Ray Collins

Transcription

It was the 4^th of July, 1942, and I always jokingly said that the Americans got their independence on that day and I lost mine. Having been in the reserves, I was, as we say, half trained anyway. So they discovered one day, I guess, we were lined up and someone, a sergeant or sergeant major or someone, said, is there anyone here that can type? And I put my hand up. From that point on, I was a clerk. The first three months, I lived in a bell tent [tent held up by a central pole]. There were barracks at Niagara-on-the-Lake and the, what was it, the 2^nd/10^th Dragoons had the barracks; and when the 3^rd Battalion, when they arrived upon the scene, they were given an area with bell tents and marquees [tents with no poles inside], marquee being much larger than the bell tent. Marquees were used for offices and for mess halls, and so forth. So I spent, about the middle of October, I think. Then I was selected for the advance party and we boarded the train in St. Catharines and went to [Camp] Debert, Nova Scotia. When we got to Montreal, I don’t know whether we changed trains or anything, but I can remember they took us out for a march around the streets of Montreal; and at times, we were booed and hissed at. Whether it was the fact that we were from Toronto, there was an antagonism between Toronto and Montreal, or whether it was the fact that French Canadians, of course, were opposed to the war and they were taking out their animosity in that manner.

The one thing that I remember most was a fellow named Ken Evans who had the top bunk and I had the bottom; and he went overseas. I got left behind... And I think four days after they landed in France, he was killed. You know, I can remember back to our training together. The two of us were assigned to a Bren light machine gun. And if I had gone overseas, I would have been with him and I likely would have been killed. The fact that I could typewrite was very important to the army. And I spent some time at brigade headquarters. I don’t recall the exact reasons why, but I remember going to the personnel officer and he decided that he would like me as his clerk. So I became part of the personnel selection process and he promised that, if I could do the work, if I proved myself within the first month, he would give me two stripes, the rank of corporal.

At the end of the month, I proved myself. I got my two stripes and about a month after that, I was posted to the headquarters of the 7^th [Canadian Infantry] Division. And I got a third stripe, so I was a sergeant. Being a sergeant in the army entitles you then to eating and having the facilities of the sergeant’s mess. Which meant the food was, what shall we say, more tasteful. Sergeants used to contribute a certain amount to get little extras so that the cook would do a better job of preparing meals. So life as a sergeant was enjoyable. You had, one thing, we had sheets for the bed, never had sheets up to that time. You slept with, you had two blankets, that was it. They were itchy.