Description
Albert Hugh MacBride
Mr. MacBride was born July 25, 1932, in New Westminster, British Columbia, in St. Mary's Hospital. He lived the early part of his life in White Rock and moved to New Westminister during the Second World War. When he was 18 he joined the Canadian Army enlisting with the Armoured Corps and the Lord Strathcona's Horse Regiment. Mr. MacBride did his basic training at Camp Borden in Ontario and later in Meaford, Ontario, with his tank regiment. He served as a driver/gunner with the Armoured Corps assigned to a tank. On his way to Korea, Mr. MacBride flew to Japan and after a short stay was transported to a troop ship on it's way to Pusan. In Korea, Mr. MacBride made his way to Hill 355 and served as a part of a five man tank team. In 1953 he returned home to Vancouver via Seattle, Washington, and was greeted by his father upon arrival. Mr. MacBride left the army and joined the Canadian Air Force and transferred to a career as a crash rescue firefighter for 20 years. He was married in 1954 and stationed all over bases in the Canadian Air Force from Summerside, P.E.I., to Germany. After leaving the air force he was the Provincial Fire Inspector and later the Fire Marshal for the Federal Government with Parks Canada Historical Sites and Indian Affairs for 14 years.
Transcript
On 355, I was there in October 22nd, 23rd, and . . . 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, and we got her for three days straight. We got one guy killed. Gordie Waldner got killed. We had one fellow won the Military Medal, Roy Stevenson(sp.), yeah. And we got her for three or four days straight, and there was 18 RCRs killed and about four or five, I think, taken prisoner, and lots, lots wounded. We had . . . My loader was wounded and the code guy was wounded, and I just got scared. Everything scared me
Interviewer: Were you afraid?
Well, I had three weeks to go home, and that's when you usually get it. I didn't want to get it three weeks. And I got out of there in three weeks safely. All except for this.