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Hudson Bay Parcels

Heroes Remember

Hudson Bay Parcels

Transcript
You know that we used to get a parcel every month from Canada, from the Hudson Bay Company. That’s the only parcel we used to get, and in with the stale cigarettes, there used to be fifty 33s they called them. Horrible cigarettes. There used to be a bottle of Johnny Walker’s Red Label, and two bottles of Black Horse beer That was in our parcel. I think we drank it all. Interviewer: For how many men? Eleven? No, that’s for each man. Interviewer: Oh, for each man. Each guy got his own parcel. Oh, and there was chocolate bars, (inaudible) I don’t think we enjoyed the chocolate bars very much We put them in a drawer, and there was little tiny white ants, armies of them. And they’d go into a chocolate bar and take everything out, and you’d have an empty wrapper. Couldn’t believe it. But that, you know, insects were many, cobras everywhere, scorpions everywhere. You had to always check your boots to make sure there wasn’t a scorpion in it. There was cobras in your room because they were all thatched huts No windows on it, just open spaces. A lot of big lizards, but they weren’t harmful. But there was a lot of insects. From ants, thousands of ants… but the worst part was, the worst one was the scorpion and the cobra.
Description

Mr. Thomarat talks about the care packages that the soldiers received from the Hudson Bay Company.

Armand E. Thomarat

Armand Thomarat was born on the 19th of February in 1922. His father was a carpenter and a highly decorated first World War Veteran who was awarded, among other medals, the Legion of Honor. Following in the footsteps of his father and four brothers, Mr. Thomarat joined the army in 1941. After serving briefly as a clerk, he transferred to the air force, becoming a bomb aimer and a gunner on the front turret. On long trips, he served as second navigator.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
1:44
Person Interviewed:
Armand E. Thomarat
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
Burma
Battle/Campaign:
Burma
Branch:
Air Force
Units/Ship:
357 Squadron
Rank:
Flying Officer

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

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