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Bad Ankles

Heroes Remember

Bad Ankles

Transcript
Yeah, because my two brothers were working I think it was that day, my two brothers were working out on 89 highway here cleaning brush for the Bell Telephone Company, and the day war was declared anyway. And they come home and they had both joined the army that day the war was declared; I think it was September the 9th or something like that 1939. And I remember my mother was quite upset about it. Dad didn't say anything at all. I thought they were a pair of nuts. Jealous I guess 'cause I wasn't going too but I had three years to wait. I had tried to get in when I was seventeen but they caught me on my age. There was one friend of mine that got through he looked older than the rest of us, I was kind of baby faced in those days. And everytime I said something about joining up my mother darn near went in to hysterics, actually I had three brothers in there, two and half brothers, half brother was in too, and she was quite upset about it like that. Well then I turned nineteen I knew I was either going to be conscripted or I was going to have to go so. I was up town here the one day just after Christmas, my dad was a Bell telephone man here in town, at this town and so on. And he's in the pool room over there playing a game of pool, that has nothing to do with the Bell Telephone Company but they used to time off, and I walked in there and said, "Dad I'm going to join the army." So he said, "That's fine." So I went in to see the civilian recruiter officer which is Graham Hasty it was eleven o'clock in the morning, I was on the train at twelve o'clock heading for London. Went home, and when I come home mom says, "You joined the army." I said, "Yes." Well she, when she knew it was happening she was alright over it. But she had quite a hard time, too. So that was in between Christmas and the first of the year I think it was about the third of January I was a soldier. At least I had a uniform on. I figured there was going to be somebody telling me what to do whether he knew more than I did or not, didn't matter he's still the one going to tell me what to do. Outside my ankles I was fairly good shape at that time and I figured I'd get along all right. I did have rheumatic fever as a kid there, kinda messed my ankles up there, and walking I could walk as far as anybody but marching about a block and I felt like my ankles were on fire. So when I went to Ipperwash I did, I fell out of the parade one day on a march and (inaudible) came back raising the dickens what was wrong with me and I told him I said I had rheumatic fever when I was a kid and I said my ankles are bad, I said I can march in short steps and so on, I said it is starting to feel like somebody turned a blow torches on both my ankles and I said I stumble. Well he said, "What can we do about it." I said, "Let me walk my own pace." So another guy was the same way about the same age he came from London, I think, he'd had rheumatic fever as a kid. So from then on we'd route march out there we'd march out with the rest of the fellows and then we'd set our own pace, keep on walking and then we'd walk back in with them, so it worked out pretty good. But we had to set our own pace pretty well and of course when the fight was on you set your own pace anyway.
Description

Mr. Tomlin discusses his enlistment and a reprieve on the parade square.

Glen Tomlin

Mr. Tomlin was born in Clinton, Ontario, in 1923. His family moved to Harriston when he was very young. Once he was old enough he worked in a box factory earning $7/week for 60 hours of labour. Despite having had rheumatic fever, which made it impossible for him to walk at a marching pace, Mr. Tomlin was accepted by the army, where he trained as a field gunner. He later switched to infantry, joining the Hard Light Infantry, 9th Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. Mr. Tomlin's service saw him in several combats in Northern Europe, often engaging the enemy at very close quarters. Mr. Tomlin now resides in Palmerston, Ontario.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
3:20
Person Interviewed:
Glen Tomlin
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
Europe
Battle/Campaign:
Battle of the Scheldt
Branch:
Army
Units/Ship:
Highland Light Infantry
Rank:
Private
Occupation:
Gunner

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

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