Reaction to Armistice

Heroes Remember

Reaction to Armistice

Transcript

Oh God, I was, I yeah, I was still in (inaudible) at that time. They had been relieved you see, another outfit had, had forwarded. Well I don't know, we had a big whoop-de-do you know. To celebrate, I can't remember just where I spent that, that night. I'm sure it must be somewhere were we could get drunk. Well I can't, I can't, I can't remember. Interviewer: Were you with (Huh?) Were you with other men from Cape Breton? No. No. No. One of, one of my closest pals he was, he was transferred to the 85th battalion and I met him in (inaudible). We had been separated for some time and he went up in his last trip in North Ireland from (inaudible) that day. I said good bye (inaudible). Next time I met him he told me he got a shrapnel in his back that day and was taken out of the line... Yeah. That was Angus Ferguson from Florida. He's dead now. Interviewer: Mr. MacDougall you mention to me that your, not only that your brother joined, but another brother joined and didn't you tell me your father as well? Yeah. Interviewer: What, what did you father do? Well he, he joined a company unit. He was, I think I told you, he was both an engineer and a miner and they recruited his company unit to go and drive a tunneller over (inaudible) Hill 60 and that was the only job they had. They went over, drove the tunneller through, loaded it with, with explosives, close up the tunnel and blew the hell, way the hell up and then they went back home and he was still in the army, he was still in the army, he had sergeant stripes on and he was on the Pier 2 in Halifax the day of the explosion, the big Halifax explosion and he ducked down under his desk and a wall came down on top of him, but he wasn't killed. Interviewer: Did you see your father in France? Were you there at the same time? Not in France. I saw him in England. He was over, they was over in 15 destroy that tunnel and I was still with the camp in England at that time. He came on his way home, all they'd let go (inaudible) destroy the tunnel then they were headed back home. So he came to visit me with at the camp in England on his way home. Interviewer: Yes. Your, one of your brothers Drury he joined up as well did he? Yeah. Yeah. Interviewer: What unit was he with? He, Drury was the artillery and he got over to London and they put him in the records office cause they needed a records office in London and that's where he was until the war ended. I met him in London there after I came back from France after the war. Interviewer: Your other brother Buddy? Oh Buddy was killed in 1917. That was, that was before I joined up. No, no I joined in 1916 that was before I, I was in England when he was killed. 17, yeah 1917. Yeah. Interviewer: He was your older brother? An older brother? Older yeah. He was killed in Flanders.

Description

Mr. MacDougall remembers his reaction when he learned the Armistice had been declared. He goes on to speak of the service his Father and brothers also gave during the First World War.

Alec MacDougall

Alec MacDougall was born on September 12, 1896 in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. His father was a coal miner and also had a small farm. Alec quit school after completing Grade 10 and went to work in the Glace Bay Foundry. He remained there for three years before joining the Canadian Army in 1916. He enlisted with the 185th Cape Breton Highlanders and took basic training in Brampton, Ontario followed by advanced training at Camp Aldershot, Nova Scotia.

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