A Deal With God

Heroes Remember

A Deal With God

Transcript

Last thing I had to do with the Saskatoon Light Infan...or the Vandoos, was Campobasso. That's, well, I suppose it's a hundred miles up Italy. It's flat country. The first, about the only darn flat country you ever had there ... They made a big camp there for, in later times, so guys come back for rest, they had a week rest camp there. But we were pinned down there for about three days. That's a big, open, flat country, and the railroad track made a big round this way, so we were behind the tracks. We couldn't move there for about two or three days. You couldn't stick your arm up, they shooting at it, they could see you so far there. And, there's a funny thing, in later years, I met a guy here, Redhead, Redhead is his name. When I met him, he was an Anglican priest. When I got to know him, so it happened we belonged to the same church he was preaching at. Found out he had been in the Saskatoon Light Infantries, and I said, well, was he a preacher then. Well, no, he said, but he told his experience at Campobasso. He said, "And I said then, ‘God, if you get me out of here'," he says, "‘I'll work for you the rest of my days.'" he said, and as soon as I retired, I went by, he said, "I remember that. I know what I said." So he was there. That was Readhead. Ya know, they had us stuck down there ‘cause it was a low piece on the opposite side of the track, where you had to get down at. I thought it was something else. He must have been scareder than I was, because I didn't go that far, I was... but he, he wound up being a minister.

Description

Mr. Laird describes being pinned at Campobasso, Italy, and years later, hearing of his minister’s experience during the same action.

Edwin George Laird

Mr. Laird was born in Verwood, Saskatchewan and attended school there until grade 4. In 1934, when Mr. Laird was 11 years old his father passed away. Mr Laird and the rest of the family moved to a homestead in the bush north of Verwood. Not having a radio until 1940, news of war was very limited. As they started to hear radio coverage, Mr. Laird began to think he should get involved. In February 1942, Mr. Laird travelled to Saskatoon to enlist, and after joining the tank corps was sent to Guelph, Ontario, for training. Soon after he was sent to England where after completing his basic training, he was made a signaller. After advance training he was assigned to the 2nd Field Regiment On June 10, 1943, Mr. Laird disembarked from Scotland, destined to invade Sicily a month later. From there Mr. Laird fought across Italy with the Vandoos and Saskatoon Light Infantry. Eventually, Mr. Laird and other Canadians in Europe were sent to join with Canadian Forces in France. From there they moved into Belgium, and Germany, remaining there until the war ended. Mr. Laird returned to Canada in early 1946, and received his discharge soon after.

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