Finally Getting Liberated

Heroes Remember

Finally Getting Liberated

A day or two before they were firing shots, we were at (inaudible) north that was in Brenna, that was where we ended up. The guards come along and they said, “They’re coming, stay in your barracks!” and they disappeared. We weren’t sure what it was. And then the next morning the Red Cross was right there, the Red Cross was right with the army and as I always said they gave us a towel and soap and a toothbrush and I said, you know I’d never used a toothbrush in my life, I’d rather have something to eat but anyway. And then they took us to Brussels from there and there was Americans, DC-3’s they had I guess and they flew in formation and it was spring then, it was April, April 28th and they would fly over these fields and, you know, if you have flown in an airplane, you’d drop and whatnot and we thought they were trying to kill us, they were flying so close together we thought they would hit one another. And we were in Brussels for about a week I guess because it was rough over the ocean and they flew us to England in the Lancaster bombers.

Mr. Cole shares his feelings when he realized freedom was just around the corner.

Elmer Cole

Mr. Elmer Cole was born in Roche Percee, Saskatchewan on December 22, 1919. At age 15 he started working and left school with a grade eight education. In 1940 he joined with the South Saskatchewan Regiment taking basic training in Winnipeg and in Feb. 41 he came back to Brandon, Manitoba for mechanical training, switching over to The Calgary Tanks as a trooper on the Churchill tanks. Mr. Cole travelled overseas to England where he was given more training until the summer of ’42 when the Dieppe Raid occurred. Mr. Cole fought through the battle only to surrender with other Canadian soldiers where he became a POW until ’45 when they were set free. After returning to Canada, Mr. Cole worked with the Department of National Defence, then carried on as a mechanic but with the strong desire to always be a wheat farmer, he and his wife bought a farm in Oak bank, Manitoba until he retired at the young age of 54. Mr. Cole and wife Isabel adopted two boys. Now widowed, Mr. Cole spends much of his time playing cards and socializing with residents of his retirement home as well as spending time with his grandchildren. In 2005 Mr. Cole was presented with an Honorary Life Member certificate of the Kiwanis Club in his local community. Presently, at age 97, Mr. Coles continues to enjoy a relaxed and healthy lifestyle.