Seven White Crosses

Heroes Remember

Seven White Crosses

Transcript

The kit was all laid out, see. You’re supposed to check off the kit, but there were seven crosses. Now, nobody wanted to pick up those seven white crosses. Maybe only five, but there were seven. Seemed to be about right, all sitting there. So this one sergeant said to me, “You better pick them up. You guys are going to need them.” So, they were blank. But you know in everybody’s mental mind, they’re almost putting their name on those crosses. So we picked them up and gave them to the quarter stores, quartermaster stores. And it wasn’t long before they were used, alright. But that was something that sort of, all of a sudden, reality came through. But this fellow said, “You’ll need them.”

Description

Mr. Bannerman tells us about picking up the gear packs and being provided with crosses to carry along, realizing at that point their purpose.

Gordon Bannerman

Mr. Gordon Bannerman was born September 13, 1921. He was raised in Neville, Saskatchewan with his three brothers and a sister. His father served in the First World War with the 1st Canadian Field Ambulance. Following in his father’s footsteps, Mr. Bannerman enlisted and became a member of the 17th Field Regiment Artillery. He began his military career as a general service gunner and was soon promoted to sergeant. He trained in Petawawa, Ontario, was sent to Aldershott, England, eventually fought in Italy from 1943 to 1945 and through northwest Europe to the Netherlands in 1945. During his service time, Mr. Bannerman had plenty of close calls and was wounded by mortar fire. As a sergeant major, he considered himself a good listener who maintained strong morale amongst his fellow soldiers. After the war, Mr. Bannerman and his wife, Edith, whom he met in 1945, settled in British Columbia.

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