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- Editor’s
Note:
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- This
column is a regular feature in the Wayback Times in which my
husband takes interesting people out to lunch … and sends
me the bill.
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- (It's
a tough job, but someone has to do it!)
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- Send
us an e-mail if you have someone in mind for one of Peter Neilly's
interviews over lunch.
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- Out to Lunch!
with Peter Neilly
- This edition of Out to Lunch
will be a little different than the others. Usually, I take an
interesting individual out for an interview over lunch at a restaurant
of their choice.
- But this time, I have been invited
"In to Lunch" at the home of MacGregor and Elsie Roulston,
a fascinating couple (married for almost 70 years), to talk about
some of their wartime experiences. "Mac," who will
be 90 next February, is a decorated WWII veteran, former POW,
member of the Black Watch and a contributing member of the Living
History Speaking Bureau. Members of this group (comprised of
wartime veterans) provide presentations and speak to students
at hundreds of schools in the Greater Toronto area. Their purpose
is to ensure today's students become aware of, and take pride
in, our Canadian heritage.
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- MacGregor Roulston
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- In to Lunch:
- Peter: Mac, how did you first become involved in the
military?
Mac: As a teenager, I joined the Glengarry Highlanders
in Cornwall, Ontario. My parents thought I had joined the Cadets,
and I did not enlighten them of the fact I had joined the NPAM
(Non Permanent Active Militia). I had been in the Highlander
Cadets in high school and loved the kilt and the sound of the
bagpipes. That year, I found a job in Montreal and shortly after
I joined the Black Watch. I started my job at the fabulous salary
of $5.00 per week. At that time, there was not too much talk
of war. We did hear rumours that things were not good in Europe,
but Europe seemed so far away at that time. Their affairs didn't
involve us. We were pretty naive.
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- In the early part of 1939, we
had a visit from King George the VI and Queen Elizabeth. I was
chosen to be a Guard of Honour for that occasion. In August of
that year, our battalion was bused out to guard the Soulange
Canal. It was the only water connection between the Great Lakes
and the Atlantic Ocean. I received my first stripes there followed
by two more a short time afterwards. One day we were called to
a meeting and told we were at war with Germany. It would be very
short, over by Christmas, they said. They didn't say what Christmas.
Elsie: Mac signed up because his country had been good
to him. He didn't want to be called up. In our community, it
was considered a disgrace to be called up. He enlisted because
his country needed him.
Peter: I know you became a recruit instructor at Camp
Huntingdon in Quebec before being shipped to England.
Mac: Yes. We received 250 men right out of civilian life.
We gave them basic training and shipped them off to various camps
in Canada for further training for their particular branch of
the service. I was eventually shipped out to England from Halifax.
I remember leaving very early in the morning and going past the
light ships as the submarine nets closed behind us. It wasn’t
until years later that I learned the Wolf Pack submarine attacks
were at their worst at this time. We encountered none, and the
crossing was without incident, except for myself being a very
poor sailor. I traveled most of the ocean by “rail.”
I was thinking of all the possibilities on the way over and it
was reassuring to see an RAF plane circling as we drew near Liverpool.
Elsie: When Mac was in England, he wrote many letters
to me, but when they arrived complete sections would be missing.
The authorities didn’t want pertinent information, like
his location or what was going on, leaked. Over time, we developed
our own code to communicate with each other so Mac could keep
me informed of what was happening.
Peter: What was England like at that time?
Mac: I was impressed by the beautiful lawns and gardens,
even in the time of war. The trees were beautiful. We did more
training in England. We would conduct bayonet drills with bags
full of straw. We learned later these drills would be very valuable.
At the end of 1943, we were sent by train to the north of Scotland.
There we practiced boat landings from the sea. We would run the
boats inland and crawl through the wet sand. It was very cold.
I was glad to return to England. I don’t think I stopped
shivering the whole time I was in Scotland.
Peter: Did you know about the D-Day invasion ahead of
time?
Mac: Rumours of an invasion were rampant. The question
was not “if,” but “when and where.” One day
from the cliffs I saw many small boats passing near the shore
at the base of the cliffs and we knew something was up. The next
day, I went out and bought a paper that said that D-Day had taken
place and I still have the paper. Our division was the second
division and we were kept back for 30 days. There was a risk
we would have to evacuate the troops if the invasion failed.
We sailed on the “Isle of Orleans” as night fell. I
slept little. Next morning, we saw the silent white beaches of
Normandy. There was no opposition as the fighting had moved inland
mainly due to the brave Canadian soldiers before us. We viewed
the bombing of Caen from a distance and in a few days, moved
up in the dead of night to the outskirts of the Ancient Abbey
of Ardennes, where Kurt (Panzer) Myer had shot 127 Canadian prisoners
for the bombing of Berlin.
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- At Caen, we received new orders
to take Hill 67 and we did so with light opposition. Our big
day was about to occur. At 3 a.m., we started at Hill 67 to St.
André. We encountered some machine gun fire. We lost a
colonel who was killed climbing over a stone wall. The second
in command was killed and two company commanders we also lost.
