Newfoundlanders Were at Ortona

Heroes Remember

Newfoundlanders Were at Ortona

Transcript

We supported the Canadians at Ortona, it hasn't been acknowledged. They just had a reunion over in Ortona last fall, last year. Nobody asked me to go over there. I don't believe, I don't know any Newfoundlander that did go. And I read a book about Cassino, ah, New Zealanders, Indians, Gurkhas, English, Americans, no Newfoundlanders, mentioned. We haven't been mentioned in any, you know, writings. Farley Mowatt was at Ortona and he came down, he became a Newfoundlander. He stayed down in Newfoundland for years and he wrote books, "The Whale for a Killing" and ah, oh I forget. And then just recently, he wrote a book "An Old Bird Sang". I read that and we weren't mentioned. And ah, there was another one he wrote too about Italy, especially about Ortona and there's a town that was hard to take and ah, but we were there and we supported them but they never, nobody's ever mentioned us, yet. Which is rough, you know not rough, but you'd think somebody would say "Oh yeah the Newfies were there too!" Interviewer: You would think so.

Description

Mr. Candow laments how the Newfoundland Regiment provided support at Ortona, but has never been credited in any writings about the battle.

Gordon Henry Candow

Mr Candow was born December 15, 1920, and is the oldest of nine children. Joining in with the lads he was working with when war broke out, he signed into the navy but was quickly transferred to artillery. In May 1940, Mr. Candow sailed overseas as a part of the 57th Heavy Regiment, and was stationed to Norfolk, Great Britain, performing costal defence for a year and a half. After being shipped to Southern England the 57th was soon incorporated into the 166th Newfoundland Field Artillery Regiment. In January 1943, the regiment was shipped to North Africa. They remained in action until the end of the North African campaign, when they were shipped to Italy where the unit saw action in Fogia, Cassino, Ortona, and Boulogne. When the war ended, he returned to Southern England for a short period and then returned home to Newfoundland.

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