I didn't realize that there was a controversy over the story of a Canadian soldier being crucified by the Germans during the Second Battle of Ypres. This came to my attention when a historian reviewed my book, "The Great Promise". She questioned the journal entry because the no one could verify if it was rummer or factual. The following is a direct quote from my grandfather's journal:
At daylight we were at it again, the first
thing that met my gaze was a shell dropped just the other side of the hedge,
among what was left of a Canadian Battery Wagon Line, (most of the men had been
killed when the Germans broke through the previous week they bayoneted them
whilst they slept. Hung the Ferrier to a tree, and crucified a Sergeant of the
Canadian Scottish to a barn door with bayonets. This wagon line had about a
dozen horses left of 200 – the guns were captured by the enemy, but were
afterwards regained by a magnificent charge by the Canadian infantry. These are
fine fellows and splendid fighters and hated the cursed Germans like fury for
their murderous ways of waging war. A couple of days previous the Canadian
Scottish were ordered to retire, but refused to do so. [They] charged the enemy
on their own, it was a mad thing to do and they lost over 500 men, but captured
some trenches and captured 100 prisoners or more, not one of these prisoners
were brought down. We were fighting as they – no quarter and the Canadians gave
none. Just in rear of our guns, there was a Prussian Guardsman ( a fine fellow,
fully 6’ 3” in height and big with it) pinned to a tree with a bayonet and a
post card stuck on his forehead with the words, “Canada does not forget”. The
by word of the Canadians were, “will give’em
crucify”. The happenings around
of this period would fill a book with horrors of this description, and of the
splendid fighting of the Canadians and the Indian troops who were with us.
No comments:
Post a Comment