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Albert T. Smith served in the Royal Canadian Artillery during the Second World War. Read and listen to Albert T. Smith’s testimony below.
Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker's recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
![]({"id":"647de254-779d-4b56-abd4-606e6ddf52ac","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8664_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":237609,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:42:49.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:42:49.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8664","alt":"","caption":"Mr. Smith and a fellow soldier pose with local children while in training in England. 1940","creator":"Memory Project Image #8664 - Veteran #2029","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8664_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8664_original.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"c5e1fe39-56a7-4847-ac02-86d1cdf04fb7","media_id":"647de254-779d-4b56-abd4-606e6ddf52ac","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":1},"translations":[{"id":"af86748d-6236-4f8d-9894-b6227befaf41","media_id":"647de254-779d-4b56-abd4-606e6ddf52ac","title":"Memory Project Image #8664","alt":"","caption":"Mr. Smith and a fellow soldier pose with local children while in training in England. 1940","creator":"Memory Project Image #8664 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"394b7451-fe7b-4072-be16-ba02485efe78","media_id":"647de254-779d-4b56-abd4-606e6ddf52ac","title":"Memory Project Image #8664","alt":"","caption":"Monsieur Smith et ses fr\u00e8res d'armes avec des enfants de la ville o\u00f9 ils suivaient leur entra\u00eenement en Angleterre en 1940.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8664 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8664"){kind=spacer}
![]({"id":"abecd5e1-061b-4fb3-8727-1d04da31415e","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8666_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":717259,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:43:26.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:43:26.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8666","alt":"","caption":"Clockwise from top left: Mr. Smith and his brother Arthur in Belgium; The two brothers reunited at their aunt's in Birmingham, England; Albert Smith with a friend in England","creator":"Memory Project Image #8666 - Veteran #2029","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8666_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8666_original.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"c5e1fe39-56a7-4847-ac02-86d1cdf04fb7","media_id":"abecd5e1-061b-4fb3-8727-1d04da31415e","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":2},"translations":[{"id":"7a8c05e7-b260-4b5d-87e3-beac3ac220f5","media_id":"abecd5e1-061b-4fb3-8727-1d04da31415e","title":"Memory Project Image #8666","alt":"","caption":"Clockwise from top left: Mr. Smith and his brother Arthur in Belgium; The two brothers reunited at their aunt's in Birmingham, England; Albert Smith with a friend in England","creator":"Memory Project Image #8666 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"5ec476cc-6ef9-420d-a42f-930e24ad82bf","media_id":"abecd5e1-061b-4fb3-8727-1d04da31415e","title":"Memory Project Image #8666","alt":"","caption":"De haut en bas, dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre : Monsieur Smith er son fr\u00e8re Arthur en Belgique, Les deux fr\u00e8res r\u00e9unis chez leur tante \u00e0 Birmingham en Angleterre, Albert Smith et une amie en Angleterre.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8666 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8666"){kind=spacer}
![]({"id":"a3379510-0a36-49e4-8920-eb234b8bd15a","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8665_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":661118,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:43:18.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:43:18.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8665","alt":"","caption":"Snapshots from Mr. Smith's training and operations in England","creator":"Memory Project Image #8665 - Veteran #2029","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8665_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8665_original.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"c5e1fe39-56a7-4847-ac02-86d1cdf04fb7","media_id":"a3379510-0a36-49e4-8920-eb234b8bd15a","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":3},"translations":[{"id":"a2a5bd8f-d479-4713-b836-87979d14eb7f","media_id":"a3379510-0a36-49e4-8920-eb234b8bd15a","title":"Memory Project Image #8665","alt":"","caption":"Snapshots from Mr. Smith's training and operations in England","creator":"Memory Project Image #8665 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"262fa66f-2656-44d0-aa84-9d8588da0da7","media_id":"a3379510-0a36-49e4-8920-eb234b8bd15a","title":"Memory Project Image #8665","alt":"","caption":"Photos de monsieur Smith datant de son entra\u00eenement et des op\u00e9rations en Angleterre.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8665 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8665"){kind=spacer}
