It pancaked to a landing
Mr. Conrad gives an eye witness account of an Allied spotter plane being chased and shot down by a German aircraft, with a surprisingly humorous outcome.
Frank Benjamin Conrad
First name
Frank Benjamin
Last name
Conrad
Gender
M
City
Sturgeon
Province
Prince Edward Island
Biography
Frank Benjamin Conrad was born in Sturgeon, Prince Edward Island on July 25, 1894. He enlisted in November 1914 with the 9th Field Ambulance and trained at Valcartier until June, 1915 when he transferred to the 2nd Canadian Siege Battery at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. He sailed to England aboard the S.S. Lapland on November 28, 1915, and arrived in France on June 1, 1916 as a signaler with the rank of Gunner. He saw action at the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, and Passchendaele. He was wounded twice, was gassed at Hill 70, and won the Military Medal for maintaining communications under fire. After the war, Mr. Conrad married Florence Jessie Lantz on September 22, 1923 and established a wholesale food company in Charlottetown. He joined #6 Signals Company as Lieutenant, and eventually commanded the Company before retiring in 1938 as a Lieutenant-Colonel. He re-enlisted in 1940 as a Major with 3rd Divisional Signal Regiment, and served in England and Italy, commanding the Canadian Brigade Reinforcement Unit as a Lieutenant-Colonel. After the Second World War he was appointed District Administrator, DVA, for Prince Edward Island. Mr. Conrad died on August 13, 1986.
People old ID
428
People Language
E
Maintaining communications
Mr. Conrad describes with pride the role of a battery signaller in maintaining communications among three lateral batteries, and headquarters.
Gas attacks
Mr. Conrad describes being slightly gassed, and countermeasures against gas attacks.
A lot of people drowned
Mr. Conrad offers some general comments about the death toll at the Somme, the horrible conditions at Passchendaele, and concludes by describing in more specific detail his own living conditions.
Our line had been cut
Mr. Conrad describes the circumstances at Hill 70 which led to his being awarded the Military Medal (MM) (conspicuous bravery under enemy fire) for repairing communication wires while being strafed by German machine gunners.
Over the top
Mr. Conrad describes the fatal wounding of a fellow signaler in the forward trench at Vimy Ridge.
Armistice is signed
Mr. Conrad describes the disappointment of not being with his unit on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, but making up for it by celebrating in London.