A Bee Couldn’t Have Survived

Heroes Remember

A Bee Couldn’t Have Survived

Transcript

When we went into Ragusa, we went in at night, the bridges had been blown, and we were going down a ravine and making a switch back road and the first thing that, this was one of my, one of my first scary points, was, we had fired, we were shooting mortar shells in ahead of us for, you know in advance artillery fire or mortar fire. And we hit a, a German machine gun post, and you could, you've see it on movies and this was actual fact, you could see the flame go up, the machine gun and the soldier in mid air. And this was all, you could see this from the flash, the illumination of the flash of the explosion. Interviewer: In the darkness, this was in the dark of night? Yes Interviewer: So how does that affect a young man, a young boy? You're pretty frightened. As a matter of fact you are so afraid, I was so afraid, that I thought my heart was going to explode, and that's, that's pretty scared. Interviewer: And what would make you that afraid? Like that's pretty powerful feeling. Well, any second you're, you could be dead. Well it's just hard to imagine and I'll give you one example. One time we were under a German barrage and it was coming down like rain drops, just thundering down and this was at night. When daylight broke, we were in an olive grove, the ground looked like it had been plowed, the trees, there wasn't a full branch left on the tree, every tree, so you don't know how a bee could fly through that and survive. That's what makes it so scary. And every minute that you're in battle is like a thousand years, just never ends. And for a young person, any young person, that, that is pretty hard to take because you know when minutes start lasting for hours, seemingly so, you just feel that there's no hope for you and you're not going to make it. Interviewer: But you did make it, you did get through. What do you think contributes to that? Phew... well, I'm not a religious person by any stretch of imagination, but boy sometimes you wonder if somebody isn't looking out for you. Because I still don't know how anybody could go through any of that and survive. Just for me, it seemed like it's impossible. I complain now about not winning the lotto, so I've, I've used up all of my luck, I believe.

Description

Mr White recalls a scene of devastation that left him bewildered, and explains how as fear increased, time seemed to slow.

Maurice White

Maurice White was born in Coldwater, Ontario, on January 2, 1925. At a young age, his family relocated to Grassland, Alberta, where he was raised. After being rejected as too young by the air force, he successfully enlisted with the army, joining the Prince of Wales Armoury in Edmonton, Alberta. By the age of 17 he was an instructor, carrying the rank of corporal, but anxious to serve overseas he left his rank, to serve as a Private with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. For 23 months Mr White served in the Italian Campaign, seeing action in such cities and towns as Ortona, Sicily, and Ragoona. Although not a religious man, his numerous near death experiences left him believing someone may have been watching over him He served with the military police for a year after the end of the War before returning to Canada.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 03:22
Person Interviewed:: Maurice White
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Italy
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: 1st Special Service Force
Rank:: Corporal

Related Videos

Best Not Left Alone

Mr White explains his reasoning for why it was best to be in action with other men, defensively and offensively.

Near Misses

Mr White recalls two instances where he narrowly escaped certain death.

Dwindling Chances of Survival

Mr White explains how as the war progressed, he felt his number would soon come up and he would suffer the fate of so many others he witnessed perish around him.

Civilians Caught in the Middle of War

Mr White recalls his unit finding a group of civilians holed up in Ortona, having been too scared to even step outside for two weeks. He then explains how important it is for youth to understand that war doesn’t only involve and affect soldiers.

Not a Merry Christmas

Mr White recalls one particularly sad Christmas. One he'll never forget.

Pilgrimages With Youth

Mr White recalls participating in pilgrimages to Italy with youth from across Canada, and how seeing some of the same areas he fought in made his state of mind revert to that time.

Date modified:: 2019-06-20