Wounded By A “Potato Masher”
Heroes Remember
Transcript
He had his jaw blown off by the same
bunch of grenades that caught me.
Six potato mashers tied to a piece of
wood and see, the potato masher,
you unscrewed the end and the little
porcelain knob come out on a string all
these untied these six after they were tied
around to a piece of wood long enough to
make a handle and then you tied all these
little knobs together one bunch these cords
and then when you were trying to blast the
trench the German simply pulled these
bunch of them and threw them
right in amongst ya.
Well it was one hell of an explosion.
Six of those potato mashers which each of
them was a heck of a, was a real bad,
but that's what they used,
we got caught on that.
Topp lost his jaw, I had my leg shattered,
I had a few odd pieces.
Description
Mr. Henley describes how the Germans tied several 'potato masher' grenades together to increase their potential for damage, and how he and his officer were badly wounded by one of these devices.
Roy Henley
Roy Henley was born in London, Ontario on September 29, 1898. After enlisting in Toronto in 1916 with the 166th Queens Own Rifles, he was discharged with suspected tuberculosis. Mr. Henley re-enlisted, sailed to England aboard the horse transport SS Welshman, and joined the Quebec Regiment. Mr. Henley's recollections are detailed, sometimes graphic and occasionally humorous. His experiences spanned many battles; the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Cambrai and Arras.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 1:32
- Person Interviewed:
- Roy Henley
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- First World War
- Battle/Campaign:
- Cambrai
- Branch:
- Army
- Rank:
- Sergeant
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