Description
Alfred Joseph Babin
Alfred Joseph Babin was born in Moncton, New Brunswick, on October 15, 1921. He was one of five children. His father was a carpenter. Mr. Babin completed grade 8, but left school to work at the local 5 & 10 to help support his family. When old enough, he enlisted, citing better income as his reason. He first joined the New Brunswick Rangers, but quickly transferred to the Carleton and York Regiment. Basic training only consisted of infantry drills. He then joined the Royal Rifles, performing guard duties at the airbase in Gander, Newfoundland. After arriving in Hong Kong, Mr. Babin was volunteered as an ambulance driver, in which capacity he served until Hong Kong surrendered. Mr. Babin recalls in clear detail, life in the POW camps and slave labour in the coal yards near Niigata. After safely returning to Canada, Alfred Babin remained in the Canadian Armed Forces as a member in the military band.
Transcript
I used to be so sick that I couldn’t, it was difficult to get up to go to work and that’s a fact. But I used to get up and go anyway. Didn’t make any difference how I felt. I thought, “Well, if I want a job, I’ve got to go” and I used to go. And I managed, and even now I have ailments. I have a heart condition just from being in Hong Kong and I can’t get a bypass simply because my arteries are too far gone. They’re deteriorated to the point where they can’t tie into them, so the doctor said that’s it. And I’ve been living that way for 12 years now. I was one of the fortunate ones, I think, because I . . . staying in the service actually, I had a routine, and I was, I had to do. That was it. So I think that kept me going. Personally, that’s my own personal observation. And, of course, I had a family to bring up. And my responsibility was to them, and I did the best I could by them, so, I think