Close Relationships

Some many things that make you smile afterwards. Like I remember we would sometimes jump on the back of a tank, go up a little distance and there was a chap, was a, a lawyer. He wasn't a lawyer then he was studying law, but he was an artillery FOO from Ottawa. (A Forward Observer) Forward Observation Officer. I'm sorry, yeah, for the 12th field and we use to sometimes jump on the back of a tank and ride a short distance or go on behind the tank if there was a part on the front, but not much comfortable of a place to ride, but you didn't do it very often. But sometimes it served the purpose. But, but this chap and I were, when a tank stopped in a deep ditch and the crew got out to, to have a smoke and my friend the artillery captain said to the tank commander said, "Boys I wouldn't want to be one of you fellas in there." he said. "You're just so closed in." he said. And the Armoured Corp fella looked at him and laughed. He said, "Are you crazy? I wouldn't want to be one of you fellas out there." He said, "You've got nothing around you", he said. So it all depends on your point, your point of view.

But this same, this same person, same man who, the artillery FOO, he and I were, became very good friends and after the war when I, when I was moved from New Brunswick to national headquarters of the Legion in Ottawa. When I bought a house, I went to, to him. He was a lawyer in practice then and not for a cheap deal, but because that's where I would take me business to, my friend and I always remember and I still have it someplace the bill where he, he listed the various items that he had to pay out for, whatever they were, registration and so and so fourth. And then the legal fee was paid for with friendship. And I always remember that chap died a few years ago, but, but again that was the kind of thing that are hard to explain, that kind of relationship that developed under those circumstances. But the old thing, of the other fella knows that you won't let him down and you know he won't let you down. It's a family.