Robert Auger (Primary Source)

We landed in Seoul. That's when I saw the damage done by the war, because when we arrived in Seoul, it had just been liberated by the Americans. They had successfully pushed back the Chinese to North Korea. I say Chinese... they were North Koreans, but there were Chinese too. So I saw the misery that civilians had to endure as a result. The houses were all smashed, the train windows were broken. People begged us for things: cookies, sandwiches, chocolate. We gave what we could. I was very struck by this. I gave cookies to little children. We aimed at them as though they were birds. But it wasn’t birds jumping on the cookies, they were human beings. It shocked me. I was spoiled at home. So at the age of 20, when I saw that, I found it appalling to see the misery civilians go through during a war.

So, when we left Seoul, we may have spent a few days in a camp as we approached the lines. Then we went to replace the (2nd) battalion of the "22" special brigade (Le Royal 22^e Régiment), on the lines. The first place I went, if I remember correctly, was (Hill) 355. Hill 355 was pretty quiet. We weren't bombed every day. We patrolled, but there weren't too many skirmishes. The valley that separated us from North Korea was the Imjin River. Then, make the valley a little more dramatic, they called it "the valley of death". The valley separated the Chinese front from our own. So, after three months there, we had an "R & R" (Rest & Recreation), a little week-long vacation in Tokyo. After that, we went back to Korea. And then we went to another hill that was more difficult. Hill 227, if I remember correctly.

I had some pretty crazy adventures there. Lots of bombing. Many encounters with the Chinese during patrols. One man, among others, that I'd love the "22" archives to find the names of. I was on the patrol of a corporal named Corporal Ladouceur (Corporal Joseph Gaston Maurice Ladouceur, 1^st Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment, killed in action on September 6, 1952). We never found him. Neither on the battlefield, nor as a prisoner. He was never found. Corporal Ladouceur. I was with him on patrol. In fact, I was the one who had my Bren (British Bren gun). I was the one who covered up to finish (completing the withdrawal to the starting position)... because we were caught by a Chinese patrol. We then retreated to our positions as quickly as possible. The Chinese bombardments came, our bombardments came. It was a difficult night, with one loss: Corporal Ladouceur.

It was dark, and our faces were smeared in black, so we couldn't see very well. But when Ladouceur spoke, I had just emptied (the magazine of) my Bren. Then I had a few "36" grenades (British Mills-type grenades, the No. 36 version) that I’d also fired. Then we retreated to our positions. That's when Ladouceur shouted: "Wait for me! Wait for me!" But it didn't work. The Chinese were on us. Because the bombing had started too. Because when we got trapped, we ordered our platoon mortar, which was almost firing at us. Then the Chinese opened fire too, by bombing, because they too wanted to protect their retreat. So it was a pretty painful night.

In the evening, as the twilight approached, we'd ask... The platoon I was part of, for example, I was in Company B (of the 1^st Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment). I don't remember the platoon, but the companies were (formed) by platoon. So we asked for volunteers. I often volunteered for patrol. I was afraid. Then, as if to fight the fear, I gave my name. So I went on patrol several times, as a volunteer. If there was a shortage of volunteers, then the company captain would make the decisions to say so-and-so, so-and-so or so-and-so, to try and alternate. Because on patrol, we didn't meet them all the time (enemy soldiers), but when we did, it was sure to "stir things up". It was more impressive.

At the front, during the 24 hours that we had, if we had used our weapons during the night, for example: we cleaned the weapons, we placed the "dugouts" (underground shelters), the trenches, we corrected certain conditions of our shelters, what we called the "dugouts", then the trenches too, or what we could widen or lengthen. We check the barbed wire in front of the positions. Military hygiene at the front was limited. We did our beards when we could. I distinctly remember taking a 45-gallon drum and filling it with water. We used to bathe in it occasionally. We'd dip in there to wash up a bit. The food was good. It was "C-Ration" (military type "C" rations prepared by the American army). We had our three rations a day, always at the front. We also had a beer in the evening, at the end of the day. Then we had a shot of rum, which we enjoyed. We loved it.