That was Paddy Joe . . . He’d Been Blown to Bits
Heroes Remember
That was Paddy Joe . . . He’d Been Blown to Bits
Transcript
Description
Mr. Bérard describes his desperate individual search for his closest friend but finding only his boot. He commends his men for holding their position in his absence.
Léo Paul Bérard
Léo Paul Bérard was born in Ste Anne des Chenes, Manitoba, in 1915. He was one of only four of the family’s thirteen children to survive. His father was a farm and forest worker. Mr. Bérard studied carpentry in school, and helped his crippled brother to learn the trade. In 1933, he enlisted with the Winnipeg Grenadiers to join their ball team - he was given the rank of corporal. He pursued extensive NCO training, attaining the rank of sergeant. Mr. Bérard offers us a view of the Honk Kong/Japan internment through the eyes of a soldier who deeply respected his officers and men, and who was in turn respected by them. Many of his clips include very personal references of this sort. After returning from the war, Mr. Bérard remained in the Army, where he trained soldiers for the Korean deployment.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 2:02
- Person Interviewed:
- Léo Paul Bérard
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
- Location/Theatre:
- Hong Kong
- Battle/Campaign:
- Hong Kong
- Branch:
- Army
- Units/Ship:
- Winnipeg Grenadiers
- Rank:
- Sergeant
- Occupation:
- Platoon Leader
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Suddenly the Stone Moved
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We Hadn’t a Chance at All
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Inside the Wall Was a German Uniform
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How Many of us are Going to be Left Around Here?
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He was so Weak and so Gone, he was Eating Flies
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Caster Oil Did the Trick
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He Shouldn’t Have had Three Pips up There, he Should Have had Three Halos.
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The Japanese Forced me to Saw Their Legs Off
Mr. Bérard describes being forced under threat of death to “shorten” the bodies of the dead to fit the smaller Japanese caskets, and risking his own safety to ensure that proper burials took place.
I was Right on top of the Engine.
Mr. Bérard describes being shipped to Japan, defiance of the Geneva Convention by the Japanese, and an entertaining arrival in Nagasaki.
I was Charged With Sabotage, I Thought I was Finished
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Canadians, The Very Best!
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