Spotted by the Germans

Heroes Remember

Spotted by the Germans

Transcript

The Corporal of our sniper section and I, we were about four miles into enemy territory at the time trying to get some information. Of course, the land there in Holland is pretty flat and not much dead ground to hide in or places to camouflage yourself so the Germans must have spotted us going into this house. It was a 3-story house and they started shelling the house. So we got down into the basement and the top floor went, then the second floor went and then the debris started to come down into the basement. When it finally stopped, I guess they figured they had got us but we were right along side of steps that were leading outside, going outside the house but we came out of there bomb wacky. We just didn't even know where we were and we did manage to get back to our unit but I lost the corporal. I don't know what happened to him. I managed to get back. What happened, I found myself in a culvert. There was about maybe that much water in the culvert and my head was laying on a rock. I don't know whether the corporal put me there to protect me or what or what happened while we were trying to escape I don't know but I never seen the corporal again but I came to in this culvert and finally I did get back to my own lines by myself and then I was shipped to the hospital right away, so I had a very bad concussion. By the time I was, well not quite cured but the war was over then by that time. Not exactly over but they were talking peace, you know. I never got back to my regiment at all.

Description

Mr. Buote describes the situation of being shelled by the Germans after taking cover in a 3-story house only to escape injured and bomb wacky.

Peter Buote

Peter Buote was born in Rustico, Prince Edward Island in 1924, the youngest of 7 children. His early years were spent in an orphanage. After moving to Moncton, New Brunswick he left school at age 14 and went to work in the Minto coal mines. At 16, he went to work at a dry-cleaners. Despite being of age, Mr. Buote was turned down for Naval service because he looked too young. He later joined the Regina Rifles and was involved in the D-Day landing. He served as a sniper in Europe. Mr. Buote also served in Korea, and after returning to Canada, operated a dry-cleaning business.

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