The War Is Over

Heroes Remember

The War Is Over

Transcript

I was in my bed, we were in a place called (inaudible) in Holland little town, and we were up, we had been up, not doing anything, but we went up and done a little Recce squadron the day before, come back and I was in my bed sleeping and about 2 o'clock in the morning and a guy, the guard came in with a rifle. He took the rifle and he threw it on the floor, he said "There, to hell with it, I'm not going to do another guard duty." He never went out again, he just threw the rifle on the floor and said, " I'm going home." Interviewer: What was your reaction? Huh? Interviewer: What was your reaction when you realized it was over I stayed for 5 more months. See they asked, they wanted to bring the unit home as a unit, big show of us New Brunswick. So I had enough points, cause I'd been over there, when I went over, and I had lots of point, but they asked all the single guys if they would stay, you didn't have to stay, if you would they would stay until they get enough they bring them home as a unit. So I volunteered to stay. I was there 5 months. We turned the tanks in, got rid of them, had nothing to do, just drink and, little parade now and again, we took a lot of tours up to Czechoslovakia. We took trucks up there and left them. Interviewer: What do you remember Mr. Gorie about the Dutch people? Oh they're great people. Well they're so happy with the Canadians, you know, but they were starving to death. See they stopped the war there for two days and the Canadian Service Corps, the rations people they went in to three or four places, and the Germans allowed it, bring them food in cause they were eating tulip bulbs. Oh yeah they had nothing.

Description

After action in Belgium, Mr. Gorie's tank unit is moved to Holland. He is there when the war ends and remembers the kindness and appreciation of the Dutch people.

Norman Gorie

Mr. Norman Gorie was born on April 22, 1923 in Saint John, New Brunswick. His father did not have military service but his uncle served in the First World War. He grew up in New Brunswick with his two sisters and upon graduation from high school, at the age of 17, he began working as a carpenter building a military camp in Sussex, New Brunswick. In February, 1941, Mr. Gorie joined the Canadian Army enlisting in the 8th New Brunswick Hussars. He served with the 5th Armoured Regiment working as a Wireless Operator and attained the rank of sergeant serving in Italy and Northwest Europe and was in Holland when the war ended. He later returned home to New Brunswick.

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