Getting Wounded

Heroes Remember

Getting Wounded

Transcript

First big battle they had was Motta-Potenza. That was the first one. That’s where we suffered a lot of casualties and that’s where I got wounded, was in Motta. That was the first big battle. Well, at that time I was on a bike going up. And I was right up at the front with the tanks and I guess whoever was firing on the other side there, missed a tank and hit my bike and just threw me right up in the air and destroyed the bike and put a hole in my leg and in my arm. I just kind of fell over I guess … I was laying in a ditch there. I wasn’t knocked out or something, because shock don’t set in right away. Then Doc Alexander, which at one time was our family doctor in Calgary, but he joined up the same time as we did, he come up and he said, “So, they finally got ya, eh?” So, yeah, that’s the first battle I remember. Then I was away for, I think I was in the hospital, five or six months before I got back. They had four posts going up, or iron posts, and then they had bars across, and they had two stretchers on the top and two on the bottom and that’s the way they took the wounded out. When you’re going back, the roughness from shells and that, you didn’t know whether you were going to go out or not, be tipped out. Then they finally got us back and we went to, like, our clearing station, which they called a casualty clearing station. And then they dress you up and they send you back. They sent me back to Catania. or Potenza … Catania, sorry. There was a field hospital there and they operated on me there. They kept me there for a little while and then they me down, I don’t know where. I went out, what port it was, and put me on the boat for North Africa. When I was over there I had another operation there, and I was there, I guess, about si months, five, six months. Well, Mom got about three or four telegrams over a period of time. Like, I was wounded. It didn’t say how bad or anything, it was just wounded. And then a little while later, they sent her another one. And then they sent her another one. And that’s the only way, because I don’t think I guess I must’ve wrote after a while, when I was in North Africa. But you’re limited to what you can say, because most of letters are scanned by one guy in the outfit. They have a security guy in the outfit and they scan letters, open them up read them. If there’s anything in there that’s not supposed to be in there, black pencil. So there was not too much you could say

Description

Mr. Baker speaks about getting wounded in Italy while riding his motorcycle and how they evacuated the wounded from the battle field.

Thomas Baker

Mr. Baker was born in Pearson, Manitoba on October 3, 1923 into a family of six brothers and two sisters. While in Grade 9, Mr. Baker made the decision to quit school and join the army. Although his father was reluctant to let him go, Mr. Baker was determined to serve his country and joined the 14th Canadian Armoured Regiment, 1st Armoured Brigade (Calgary Tanks). During his service, Mr. Baker was wounded, but continued to serve until the end of war. In later years he was honoured as the “Poster Boy” for a local lottery draw held in Alberta - a special recognition and a great surprise to Mr. Baker. After the war, Mr. Baker moved to Toronto, Ontario, continued his education and began a 40 year career with General Electric.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:50
Person Interviewed:: Thomas Baker
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Italy
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: 14th Canadian Armoured Regiment
Rank:: Tank Corp.

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Date modified:: 2019-06-20