Description
Mr. Page describes a training incident where a soldier accidentally drops a live grenade in their trench. Their sergeant throws it away just in time.
Fenton Page
Fenton Page was born on October 23, 1895 in Rockport, Nova Scotia. His father was a sea captain, and he also went to sea, serving on a government ship as a mess boy for two years. In the fall of 1917, Mr. Page enlisted in the Royal Canadian Regiment. He taught basic training in Halifax until going overseas in January, 1918. In June of 1918, Mr. Page went to France where he served as a cook in a field kitchen. His most vivid recollection is feeding the hungry in France. After the war, Mr. Page continued to chef in much more agreeable surroundings, namely private yachts.
Transcript
I remember one time, they were teaching us to throw the bombs, you know, it was about as big as your fist and you’d pull the pin out, throw it over the trench. You was in a trench throwing them and one fellow, he pulled the pin out and dropped the bomb. The sergeant just picked it up threw it over the top before it exploded. That fellow got an awful call down. He pulled the pin out and dropped it.