Was it Worth It?

Heroes Remember

Was it Worth It?

Transcript

My nerves really started bothering me when I got home. And when I first got married, that was about four years after I got home, my wife says, well I know for a fact that sometimes I'd wake up just tearing the bed clothes practically and I'd wake her up cause I'd jump that high off the gall darn bed. Nerves. I'd get up out of bed then I'd go for a walk. And it was a long time before I quit the you know, the nerves quit jumping on me. When I first got home I got up several times and I'd walk from here in Harriston up to Clifford in one night and that's about eleven miles each way. And when I first started I had a bit of a reputation around here for a while to not being able to hold a job. But I get work and stuff like that and all of a sudden it, mind was clear as a bell all of a sudden something would hit you'd start (inaudible) like that and you'd be hitting your hands fingers and nails like that and I'd just get up and walk out. I had to get out in the bush somewhere, somewhere where it's quiet. And I nearly strangled my brother one night, I was sleeping with him when we first got out of the army, and I guess I was dreaming about because I remember he quit sleeping with me. He went and slept on the couch downstairs. And I heard about it later, for a long time later from my dad there that I guess he heard this grunting and so on in the next room there, I had Jack by the throat strangling him, and calling him a rotten bastard and everything else cause I was dreaming, and I didn't wake up. But I kind of wondered why Jack wouldn't sleep with me. He didn't say anything until years later I heard about it. So I guess the nerves were bothering me anyway there. But it just seemed at times to get away from people, get away from people, get out where it's quiet. And at that time you could find a quiet spot once in a while, more than you do now. I've done a lot of thinking since the war like that and we thought we did a great thing, Canada was one of the top producing countries in the world we had no debt to speak of, twelve million dollars I think it was or twelve billion dollars to run the war. We started from a second rate country to first class country. We proved that we could turn out stuff and so on. And just seeing everything went down hill, and it's still going down hill. And I talked to other guys who all had pretty much the same feeling,"Was it worth it?" And you figure you went over there like that there and you lost friends and you lost family like that there, and what we did, was it worth it? Sometimes I wonder.

Description

Mr. Tomlin reflects on the emotional struggles he faced after the war and whether it was all worth it.

Glen Tomlin

Mr. Tomlin was born in Clinton, Ontario, in 1923. His family moved to Harriston when he was very young. Once he was old enough he worked in a box factory earning $7/week for 60 hours of labour. Despite having had rheumatic fever, which made it impossible for him to walk at a marching pace, Mr. Tomlin was accepted by the army, where he trained as a field gunner. He later switched to infantry, joining the Hard Light Infantry, 9th Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. Mr. Tomlin's service saw him in several combats in Northern Europe, often engaging the enemy at very close quarters. Mr. Tomlin now resides in Palmerston, Ontario.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:30
Person Interviewed:: Glen Tomlin
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Highland Light Infantry
Rank:: Private
Occupation:: Gunner

Language selection

Was it Worth It?

Heroes Remember

Was it Worth It?

Glen Tomlin

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Was it Worth It?

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