Description
Reflecting back 70 years, Mr. Barr expresses his sadness in not being able to see his fellow comrades.
Vernon Barr
Mr. Vernon Barr was born November 11, 1921 in Cobourg, New Brunswick. Growing up in the shadows of the great war, Mr. Barr witnessed the return of Veterans and this left a lasting impression on him. Later in life when war was again declared, he volunteered to serve and became part of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division as a signals/wireless operator holding rank of corporal. Mr. Barr travelled overseas on the O’Ryan and was part of D- Day and the Battle of Normandy. He remains very proud of his service during the Second World War. Postwar and back in Canada, Mr. Barr and his family moved to Wolfville, Nova Scotia where he resides today.
Transcript
It’s sad that I can’t see all those guys again. I wish I could see them. I saw some of them but they are in the wrong place. A friend of mine, Ben Riley was his name, Benjamin Riley. He was in the Canadian Navy during the war on corvettes, convoy work back and forth to Britain. Not long before he died I said, “Spike, how many trips did you actually make across that Atlantic in convoy? ’ He said, “Forty-two!” And I said, “I don’t know how you lived aboard those little escort vessels.” “Oh,” Spike said, “we got hard laying pay, 25 cents a day!” War profiteers, ya, 25 cents a day! They called it hard laying pay, guys like that won the war. That’s a long time ago, 70 years, 70 years…