He’s not gonna take me, I heard he’s prejudiced.

Heroes Remember

He’s not gonna take me, I heard he’s prejudiced.

Transcript

The war broke out in ‘39. A lot of our people was trying to go in and one of the things that came back was a gentleman in the black race went to join the forces and when he got there, to the recruiting centre, the recruiting officer at the time, I don’t think I want to say his name but he was a major. Ah, he informed Mr. Williams, he said, “Well, what are you joining the forces, what are you wanting to join the army for? Because it’s a white man’s war, not a black man’s war?” He was told that, so that was prejudice right off the bat. Here’s a man who wants to join to serve his country and here’s a white man telling him, “Hey, it’s a white man’s war, you know, what are you doing?” So that kind of stuck to all of the people in my town. Okay, my brother went out, he got in. My uncle went out, he got in. I wanted to. I wanted to make better for myself from my job, but I couldn’t do it because at the time was when you were around eighteen, nineteen, you must go and enlist in order for you to get a paper to say you could get another job. So myself and my cousin, we went out to the forces and I said, this guy out there, he’s not going to take me, because I heard about him being prejudice anyway. So I said to myself, “I can beat this guy. He’s a bigot but I can beat him and I’m going to beat him at his own game.” So when we went to the recruiting office, we went in. Of course they asked you questions, etc. etc. Then he said, “What are you joining the Army for?” I said, “Oh gee, I’m not joining the Army. I only come here so I could get a paper from you to say from you that I’m not eligible.” He said, “What?” I said, “I’m not eligible because I’ve heard stories that it was a white man’s war, it was a white man’s war, not a black man’s war.” So right away he looked at me and he said something to another officer and he said, “Put him over there in that line.” I was in, you understand. I knew I didn’t have to take no examination or anything. I was in because I was just letting him know, “Hey you said it. I’ll go by what you said.” I went into the forces. I was 106 pounds soaking, ringing wet, 5' 3" but this officer was thinking, “Hey, you’re a smart ass.” Okay, that was my first induction into a society that said, “Hey you’re black, we don’t need you.” But you’re telling me I don’t want you so I’m going to put you in. I carried that all through my career in the forces.

Description

Mr. Berry describes how he enlisted despite a prejudiced recruiting officer.

Irving Malcolm Berry

Irving Berry was born on March 10, 1924 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He attended South End School, but left school early to find work. At the time that war broke out, he was working as a porter for the bus company, earning $3.50 per day. Mr. Berry was aware that the recruiting officer in Halifax was prejudiced against blacks, but managed to successfully enlist. His training took place in Camp Borden, and then he shipped overseas, joining the 86th Bridging Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps. Mr. Berry’s active service in France began twenty-one days after the D-Day invasion. His company’s responsibility was to deliver bridge building components to the Front, and if needed, assist in the actual construction of new bridges. Three major areas of activity were the Seine, Arnheim, and the Rhine. Mr. Berry left the Armed Forces after the war, but reenlisted in the RCASC in1952. He retired with the rank of Sergeant in 1974.

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