War Is A Terrible Thing

Heroes Remember

War Is A Terrible Thing

Transcript

The war on the people... I can't stress enough to, to see what war can do to a country and the people in it. It just totally, just totally ruins everything in that country. Those poor people were hungry, the kids were hungry. Anybody that was there... just can't, just can't imagine how hungry people, those people were, and we were hungry too because we didn't have any food up where we were. We had to scrounge everything we get, and war, war is, is... Iraq is nothing, it's bad, but nothing compared to this. The people really suffer, Belgium, Holland, French people, they really suffer under, under in the war we were in. British too, British suffered terrible. We were very fortunate that we probably were rationed a bit in this country and, and didn't suffer that much but we should always try to remember that a war is a horrible thing. And people get hurt, that, that, and killed, that shouldn't.

Description

Mr. McNiven discusses how the people of Europe suffered during the Second World War.

John Percy McNiven

Mr. McNiven was working as a truck driver in Regina, Saskatchewan, before the Second World War began. As propaganda increasingly encouraged young men to join the service, one weekend evening Mr. McNiven and a friend worked up the courage to join. After basic training as a truck driver and mechanic, Mr. McNiven rejected the opportunity to serve in Canada and instead entered the Signal Corps. in order to make it overseas. After completing signaller training, Mr. McNiven was sent overseas to northern England to reinforce 2nd Division. Eventually the division shipped out, destined for Juno Beach. Since 2nd Division was part of the 3rd wave behind 1st and 3rd Divisions, the fighting at the beach had finished by the time Mr. McNiven reached shore. From there Mr. McNiven served in a special force of signallers, working with three others in the division. As the War progressed the division worked its way across France and Holland, and eventually into Germany where they were when the War ended.

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