Description
Object description
Canadian NCO served with Cape Breton Highlanders, 11th Canadian Infantry Bde, 5th Canadian Armoured Div in GB, Italy and North West Europe, 1941-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Bonavista, Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island, Canada, 1916-1939: family; employment in coal mines; opinion of GB; reaction to threat of war; reasons for enlistment; story of reciting poems about service in Italy. Aspects enlistment and training with Cape Breton Highlanders in Canada, 1939-1941: enlistment, 2/9/1939; reasons for choosing regiment; prior membership of militia; basic training and question of lack of equipment on outbreak of Second World War, 9/1939; story relating to beach patrol duties on Cape Breton Island, 1940; background to Cape Breton Highlanders becoming an infantry battalion in 5th Canadian Armoured Div, 1941; voyage from Canada to Liverpool, GB, 10/1941. Recollections of operations as NCO with Cape Breton Highlanders, 11th Canadian Infantry Bde, 5th Armoured Div in Italy, 11/1943-1/1945: German Air Force attack on convoy in Mediterranean during voyage from GB to Italy, 6/11/1943 and reaction to experience; arrival in Naples; training in former prisoner of war camp; promotion to quartermaster sergeant prior to embarkation for Italy; first action at Ortona, 17/1/1944 including German tactics, wounded Canadians and his role during action; winter quarters; use of supply mules; German advantage in mountain warfare; promotion to company sergeant-major of B Coy.
REEL 2 Continues: Canadian tactics employed on River Senio; question of helping wounded in an attack; question of obeying orders and psychological effects of war; reaction to being labelled 'D-Day Dodgers'; positions on River Senio; receiving New Years leave; breakthrough of Gothic Line, 9/1944 including action at Coriano Ridge, 12/9/1944-13/9/1944; company sergeant-major's role during attack; effect of machine gun fire; question of troops' actions under fire, terrain, withdrawal and further attempts to take Coriano Ridge, casualties, role of company sergeant-major during action; fatigue and booby-traps; incident of officer being killed by booby-trap.
REEL 3 Continues: opinion of Germans; question of Germans treatment of prisoners of war; action in Italy, 2/1/1945. Recollections of period operations as NCO with Cape Breton Highlanders, Cape Breton Highlanders, 11th Canadian Infantry Bde, 5th Armoured Div in Netherlands, 1945: move to the Netherlands from Italy; positions; reaction of Dutch civilians; nature of actions in the Netherlands; prior recollection of company commander being wounded on Adolf Hitler Line in Italy; question of near misses. Reflections on military service: interviewer reads from citation for Joseph Oldford's award of Distinguished Conduct Medal action on Coriano Ridge, Italy, 12/9/1944-13/9/1944; interviewer reads Joseph Oldford's poems about service and casualties; question of effects of wartime experiences; return to civilian life.