Language selection


Search veterans.gc.ca

Sympathy for the Enemy

Heroes Remember

Sympathy for the Enemy

Transcript
There was one time we were up on the Zuiderzee searching the German troops, as they were coming back and we would search them and take all everything away from them, their arms and stuff, and that’s the way it was. But to tell you the truth, I felt sorry for a lot of them because a lot of them were barefooted you know, they were up along the Zuiderzee for so long after the war was over. And then they started rounding them up and brought them back through Holland and that, but we were searching them. Some of them had their poor feet wrapped in sacks and stuff like that, I felt really, felt sorry for them. And most of the guys were, felt the same as I did. But, I mean the guys were prisoners of war, you couldn’t do anything else could you? I mean it’s a shame, but all they did was walk, walk and walk and more walking. Then after that finished up there then I went down to Apeldoorn, a town in Holland and I did guard duty in the REME work shops down there.
Description

Mr. Taylor describes having to search German prisoners and the empathy he felt for them.

Edward P. Taylor

Edward P. Taylor, the twelfth of fifteen children, was born in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario on September 9, 1923. His father managed a paper mill and was therefore unable to enlist. However Edward, very aware of the situation in Europe, enlisted in the Army in Toronto at age nineteen, two years after being rejected by the Navy because of his age. Mr. Taylor served as radio operator with the Royal 22nd Regiment in Italy and he later redeployed to Northern Europe, where he spent time with the Army of Occupation. He served as a radio operator once more during the Korean War. Choosing to remain in the armed forces, Mr. Taylor also completed two tours of duty with NATO in Germany.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
1:09
Person Interviewed:
Edward P. Taylor
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
Germany
Branch:
Army
Units/Ship:
Royal Canadian Artillery
Occupation:
Signaller

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

Related Videos

Date modified: