Padre on Front Lines

Heroes Remember

Padre on Front Lines

Transcript

We were in Italy, and there were about ten of us, behind a bit of a brick wall and we were getting (inaudible) machine-gunned and lots of mortars flying around, and we were hiding behind this wall, and we were scared. I'm telling you we were scared, ‘cause there was so much happening. And I thought it was an American come walking, because he had that type of uniform on, a collar this way and a tie. He walked up there. The man's a stupid idiot, you know? Were cowering. He walked over calm as could be, and it was a pad, padre, and his name was Jones. I remember that, he was a preacher. I don't know what faith, ‘cause you're only in the army, we only had Roman Catholic or Church of England. So, he was Church of England, United or Baptist or something but, anyways, he wasn't scared at all. I don't know if he was too dumb to be scared, or what, but anyway, he wanted to know if we would like to have a little prayer. ‘Course we did. We were all cuddled there and he talked, said a few prayers, and he told this story about, told this story about the guy who was praying and he was wondering, if God was carrying him on the beach or walking with him on the beach, it was, and it was making tracks, and then all of a sudden there was just two tracks, and the guy was saying, how come when I got in trouble there, you deserted me? Geez, no more tracks. And he said, no, that's not why, I didn't desert you then. That's when I was carrying you. I remember him telling that story, and he had a few prayers and walked off. You know, when he went away, everybody was just as calm as we are sitting here now. It took this fear away from you. Nobody was scared of getting dying all of a sudden or... And he, he must of have been cause he obviously wasn't scared. I thought at the time, I thought... I remember lots of talk, lots of things about clergy and that, but that guy did a lot of good there in just a minute and he was right in the front lines there and he calmed everything down there and he wasn't scared. The fact he wasn't scared made you feel you weren't scared, and I thought and I remembered that story yet. I mentioned it a couple of times to those guys and they said, "Oh, yeah. We have that service every year." Some part of the service, there, but... I haven't heard the story since, but that's what it was about, making four tracks and then just two. I thought after for a preacher, who would think that, who would think that a preacher was doing anything in the war? What is a preacher doing, just burying guys? He did not, he was right up in the lines. War isn't like you... anybody that hasn't been in it, don't know what, what it's like. That was a nice thing.

Description

Mr. Laird recalls when a padre on the front lines of Italy brought peace to he and a group of men pinned down by fire.

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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