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Description
Mr. Danson describes how faith was important and widespread during the war. More specifically, during times of danger or tragedy.
Barnet J (Barney) Danson
M. Danson est né en Ontario, en 1921. Avant la guerre, il travaillait pour Columbia Pictures. En tant que Juif, M. Danson était bien conscient du climat politique en Europe. Quelque chose lui disait que la guerre était imminente, et l'envie d'aller se battre l'a pris. Il s'est donc enrôlé, en temps de paix, dans l'espoir de suivre un entraînement et d'être fin prêt advenant le déclenchement de la guerre. M. Danson était officier d'infanterie dans le Queen's Own Rifles of Canada. À l'automne 1944, il fut blessé et dut mettre fin à sa participation à la guerre. Il devint par la suite un homme d'affaires prospère. Plus tard, il fit son entrée sur la scène politique et servit à titre de ministre de la Défense au sein du gouvernement Trudeau.
Transcription
I come from a religious family. And it was a big influence in my family, particularly with my mother. And if anyone said, why did I survive, she would have said, "It's the will of God." When I was wounded, and word got back here, and it was pretty hairy stuff the way the telegrams came back. My wife was here at that time too. They were putting me on the dangerously ill list, which is next to the one, before the widow gets her notice. And then coming off of it again. And people would be upset, you know, and showing all sorts of sympathy for my mother. She said, "God has looked after him, he's alive." At that time, two of my friends had been killed and many others who weren't as close. She had a very strong faith, and that rubbed off. Indeed it's not a surprise in battle that everybody's pretty religious. They spend an awful lot of time praying, and it can come in many different forms indeed. I went around to my platoon shortly after I got back there, and asked if everybody, who didn't have a bible because they were issued to you, and I wanted to make sure everyone had one, and there wasn't one without it, and they all had them in their left-hand pocket, over their heart. Indeed I was in hospital in England when Earl was killed, the last one. And I remember going into the chapel in the hospital, and I sort of fell to my knees, and that is not a Jewish practice. But I mumbled prayers that I had forgotten had even existed, and with a lot of tears. Those are sad parts.