Both World Wars Were Complete Insanity

Heroes Remember

Both World Wars Were Complete Insanity

Transcript

Both World Wars, looking back on them, I feel were complete insanity, especially World War I. If you go to history, some prince was assassinated. The whole damn world went to war. Now what could be any more stupid than that? Well then World War II wasn’t quite as insane, because Britain, I think, and France had an agreement with Poland, if they were attacked they would come to their aid. That was a little bit of an excuse. But, millions lost their lives, millions were killed, and destruction, millions and billions of . . . . To me, it was insanity but some people say, well World War I, before I was born, I read about it. But of course, World War II, they say we had to stop Hitler. Well, I guess so. But, Chamberlain tried, the Prime Minister of Britain, he tried and he failed to negotiate with Hitler, but I think if they had held off a little longer in September ‘39, I think they could’ve negotiated something and avoided World War II. That’s only my opinion, which is not very important. I tried to do a job but I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. I, Sherry, my youngest daughter, she says, I’ve always been proud dad that you were in the service during World War II. Well, I’m glad the young people look at it that way. But to be honest, I’m like, I don’t know if you know many Cape Bretoners, but I was with a lot of Cape Bretoners, and most of them joined to get three meals a day and uniforms and found I think, and like me, I guess.

Description

Mr. Barron reflects on the insanity of war, and why he enlisted.

Reginald Roy Barron

Reginald Ray Barron was born in Greenfield, Hants Co., Nova Scotia, in 1922. His father was a farmer and a sawyer in the local lumber mill. As the only boy, Mr. Barron was expected to do much of the farm work; being tied down from dawn to dusk all year long didn’t appeal to him. He therefore lied about his age to enlist in June 1940, thus escaping his “primitive life on the farm.” After a short stint in the Princess Louise Fusiliers, he joined the Royal Canadian Artillery, with whom he spent two years in Newfoundland involved in coastal defense against the German Navy. Wanting to get overseas, in June 1944, he responded to a call for volunteers to join the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, with whom he served until war’s end. Mr. Barron saw limited action, only having been in Europe for the final two months of the war. He was wounded in the leg while in action. After returning home and before hostilities ended, he volunteered to go to Japan with his Battalion. Mr. Barron returned to school and studied law.

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