Desperation and Valour
Heroes Remember
Transcript
Well I think it all boils down to one thing, that is pride.
If there's a son of a gun there you don't think he is as good as
you are, but if he can go through it, you can do it. I think
that's what meant a lot because somebody else could do it, you
could do it, too. I think it was pride more than anything else.
There's only once, only once I think I ever saw a guy that we had
trouble with, that refused to go in. And that was a bit later on
but anyway there, I was going up towards the North Sea then,
and he was supposed to be carrying the two inch mortar,
and I can't, his name was Spears or Spires or something like that
And he was always a hanger back you know, but his Bren gunner
was a guy, not his Bren gunner but his number two was a guy by
the name of Rivare(sp) I remember that. And when they started
to push up to clear towards this, Grunigan (sp) , not Grunigan,
can't remember, sea port anyway, when we went to clear that
out there, Frank Dube (sp) had become Bren gunner at that time,
and I was number two on the Bren gun, I got rid of the stupid
thing. And had American grand at that time, semi automatic rifle
I was using, and we were out in the open there, just as bare as
this floor practically, covered in fire while the platoon was
getting from these green houses over across the road, I'd say
maybe two or three hundred yards away. And all we were doing was
just shooting that gap where we figured he'd firing coming,
but by this we were getting some firing back and some of it was
getting pretty close. And Frank says, "Everybody gone yet?"
And I looked over and there's this Squires, and Rivare was still
back by the green house. I said, "Come on, move!" Rivare says
well, Spears, joker's name, he said, "He won't move."
Well, I'm no hero, I'm not a damn fool either as far as that goes
but anyway I turned, I said, "If he hasn't moved by the time I
count three..." He says, "He's not gonna move." I said,
"It's getting too darn hot out here for us." We had to make that
trip across there without any covering fire." And on the count
of three, on the three he was up on his feet and moving.
He kicked me on the head as he went by. But anyway when we got
over the road finally the sergeant asked Frank Dube what happened
over there. And he told him, he says, "Tom was gonna shoot
the son of a gun." Sergeant said, "Why didn't he?" He said,
"I covered for him." But anyway they sent the guy on a demolition
course and I think he blew himself up. Never saw him again anyway
He was a hazard. We had one young fella come back that had
been shot twice, he got shot through this way in the stomach and
through this way, and he come back. Now he was scared stiff.
But once I said, "Move!" he moved. Cause the worst part if your
in a trench with him, what happened once or twice there, if he
heard a shell back way off in the distance, he'd jump. The first
thing you know you're jumping too and was ducking. So they
finally sent him off, I think they sent him back to England or
somewhere finally, but he was a brave man, he went in,
oh he was scared, oh God he was scared of getting hit again.
So there was a difference in people.
Description
Mr. Tomlin talks about desperation and valour in combat situations
Glen Tomlin
Mr. Tomlin was born in Clinton, Ontario, in 1923. His family moved to Harriston when he was very young. Once he was old enough he worked in a box factory earning $7/week for 60 hours of labour. Despite having had rheumatic fever, which made it impossible for him to walk at a marching pace, Mr. Tomlin was accepted by the army, where he trained as a field gunner. He later switched to infantry, joining the Hard Light Infantry, 9th Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. Mr. Tomlin's service saw him in several combats in Northern Europe, often engaging the enemy at very close quarters. Mr. Tomlin now resides in Palmerston, Ontario.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 3:12
- Person Interviewed:
- Glen Tomlin
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
- Location/Theatre:
- Europe
- Branch:
- Army
- Units/Ship:
- Highland Light Infantry
- Rank:
- Private
- Occupation:
- Gunner
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