Reading Letters For a Different Reason

Heroes Remember

Reading Letters For a Different Reason

Transcript

One of the things that platoon runner did was that, the platoon commander, Norman Christopherson, he was killed on the same shell that I was wounded on. I would deliver the mail because company headquarters had, they’d send the mail down to the platoon and I’d pick up the mail, and I’d pick up the mail in envelopes not sealed. And what would happen is that we would read the letters. Now it wasn’t to read the letters from the point of view of giving away military secrets, but it was to see how the guys were standing up. And you could tell by the tone of their letter that they might need a little time off and you’d send them back to one of the echelons for a day or so.

Description

Mr. Lockyer explains why letters were read in unsealed envelopes, not for the reasons you may have thought.

Owen William Lockyer

Owen Lockyer was born in Herring Neck, Newfoundland on March 19, 1923. He was the youngest of five siblings and son of a grocer. After enlisting, Mr. Lockyer was sent to Normandy as part of the Algonquin Regiment. He served in the infantry as a platoon runner. He was awarded the Order of Military Merit, Order of St. John 1935-1943, France and Germany star, Defence of Britain. Mr Lockyer stayed with the army Militia where he became Brigadier General of all the militia army forces in Atlantic Canada

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 1:11
Person Interviewed:: Owen William Lockyer
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: France
Battle/Campaign:: Normandy
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Algonquin Regiment
Rank:: Private
Occupation:: Infantry

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Reading Letters For a Different Reason

Heroes Remember