![]({"id":"04bf3a9a-52f1-49ac-b07e-2f95645744ea","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8662_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":596640,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:42:36.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:42:36.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8662","alt":"","caption":"Albert T. Smith's Army identification card","creator":"Memory Project Image #8662 - Veteran #2029","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8662_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8662_original.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"c5e1fe39-56a7-4847-ac02-86d1cdf04fb7","media_id":"04bf3a9a-52f1-49ac-b07e-2f95645744ea","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":4},"translations":[{"id":"bb967a3e-9f08-448b-98af-b4f59dfd0fff","media_id":"04bf3a9a-52f1-49ac-b07e-2f95645744ea","title":"Memory Project Image #8662","alt":"","caption":"Albert T. Smith's Army identification card","creator":"Memory Project Image #8662 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"33d689ab-073f-4b72-895c-9a4d9c07c04f","media_id":"04bf3a9a-52f1-49ac-b07e-2f95645744ea","title":"Memory Project Image #8662","alt":"","caption":"Carte d'identit\u00e9 militaire d'Albert T. Smith.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8662 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8662"){kind=spacer}
![]({"id":"972a9208-bed0-4357-843f-dcd989afd0b1","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8663_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":2780087,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:42:40.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:42:40.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8663","alt":"","caption":"Mr. Smith received this citation letter on April 4, 1946 to recognize that he was mentioned in dispatches","creator":"Memory Project Image #8663 - Veteran #2029","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8663_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8663_original.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"c5e1fe39-56a7-4847-ac02-86d1cdf04fb7","media_id":"972a9208-bed0-4357-843f-dcd989afd0b1","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":5},"translations":[{"id":"c34ed56d-b609-43a9-918c-81b5a57f0eb3","media_id":"972a9208-bed0-4357-843f-dcd989afd0b1","title":"Memory Project Image #8663","alt":"","caption":"Mr. Smith received this citation letter on April 4, 1946 to recognize that he was mentioned in dispatches","creator":"Memory Project Image #8663 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"c2aa01be-f2b7-4df5-aa7e-64768fe9fcff","media_id":"972a9208-bed0-4357-843f-dcd989afd0b1","title":"Memory Project Image #8663","alt":"","caption":"Monsieur Smith a re\u00e7u cette lettre de citation le 4 avril 1946. Elle reconna\u00eet qu'il a \u00e9t\u00e9 cit\u00e9 \u00e0 l'ordre du jour.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8663 - Veteran #2029","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8663"){kind=spacer}
Transcript
My name is Albert Thomas Smith and I'm eighty-three years old. I joined the militia at the age of sixteen in the 25th Field Battery [Royal Canadian Artillery] in Toronto, and then it was frozen at the beginning of the war and I didn't get into service until May the 6th 1941. My service number was B8211. I was released May the 7th 1946. The unit I was in was the 69th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, 4th L[ight] A[nti-Aircraft] Regiment, 3rd [Canadian Infantry] Division. I guess that two of the more noticeable features that I can recall during the war years was on September the 19th, I think it was. The 14th Field [Artillery] Regiment was the regiment we were providing protection for. They came under heavy enemy fire and they lost three of their gun crews from shells landing in their gun-pits. At that time I could see some survivors so I took off down from my gun-pit to see what I could do for the boys. I managed to get nine men out who had injuries. We used up just about all the bandages, and I found later on that they decided I should have the MiD [Mentioned in Despatches]. I guess the most pleasant part of the whole thing was Christmas of '44. I won the draw at troop headquarters for a turkey. We had six guns in our troop, and each crew sent a representative to headquarters to have a draw for this turkey. The rest of them had to have ham. I was fortunate enough to win the turkey for our gun crew, and we had ended up in Nijmegen that Christmas of '44. We had adopted a Dutch family that was right beside us. We ended up taking the turkey over to their home, and there was a grandfather, grandmother, mother, gosh knows how many kids there were, and aunts and uncles. The turkey was about twenty pounds. They cooked it and we provided all the grub for them and some of the refreshments for the adults. We all took turns sitting down at the table with the family. We had a great big platter and the turkey had been cut off in to great big chunks, and boy was it ever delicious. We really enjoyed it and all the kiddies got prizes and gifts of some kind. Captain Waterhouse, our Commanding Officer and troop commander, he dropped by for a light snack and a treat.
