Grave or Waste Dump

Heroes Remember

Grave or Waste Dump

Transcript

They found a, a German, like the German prisoners were going through, but the SS were, anytime it's a SS, they'd kinda pick on them. And this kid, he was supposed to have been in the SS, and one of his people had ratted on him to, to the thing. So for unknown reasons they kept him and they give him, I remember like I was in charge of the gun crew and put him, and then he said "Put him to work", so I, the cook wanted a sump pit to put garbage in and he really, well our cook we made a lot, more went in the garbage than, but anyhow. Marked out a spot about this size, give the guy a shovel and start digging. Well, the funny part was that house is empty and the house next door and there were just a farm but they were just, oh, this far apart. That's where they had moved some families in, all women and that. They're lined along the fence crying. We're sitting there, the kid's digging away and they're looking at him, "Keep on, keep on digging", and they're crying and bawling. Never even entered our mind, they thought he was digging his grave, and so when after we went "OK, that's enough" and he was helping the cook and I come in that night at suppertime, put my mess tin out, he filled it with potatoes right. Interviewer: So thankful to be there. But, I mean, he was digging a little bit and would stop. Never even entered my mind, you know just dicking, you know I was sitting there B.S.'n, and all the these women crying. Interviewer: They were concerned for his life. Oh, they figured right away that meant German-style, were afraid we going to shoot him.

Description

Mr. Bevan recalls how a German POW made to dig a waste dump, didn’t realize what he was digging.

James Bevan

Mr. Bevan was born in 1924, in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was an only child, and at the age of 6, moved to Red Deer, Alberta, with his family. Mr. Bevan first joined the service with the Calgary Highlanders, but was booted the next day when it was discovered he was underage. Wanting to join the Navy, but unable to convince his parents to allow him to join, he signed up at the local barracks with the 78th Artillery Battery - part of the 13th Field Regiment When War was declared, Mr. Bevan was sent to Calgary and Shiloh for training before eventually shipping overseas. After arriving in Great Britain, the regiment trained until shipping out as a part of the D-Day invasion. After action in Falaise, the 13th Field Regiment worked its way across France and into Belgium, and eventually into Germany - soon after which, the war ended. The regiment remained in Germany for a short period, before returning to Holland to help escort German POWs. Soon after, Mr. Bevan volunteered to join the battle in the Pacific; however, the war ended before he shipped out of England. He returned to Canada soon after, and entered training on a printing press, followed by a 40+ year career.

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