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It was just a gas shell

First World War Audio Archive

It was just a gas shell

Transcript
You hear the stories from the fellows that had been in. I was not

Soldiers smoking and reading letters from home.

apprehensive. Some fellows was, but I was just, had a feeling,

Soldier getting some coffee to drink.

could I stand up to it like you’re supposed to stand up to it?

Men going through a cloud of gas, walking by a fallen soldier.

Because some of them confided to me that they didn’t know whether

Soldiers going over barbed wire.

they could take it or not, you see. Before we went in the line we

Rows of soldiers running towards camera.

carried stuff up to the line and one night a shell lit right near

Clip of surrendered German soldiers.

us and it started to hiss. Me, being a greenhorn, I thought the

Shell exploding

Soldiers inside crater.

thing was going to blow us to pieces, but somebody near me hissed

The siloutte of two soldiers as they approach smoke/gas.

“Get your gas mask on,” so I was much relieved that it was just a gas shell. That was my first experience.
Description

Mr. Close describes his reaction to his first two experiences with enemy shell fire.

John Hamilton Close

John Hamilton Close was born in Mitchell, Ontario on July 4, 1896. After the death of both his parents, he went to work on his uncle’s farm in Garrett, Ontario. On March 15, 1916, Mr. Close enlisted with the 114th Battalion in Hagersville, Ontario. He started training immediately and was sent to Camp Borden. After going overseas to England he was quickly deployed to Le Havre. He was wounded at Vimy Ridge, rehabilitated in England, and returned to France to fight at Amiens and Arras where he won a Military Medal for bravery. Mr. Close ended his service with the rank of Corporal. He died in Hagersville, Ontario in February, 1993.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
0:55
Person Interviewed:
John Hamilton Close
War, Conflict or Mission:
First World War
Location/Theatre:
Europe
Battle/Campaign:
Vimy
Branch:
Army
Units/Ship:
114th Battalion
Rank:
2-stripe Corporal
Occupation:
Section Leader

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

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