Holland Late in the year of 1945. I can backtrack as memory comes to me. Also I realized that I had made in my mathematics so now I will correct that. I was doing a short clip on Major Doug Weir and stated he advanced in rank from a 2/Lt at the age of 19 to a Major at 25 well he was only 24 years old making him the youngest person to attain and hold that rank in the 17th Fld RCA. Yes we were pretty young so long ago.
I remember the CWAC pipe band coming to Winschoten and putting on a most impressive exhibition of marching and playing. It was great to see these Canadian girls doing their stuff. Also it was our first chance to talk to any Canadian girls since the summer of 44 in Italy when #1 Canadian Entertainment company put on shows for us after the Hitler line.
Our sergeants mess fed and visited with the band members for lunch and the afternoon. We noted when the girls were slow marching around this large playing field that they were giving their feet a shake about every second step. When we were visiting with the girls someone said what was the foot shaking all about? Their answer was the field was covered with soft cow manure and they were shaking this off their shoes. They were a great group and I can only remember one name from that band and memory better be correct. It was Dorothy Savage, home town Calgary. I think she played the big drum.That was definitely a highlight in our Winschoten stay .
I do not think I mentioned that the house that we the WO"s and SGT's were in had been in operation as a house for mothers for the state. This was a house where unwed mothers stayed and had their babies. These babies were fathered by German soldiers. This was the first time any of us farm boys or any of us saw a another fixture in the bathroom, an item called a Bidet. This caused some question what is this for? Well someone knew so that solved the mystery.
I picked up a large book called MEIN KAMP by Hitler in German. Some fifty years later I sold it to the Command Post in Victoria. Orme Payne and I awakened the locals one morning, probably about 4 AM by rolling a keg of beer down the street to our house. The cobble stone street had good acoustics and the sound woke all the people in houses that we passed. I do not remember the urgency to get this keg of beer but it must have been a real dire situation.
Most antics were pretty tame. I sort of remember that this keg was a type with the middle of the keg larger then the ends . This caused the keg to veer from one side of the street to the other, also memory fails who chased the keg when it went left or to the right. Oh yes we were young.
