Christmas Propaganda

Heroes Remember

Christmas Propaganda

Transcript

Christmas, 1944, we were told we wouldn't have to go to work that Christmas day, and that we would get extra food to eat. And Christmas morning sure enough we, we happened to be on the day shift at that time, and Christmas morning dawn we got up, the Japanese brought a tree in, which we decorated. They brought a couple of big long tables in, which we put some of these linen sheets on. Then they brought in a few loaves of bread, extra rice oranges, even twenty-four quarts of beer. I don't, I think possibly there was some pomegranates too, I'm not quite sure. But all this extra food, there was quite a bit there and they lined us all up around the table, took pictures, then took the whole damn thing out again, and we went back down the mine that day. That was hard, it was about, we didn't, we couldn't let the Japanese know how hard it was on us. The guards came around that night and, you know they, making fun of us about it, after we'd come up from the mine and so we made fun, we laughed about it too. Interviewer: This was purely for propaganda purposes? It was purely for Propaganda purposes. They had no intention of giving us the food or anything else, no.

Description

Mr Peterson recalls the Christmas of 1944, and how their day of relief was nothing more than a propaganda exercise.

George N Peterson

Mr. Peterson was born in Winnipeg February 8, 1921. His family moved to Saint Watell, where he now considers home, when he was five years old. His father was a Veteran of the First World War, having served as a sergeant in Artillery. Having participated in Sea Cadets and the Cameron Cadets previously, with written permission from his father, Mr. Peterson joined the Winnipeg Grenadier Militia as a drummer in the bugle band in January 1938, at the age of 16. Mr. Peterson signed on for active service with the Winnipeg Grenadiers on September 6, 1939, - his twin brother also joined the Grenadiers September 7th, and their father joined the Winnipeg Light Infantry September 12th. Soon after signing on, Mr. Peterson was promoted to Lance Corporal and was made a Mark 4 Vickers machine gun instructor. After Basic Training, his unit was shipped to Jamaica as POW camp reinforcements, but returned to Canada soon after On October 27, 1941, his unit boarded the Awatea in Vancouver, bound for Hong Kong. Captured after capitulating to the Japanese, Mr. Peterson was interned in North Point and Shamshuipo POW camps. While at Shamshuipo he was put to work as slave labour at Kai Tac Airport. Eventually he was sent to Japan to work in a coal mine 120 miles north of Tokyo. After three years and eight months of internment, Japan surrendered to the Americans. Mr. Peterson was reunited with his family soon after.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:03
Person Interviewed:: George N Peterson
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Asia
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Winnipeg Grenadiers
Rank:: Lance-Corporal

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Christmas Propaganda

Heroes Remember