Arthur Hoole (Primary Source)

Transcript

This is in memory of my father, Captain Arthur H. Hoole, C.D.

My father, Captain Arthur H. Hoole, fought from 1939 to 1945 in Sicily, Italy and France.  He was involved in the conflicts of Cassino and Ortona.  He was a member of the Royal Canadian Artillery’s 1^st Division.  He received the Canadian Decoration.

He married my mother four weeks before going to war.  Her picture was carried with him at all times.  She was, and continued to be, his lifeline.  My dad returned five years later.  My mother did not recognize him.  War stole much of their youth together, and it is another side effect of what happened in those times.

My dad always felt very sad about the war.  He said that movies and films cannot adequately depict the war.  People cannot hear the horrors of young boys dying and screaming for their mothers, and the way that made you feel.  They cannot depict the smell and the horrible odour that so much death can produce.  Friends were tortured and friends were killed, and civilians got hurt.  War is terrible in all of its aspects.

My father’s war experience prompted him to want to help others when he returned.  He took advantage of the governments offer of either a cash settlement, or of an opportunity to get re-educated.  He opted for the education, and received a Masters in social work.  He ended his long career with the University of Manitoba, teaching young social work students. He has a bursary in his name, along with that of my mother, as a lasting legacy.

As a child of a war veteran, I learned that war is powerful, and its consequences for those who fight are both costly physically and emotionally.  We saw this in my fathers tears, which came freely as he aged whenever he spoke of his life then.  It affected him profoundly.  We must be proud of those who fought in this war, for they sacrificed a great deal for us, to have the quality of life that exists in Canada today.