Mine Sweeping

Heroes Remember

Mine Sweeping

Transcript

We had our own mine fields. We picked up mines, picking up mines was worse, but it had to be done. We, you'd have a fellow on the detector. He had ear phones on, and then there'd be a guy behind him, his number two man and he had a sweep, make the sweep and the same another two back here would make the sweep. And the two back farther would be making the sweep. That was if this fellow hit a mine, he's not going to blow those fellows up and when you'd get the mine, the Teller, Teller mine was good. And you're always figuring you're gonna be booby trap. This come back in your mind, but when you'd find one you put the cone on it and then you go and the man that let you go farther ahead on and he'd come along, always a lieutenant mostly. He was good at it, and he'd of course get down, clear all around her and then the German mine is thicker and that. You'd just turn, turn her to safe, and you'de then check to make sure there was no other booby trap on it. And then you take it like that and give it a heave to one side. The little box, the Germans had to call the Shoe mine and it was just a wooden, wooden box. And they could, they'd lift up a cobble stone or anything and put a Shoe mine in there and walk, it always blew the legs. They were bad. They were loaded with everything, nails and screws and everything else and they'd blow. We lost quite a few fellows like that. A place where you least expect something, there's going to be something.

Description

Mr. McCabe describes mine sweeping, identifying Teller and Shoe mines, and the danger posed by each.

Eugene McCabe

Eugene McCabe, the third of six children in a blended family, was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on August 21, 1923. Mr. McCabe’s father was a carpenter. He finished Grade 8, and like most of his friends, decided to join the army. Between 1937 and 1939, he served as a batman, earning an extra ten cents a day. After shipping overseas, he joined the 30th Field Company as a sapper. The 30th Field Company saw action from France through to post-war Germany, clearing and laying mines, but principally building bridges to facilitate the Allied advance. After the war, Mr. McCabe worked at St. Dunstan’s, UPEI for 38 years.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:14
Person Interviewed:: Eugene McCabe
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Europe
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: 30th Field Company
Occupation:: Sapper

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Date modified:: 2019-04-03