Description
Mr. Roberge tells how he learned to make do with $5.00 remaining from his pay.
Barney Roberge
Mr. Roberge was born in 1923, in Calgary, Alberta. He moved to Vancouver where he lived with his father until 1930. He then moved to Banff, Alberta, to live with his mother and step dad. He joined the navy as soon as war was declared. He wanted to join to see the world and to do his part in protecting the country. He talks about what it was like to be in the navy during the War.
Transcript
Your pay was 15 bucks but you had to send 10 bucks home or to a bank account, or something, you weren't allowed to keep it. And out of the 5 dollars you had to buy your shoe polish, your toothpaste, and your entertainment, or whatever else you were going to do. So we all had, we all had little gimmicks that we could earn money with, like scrubbing other fellas hammocks for two bits a time, and standing somebody's watch for him instead of, letting him go ashore so, you know whatever. We had to be in our hammocks by 9 o'clock at night, and if anybody let out a peep you'd get up, you'd lash your hammock, you'd double around a parade ground, or whatever you happen to have on, with your hammock held over your head.