From the Coal Mine to the War Front
Heroes Remember
From the Coal Mine to the War Front
Transcript
Description
Mr. Letendre recalls leaving work in an Alberta coal mine and enlisting in the Canadian Army.
Hugh Victor Letendre
Mr. Letendre was born on March 4, 1925 in the small hamlet of Lac Ste-Anne, Alberta. As a Métis, he grew up speaking Cree, French and English. He came from a large family with one brother and eight sisters. His father was a trapper and did a lot of commercial fishing. Mr. Letendre learned how to hunt and fish from his father.
When he was 11 years old he became the janitor for the one-room school that he also attended as a student. He would sweep the floors, make the fire in the morning, and haul water and coal. For all that, he was paid $4.00 a month which he gave back to his family because they had very little money at the time.
He enlisted at the age of 18 and served during the Second World War as a rifleman with the Calgary Highlanders. His overseas deployment included time serving in the Normandy Campaign after D-Day. After the war he became a leader of Canada's Aboriginal Veterans Association.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 02:42
- Person Interviewed:
- Hugh Victor Letendre
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
- Location/Theatre:
- Canada
- Branch:
- Army
- Units/Ship:
- Calgary Highlanders
- Occupation:
- Rifleman
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From Canada to England to France
In the Spring of 1944, the Empress of Scotland sailed from Halifax with 15,000 members of the Canadian Army on board, including Mr. Letendre. He recalls having no strong feelings on leaving Canada for England. Once there, he quickly finds himself heading for France.
Heavy Losses at Caen
Mr. Letendre was assigned as reinforcement to "B" Company of the Calgary Highlanders in the midst of the battle for the city of Caen. He recalls the casualties on the first night of battle and reflects on being one of only six men in his company who survived the fighting that night.
Dieppe Liberated
In late Summer of 1944, the Canadian Army was back in the city of Dieppe. Mr. Letendre recalls the taking of the French city by the Canadian troops and remembers some of his other activities along the coastal region of France.
Injured by a Potato Masher
Injuries to his face and hands, the result of a thrown "potato masher," put Mr. Letendre in an England hospital for about ten days. Then, following a two-week leave, he found himself on the way back to the action in France.
His Last Battle
Mr. Letendre recalls his last battle, near a small town in Germany.
Illness Sends Him Home To Canada
Sent home with pleurisy, Mr. Letendre spends several months at the Colonel Belcher Hospital in Calgary. The war in the Pacific is still in progress when he's released from hospital and he decides he should be there. The army, for health reasons, decides otherwise. Following his discharge, he went home to visit his parents.
Life after the War
Mr. Letendre, at one time, the leader of Canada's Aboriginal Veterans Association reflects on how his wartime experience affected him during his life following his service.
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