Canadian Winters

Heroes Remember

Canadian Winters

Transcript

tI’ll tell you what hit us hard, was the winter. You know, being totally unaccustomed to it, we knew nothing about winter, well we knew it would be cold but we had no experience at real cold and so all of us, I mean, some days we would get up and listen to the temperatures and then suddenly feel sick and couldn’t go on parade because you’re sick and they’d send you over to the medical place there and they would give you a couple of pills. I must tell you what happened to me. I went there one day and told them I was not feeling well and this doctor says to me “I understand, if I were from Barbados I’d be feeling like you.” He says, “I’m gonna put you up here in the hospital for three or four days,” he says “you let me know when you’re ready to go home.”

Description

Mr. Greaves speaks about the unbearable cold and how he found it difficult to become accustomed to the winter conditions in Canada while training for military service.

Archibald Greaves

Mr. Archibald “Archie” Greaves was born in St. Michaels, Barbados. At age 22, he came to Canada with interest in studying. He came from a middle class family with two sisters and his father worked for a newspaper company writing columns. Mr. Greaves joined the army with the 8th New Brunswick Hussars and trainedg as a wireless operator in the tanks. He travelled overseas to Italy and during his time in Holland met and married a Dutch lady. In 1947 he settled in Montreal always with the intention to return to Barbados. He worked in the fruit and vegetable business for importers as a traffic manager and remained in Canada.

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