We had sergeants in charge of whole companies. We were waiting
for artillery and tanks that never came. The acting colonel said
the orders were to “take that hill and take that hill we
will.” We moved forward from our start line and black bursts
would open up above us. They were loaded with nails and glass
and deadly shrapnel. We kept going forward. Many of our boys
were killed. We went in with 300 and we came out with 15. Some
were taken prisoner, some were wounded and many killed. I got
to the top of that hill and the acting colonel was there and
he realized the situation was hopeless. He turned to me and said
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” We turned and
ran right in front of the German guns. My leg went numb and I
tumbled down. I had been hit. There colonel went on and was killed.
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- My leg was hurting and the blood
was caked on my muddy trousers. The Germans loaded me into a
truck and I was bused back behind their lines where we were bedded
down in a stable. The next night, we reached Rennes and had beds
to sleep on in an abandoned girls’ school. I was eventually
taken to a make-shift operating room and the wound was reamed
out. This was started before the chloroform-soaked rag that was
put over my face took effect. I remember screaming and after
that, waking up in a dirty old bunk. Things improved from that
time, medically. During that time, I had no appetite. An American
soldier asked me if I would sell some of my small loaf of black
sour bread because his brother was hungry. I almost cried. Never
would I sell food to a brother prisoner like myself. I gave it
to him freely. Some years later, I learned that a politician
from Montreal had sold food in a POW camp, and when he returned
to civilian life he was quite brutally assaulted because of this.
Peter: How were you eventually freed?
Mac: An RAF officer had a hidden radio we would listen
to when the German officers weren’t around. We heard reports
that the Americans were near and hoped we would be released soon.
The Americans didn’t know we were there and began shelling
the town. The retreating Germans saw a make-shift U.S. flag nurses
had made and began shelling the hospital. The enemy, knowing
how close General Patton was, and in fear of being encircled,
made a hasty retreat leaving their vast store of French wines
in their effort to get away. The hospital was set on fire. After
all I had been through, I had a great foreboding that I might
not make it through this new threat. The fire was put out and
we were carried out and housed in Nissan huts in the compound.
To further protect us, we were told to get under our bunks and
leave our mattresses on top in case we got a direct hit.
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- It was a great day when the
American army finally arrived. There was a downside to this,
however. The GIs found the wine and helped themselves most generously,
delaying the assistance we required. The next day, however, the
medics and a hospital were moved in. We were moved to good bunks,
all in tents. The Americans treated us royally, asking us what
we wanted for dinner. I have had a soft heart for them ever since.
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- Finally, great news arrived.
We were going back to a hospital in England. Before we left,
a padre came by and handed out V-mail forms so we could write
our loved ones and let them know we were safe. We were told they
would receive our letters in three days. That was July 1944 and
Elsie still hasn’t received the letter.
Elsie: (laughing) Even now, when Mac goes to get the mail
I tell him maybe today is the day it will get here.
Mac: By this time, my leg was improving somewhat and I
was put on as permanent camp orderly sergeant for Aldershot,
England. Things in Europe were drawing to a close and I was eventually
shipped back to Canada. Three days later, the European war ended.
When I got back to Canada, Elsie was waiting for me at the station
along with my mom and dad. That’s when my battle for my
pension began.
Elsie: Mac got paid $3.50 a month as a pension and later
got a raise of $1.25 because they realized we were married. I
told Mac we couldn’t live on his pension and he’d better
go back to school and finish his education.
Mac: So, I went back to high school to finish my final
two years and then went on to university, where I got my degree.
Peter: Sandy and I know you still do lectures and speaking
engagements at schools and special events and we would like to
give you this authentic German helmet to use along with your
other teaching aids in your presentations.
Mac: Thank you very much… it will get a lot of use.
You know, these helmets were actually better designed than our
Canadian helmets because they protected the ears.
Peter: I have one more question to ask you and you don’t
have to answer it if it is too personal. If you woke up tomorrow
and were 19 years old instead of 90, would you still enlist and
join our Canadian troops in Afghanistan? (Both Mac and Elsie
looked at each other, smiled and in unison answered “yes.")
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- It is an honour to know these
two great Canadians. And if you do happen to know a war veteran,
or a current member of our Armed Forces, call them on Remembrance
Day and thank them.
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- You owe them your freedom.
A note from Editor Sandy:
As Peter mentioned, "Out to Lunch" was a slightly different
format this time and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity
to join Peter in sharing a meal with Mac and Elsie at their Toronto
home. They have been like family to us over the past 30 or so
years and they are very near and dear to our hearts.
A special note of thanks should also be sent out to Ernie
and Carol Kowalchuk who knew that Peter and I were looking
for a German helmet for Mac. When they came across one at an
auction, they bid on our behalf (and a very kind Chris
Palmer refrained from bidding against them) knowing it
was for Mac. Thank you kindly to both Ernie and Carol and to
Chris Palmer.
(And, in case you were wondering, lunch was from Pizza Pizza,
followed by an excellent piece of Elsie's birthday cake and ice
cream. It was a great meal and we were truly delighted to share
it with Elsie and Mac...a real life hero!)
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- Out to Lunch Archives:
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