Language selection

Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

Search veterans.gc.ca

The 40 mm Bofors

Heroes Remember

The 40 mm Bofors

Transcript
You must remember that, you know, everybody back home is cheering us on, and one thing or another. All we wanted to do was be with our buddies. And, well, being a gun crew of a 40 mm Bofors, it was a nine man gun crew. And all daylight hours, when we were on coastal defence, the gun had to be manned. And you can imagine, in the summer hours, we had to have three men on the gun all the time. And summer hours, that means a lot of very, very boring hours. Like I said, we never even fired a shot, not one. We saw the odd German aircraft, but usually they were too far away. Our gun was for short range firing, like about a mile.
Description

Mr. McKerracher describes the type of guns used and the responsibility of the gun crew when manning a post.

Neil McKerracher

Mr. McKerracher was born in Saskatchewan, on January 15, 1923. Nineteen-years-old, and eager for adventure, he moved to Ontario and decided to join the army. He became a member of the anti-aircraft regiment, and after receiving basic training in Petawawa, Ontario, he was shipped overseas. He served with coastal defence in Colchester, England. Mr. McKerracher was married in England during the Second World War. Post-war, he and his wife moved to Calgary, Alberta, where they raised their four children. Having no appetite for civilian life, Mr. McKerracher was eager to enlist for the Korean War. During his service in Korea, he was wounded by a mortar fragment, yet continued to serve in battle, holding the rank of Captain. Military life being his passion, Mr. McKerracher joined the Regular Force after his service in Korea. In 1953, he accepted a deployment to Germany, and lived there with his family for two years before returning to Canada. Mr. McKerracher retired from service life in 1978.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
1:04
Person Interviewed:
Neil McKerracher
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
England
Branch:
Army
Occupation:
Gunner

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Youtube

Related Videos

Joining up Just Seemed Like the Thing to Do!

Joining up Just Seemed Like the Thing to Do!

Mr. McKerracher speaks about his decision to join the army. He provides detail of his basic training and travel overseas as part of the anti-aircraft regiment.

Aircrafts Colliding

Aircrafts Colliding

Mr. McKerracher speaks about witnessing aircrafts colliding and the fear experienced during the Battle of Falaise.

Getting Married in England

Getting Married in England

Mr. McKerracher speaks about meeting his bride and getting married while serving in England and the difficulty he felt returning to civilian life.

Getting Hit by Mortar Fragment

Getting Hit by Mortar Fragment

Mr. McKerracher describes his experience of getting wounded by shrapnel when carrying the commanding officer’s map board.

Bringing his Family to Germany

Bringing his Family to Germany

Mr. McKerracher speaks about his opportunity to bring his family to Germany during his Regular Force service and the positive experience this was for his children.

Date modified: