Description
Léo Paul Bérard
Léo Paul Bérard was born in Ste Anne des Chenes, Manitoba, in 1915. He was one of only four of the family’s thirteen children to survive. His father was a farm and forest worker. Mr. Bérard studied carpentry in school, and helped his crippled brother to learn the trade. In 1933, he enlisted with the Winnipeg Grenadiers to join their ball team - he was given the rank of corporal. He pursued extensive NCO training, attaining the rank of sergeant. Mr. Bérard offers us a view of the Honk Kong/Japan internment through the eyes of a soldier who deeply respected his officers and men, and who was in turn respected by them. Many of his clips include very personal references of this sort. After returning from the war, Mr. Bérard remained in the Army, where he trained soldiers for the Korean deployment.
Transcript
Like, our officers they’re all, and our men they just didn’t know any different to do the soldiering they were taught to do. Mind you, I disliked some of the things that we did like having to salute for three weeks because we didn’t salute a British Major. But, the men that I had, I couldn’t have had any better soldiers. They’re the best, Canadians. The very best.