12 in Sydney for 41 years. I’m also a member of Normandy Veterans Association No. 58 N.S. Branch No. 1. I reside at Parkland Estates and for hobbies I play darts and bowl.
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