Visiting the Wounded in the Hospital

Heroes Remember

Visiting the Wounded in the Hospital

Transcript

When the second front opened, I was still in London and I'd organized anybody that was, we had Sunday's free, I'd grab all the girls I could and go out to the Bockford Hospital to visit the Canadian section, Canadian boys coming back. And I can remember that so clearly, how badly they were wounded and how they suffered. It was just dreadful, and they were so, they were so glad to see us. I was talking to my grandson about it the other day and, "Well why did you go?" And I said, "They needed it you know, they needed Canadian girls." And I met a boy that I'd been to his house, you know, I was a friend of his sister's. The one thing that really sticks in my mind, a man who was in the tanks and he had been caught in a burning tank. He had no leg and his ears were burned off and he was in a terrible, terrible state but he was worried about his wife who was a CWAC. She was one of our CWAC's, and she got pregnant and she was going home and he was worried about her going across the sea. I think it was alright, I met her years, fifty years later at our 50th reunion in CWAC's. Apparently they'd had about nine children so I guess they were alright. But, you know I can still see that man lying there and still see one man cheeky as everything, kind of winking his eye. He had lost one eye but he was making use of the other one. You know this sort of thing.

Description

Ms. Walt talks about having Sunday off and how she and other girls would go visit the wounded in hospital.

Anita Catherine Walt

Anita Catherine Walt was born on June 11, 1921 in Port Arthur, Ontario. Her father was an officer in the First World War and remained in Europe afterwards to help with reconstruction as he was an engineer.

After finishing high school Ms. Walt went on to take a secretarial course. After hearing of the Japanese invasion at Pearl Harbour she decided to follow in her father's footsteps and enlist in the army.

Ms. Walt completed her training in Bellevue and Vancouver and shortly thereafter was sent overseas to London, England as a private. She worked there as a stenographer and was in charge of an office.

In the fall of 1944, Ms. Walt was sent to Belgium and spent some time in Germany before coming home to Canada in the fall on 1945.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 01:57
Person Interviewed:: Anita Catherine Walt
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Branch:: Army
Rank:: Private
Occupation:: Stenographer

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Visiting the Wounded in the Hospital

Heroes Remember