Speaking to School Children

Heroes Remember

Speaking to School Children

Transcript

You speak to the kids to tell them, try to explain to them what the war was like and the dangers of war and to prevent going to war, and we hope there wouldn't be any wars and so on. And they start asking you questions. Different things like, like an interview in a sense. Why did you go, how did you go, and when did you go, and what happened when you were there? Things, questions like that. And after you were finished and their assembly was over and you were excused, you were invited to a classroom, visit a classroom. Of course, I had to go with my grandson class. I get down there and they start asking you questions. And they come up and they start asking questions about your medals and what they represent and how you got them and listening, you could hear a pin drop. Well you give them a five or ten minute talk and that's about it, that's about all you can do because you keep going over the same thing, you know, and it's pretty hard to come up with new questions. What 've been doing, every time I go to the schools, I make sure that the kids got a poppy, one of those little red poppies. And they feel some proud when they get one of those.

Description

Mr. Dingwell discusses the curiosity of school children about the war, and his pleasure at being invited to tell his story at local schools.

George Dingwell

George Dingwell was born on February 21, 1925 in Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland. His family later moved to Corner Brook, where his father and brother were employed by the railroad. After a short time working for the railroad himself, Mr. Dingwell decided to enlist in April of 1942. In England, he trained as a truck driver and was assigned to the 166th Battalion, which was then deployed to Italy. Mr. Dingwell’s draft remained in a holding unit through the winter of ‘44-‘45. The day he joined his Battalion in Northern Italy, it was coming out of battle and was soon disbanded. Mr. Dingwell then volunteered for the Japanese theatre, but that theatre ended before he saw action.

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