Returning Home

Heroes Remember

Returning Home

Transcript

After VE-Day, I was put on a draft and, and went back home. Oh, they were quite happy of course. I hadn’t, you know, I hadn’t seen them for over five years. So it was a very nice reunion. See I came from a very large family, we were eight kids, and well the gang was around and grown and some of them had children and my oldest sister had children, married, and oh, everything was put together. 1948, in September ‘48 I went back in the service. But this time, I didn’t want anything to do with infantry. I should really have gone to school, I was sorry and I’ve been sorry ever since that I didn’t go back and finish my high school at least. But, I didn’t. Interviewer: How long did you stay in the Canadian army? Right up until ‘67. Interviewer: And you retired... Yes I retired with my thirty-five year pension. Plus another month or something. Interviewer: Mr Champoux, when you look back on your military service, in particular those years during the Second World War, and the campaign in North-west Europe that you took part in right up until the time you were wounded, when you think back on that experience, how did that experience affect you in later life? You know, strangely enough it took quite some time. I thought I would have a problem. Excuse me. I thought I would have a problem with sleeping but it was a, I was there long enough under those conditions that this didn’t really happen. But it did, something did happen later on. You know, I was getting older and my days with the army were great days and I, I’d like to have been able to, to remain in the service. But then I was like, like the kids today. The mighty dollar was better. And I suppose that’s what happened to me. But I’ve never forgotten or had any bad feelings about it, really. But I should have finished my, my education. But everything went well anyways. I, I joined the army in '48, back into the service in the ordinance and I worked in ammunition my whole life.

Description

Mr. Champoux describes his return to Canada, his parents' reaction and how he returned to the army in 1948. He worked in ammunition until he retired in 1965.

Robert Arthur Champoux

Mr. Champoux was born in Hull, Québec on March 21st, 1921. He lived there until the age of 8 when his father, a First World War Veteran, moved the family to Ottawa. Mr. Champoux had three brothers and four sisters; he was the third oldest child. When the war broke out he was attending Ottawa Technical High School. He left school, after his first year, to join the Army after failing to join the Navy and the Air Force (who were not yet recruiting). He left for Europe July 17th, 1940 and ended up stopping in Iceland where he remained for the next 10 months. Mr. Champoux’s wartime service saw him fighting on D-Day and in the Falaise Gap. He also fought in Calais and later on in Holland where he was wounded. Mr. Champoux got a job with the Mint upon returning to Canada. He joined the army again in 1948 retiring in 1965.

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