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Heroes Remember

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Interviewer: So when did you return to Canada? I think it must have been sometime in October, cause we spent 20 days in Manila. We were, the war was over on the, I think the 15th of August we knew about it, and the first ships arrived about September 3rd. One ship came to our side and thirty two went to the other side where there was no more prisoners but there was civilian prisoners were there, Stanley, them all at Camp Stanley. But had one Canadian boat came over to our side and started, I went to the hospital so I missed this, but they started taking all the fellas in, gave them a shower, gave them a shot of rum, gave them something to eat and then sent them off just continually until the war office in London, England, heard about it and they ordered that boat away from the pier out to the middle of the, I think it was about 4 miles between Hong Kong, out in the middle of it. So then what they did, but lowered the life boats, come over with life boats, and put the soldiers on, took them back. Now I never got, made this trip but I saw what was happening Interviewer: So when you land back in Canada, is there anyone waiting there for you? No. Vancouver, I had relatives in Vancouver that I stopped and I did see before I came, before I left. I went and checked into a hotel at first, debating if I should phone them and I did. Interviewer: So they knew you were coming home. Yeah and then I stopped in Calgary, my, this, it was an aunt and uncle in Vancouver and cousins. And I stopped in Calgary and my aunt was still there, my grandmother with two aunts were still there and a couple of uncles or whatever. Interviewer: So knowing what you went through, through and first time you saw your mom and dad, can you explain that? I got off the train... on the train was six guys that I knew from the camp very well and they had told me "Get to a bootlegger and get us a bottle of rye", and that's what I'm doing, I'm getting off the train and I'm gonna run to the station as fast as I can and get a, I knew Regina fairly well, get a cab, tell him "Take me to a bootlegger" and he'll know. And I got off the train and who's standing here... my dad, my mother, my sister, my brother-in-law, and her father-in-law. So this guy Jimmy Young, I shouldn't say his name, but Jimmy Young, I could still see the look on his face, he's not going to get any rye. Interviewer: You had to say hello. Right. Interviewer: They must have been glad to see you. Oh yeah, very emotional at that time. Interviewer: Did they ever know what you went through? Not at that stage of the game, no, no. My mother knew I was hungry for some reason or other, she couldn't eat a steak, that's what she told me "I just couldn't touch a steak John".

Mr. McGee describes how good it was to be back home and see his parents and family.

John McGee

Mr. John McGee was born in Saskatchewan, on May 3, 1923, and comes from a family of two brothers and three sisters. He now resides in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife and family. Mr. McGee joined the army and left for wartime service with a group of thirteen men. Although very excited to be going overseas, he recalls the sight of seeing young men jumping overboard when the ship began to sail; the fear of the unknown was causing many to turn back and stay at home! Mr. McGee was determined to go and serve his country. Mr. McGee shares with us his personal experience of being captured as a Hong Kong prisoner of war (POW) and hardships he endured at the camp. He considers himself very fortunate to be alive today, as many of his friends were left behind. After six years of serving in the army, Mr. McGee returned home to be what he terms an "Entrepreneur" buying a few hotels and later on getting into the sales business. Civilian life was a very positive outcome for a soldier who had endured such hard times and poor health during his time in the prisoner of war camps.