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Description
Mr. Letendre recalls his last battle, near a small town in Germany.
Hugh Victor Letendre
M. Letendre est né le 4 mars 1925 dans le petit village de Lac Ste-Anne (Alberta). Comme Métis, il a appris à parler cri, français et anglais. Il faisait partie d’une grande famille : il avait un frère et huit soeurs. Son père était trappeur et faisait une pêche commerciale importante. M. Letendre a appris à chasser et à pêcher de son père. <br><br> À l’âge de 11 ans, il est devenu concierge de l’école à classe unique où il était également élève. Il balayait les planchers, préparait le feu le matin et transportait l’eau et le charbon. Pour tous ses efforts, on le payait quatre dollars par mois, qu’il remettait à ses parents puisqu’ils avaient très peu d’argent à l’époque. <br><br> Il s’enrôla à l’âge de 18 ans et il servit pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale comme carabinier dans les Calgary Highlanders. Pendant son déploiement outre-mer, il a servi dans la campagne de Normandie après le jour J. Après la guerre, il devint le chef de l’Association nationale des anciens combattants autochtones.
Transcription
We attacked again at night. I remember when we were attacking at this little town of Xanten we had to cross a canal. It wasn't too wide I don't think, I don't remember how deep it was or anything. But anyway I didn't want to walk, wade across or swim across so there was a fence going across. So I crawled this fence, barbwire fence. Well then got nicely halfway across and half a dozen guys had the same idea so we tore the fence apart and we all went for a bath. We got out of that one and kept on going and we come to this farm house. I remember a little Frenchman, Bourgeois was his name, come to this barn. I open the door and he stood there with his Bren, pulled the trigger and go no fire, pull it back, no fire. It wouldn't fire. "Oh the hell with it." he says. I close the door, dug a slit trench, with water it. The next day, morning, got up and both of us went to this barn and it was full of cattle. "Go try your gun" I said. He goes and try it. Bup, bup, bup, bup, bup. I don't know why but something said, something said no to him I guess, not to, gun wouldn't go off. And I remember that. I remember the battle that day that took place, I was up, two floors up. And I watched the Canadian Army attack. It looked like ants, it looked like the whole Canadian Army. And I watched the whole battle from there and it went right to the Rhine. That was my last day, I came home from there.