Description
Tom Gilday
In Ottawa he ended up volunteering for parachuting and hazardous duties. He then was part of a group that became the first Special Force; half Canadian and half American. He was then appointed as Battalion Commander. His crew fought and took over many mountain ranges that the Germans were protecting. They attacked at night and painted their faces black, they were known to the Germans as the ‘Devil's Brigade'. After being on the line for eight months during the Italian Campaign it was decided he would run a Recruit Training School. He then opened and ran the first Canadian Army Leave Transit Camp in Oyster Work. The camp was later moved to a larger camp in Nijmegen. In 1945 Mr Gilday was appointed General Staff Officer and placed in charge of the city of Amsterdam. He stayed there for six months and then returned home.
Transcript
From that day till this, we've had a society all of our own. You get two World War II Vets together, I don't care if they are air force, navy or anything, they can immediately bond with one another. I have always said a, I don't, a brother, a comrade of mine or anybody that's been all through World War II, I alway feel I could trust him with my life. You know, I didn't feel he'd ever steal from me, I didn't think he'd ever, you know, he might steal from somebody else, but not me. But we had a, and it still is there, you get three together or two together, right off the bat they're friends.