Description
Mr. Toney describes visiting a German death camp and the horrific things he witnessed.
John Martin Toney
John Martin Toney was born on September 26, 1923 on the Neskonlith Reserve, British Columbia. The strongest influence in his life was his grandfather, who taught him spirituality, life and survival skills. Mr. Toney feels that at that time he was being groomed to become a Chief. By the age of eight, he was hunting game to help feed his family. He later worked at a ranch and then as a carpenter. Proud to enlist, the army’s restrictive criteria forced Mr. Toney to renounce his Aboriginal heritage and designate himself an Irish Catholic. He was accepted by the Seaforth Highlanders, Engineering Corps, based on his success at demolition. His first action saw him in the second wave at Dieppe where he witnessed much death and suffering. Agile in the field, he hand-picked and led many reconnaissance and demolition patrols against the Germans. Mr. Toney was wounded twice, and after his second recovery, finished the war as motorcycle dispatch rider. He then signed up for Pacific duty, returning home early
Transcript
And we went down to see that, where they were burning people in these ovens and shooting them and letting them fall in trenches. Oh that was something awful too. People just skin ‘n bone. Lining them up along this trench and just shoot them if they, let them fall in the trench and then bury them. Had some in these ovens, partly burnt. That was really something awful to see. That just added to the, what was already going through my mind. I really never figured that one out. It was, it was just something I guess to do with Hitler. He just had a hate on for those people. It was, it was awful, and the smell was something else. But I, I just went through this one camp and I didn’t want to see no more. No that’s enough. Let’s get out of here.