My Army Days

By Lyle Kocher

$20.00            

The Beginning

It is Christmas morning, 1943; I am lying in a cot in the Eighth Army General Hospital in Barletta, Italy, wondering how I ever got myself into a mess like this.

I am unable to get out of bed on my own. I was operated on and the shrapnel removed from my neck on the night of the 23rd. Christmas Eve, the orderlies wheeled all of us downstairs to watch a Christmas program put on by the staff. This was a typical “Limy” show. Most of the skits were too vulgar for me and besides I was in no condition to enjoy anything. This was the first attack on Ortona. Thirty-seven of us went in, four of us came out. Our sargent was shell-shocked and left us. The runner went to help a stretcher bearer. The two of us were on our own. I had the barrel of my rifle cut in two, next we got caught in cross fire.

Next morning, as we were starting on another attack, a mortar shrapnel hit me. I was in Italy with very little training and with no idea what to do or what we were supposed to do. Lock, the boy with me was a recruit. I had no documents, no pay and no mail since leaving Calgary eight months before. I wondered how my folks were managing at home.

I believe that many of my problems happened when I got hit with a bean ball on our first baseball game of the year in Clive. My cap was knocked off and I fell backwards and landed on the knob of the bat. I went to first base and turned for second and fell flat. They called time and helped me off the field. I sat on the bench for the rest of the game.

The next morning I could hardly move. I drove the horses on the plow and the hired man had to do the drilling (sowing the grain). Next day it rained so I went to Lacombe to see the doctor. He sent me to the hospital for x-rays. This doctor sent me to a specialist in Calgary. There they found that I had two damaged vertebras and would have to have an operation but could not guarantee that this would help. The alternative was to go to the hospital and take massage exercise. I said that this was impossible. Then they wanted to know if I had someone at home that could massage my back twice a day. I said that my sister was a nurse. They never asked where she lived. Then he showed me how to massage my back. My mother massaged my back every night as long as I was home.

That fall my Dad put a car seat on the binder so that I could run it. My older brother, Wilf, had leave and was home to help harvest. He was a surveyor for the Government program of the Prairie Farmers Rehabilitation Act (PFRA) and worked out of Hanna. I was to go back with him and be his rod man. That fall we had an early snowstorm in October and some of the crop had to be left out in the snow.

My mother showed Wilfred how to massage my back and I went back with him to Hanna. Because of the snow we were unable to work the first few days in Hanna.

In a letter home, I wrote that I was going to the show and taking guess who. The guess who was Daisy Gaspar, the woman who was later supposedly murdered by Robert Raymond Cook.

Many people believed that he was not the murderer but he knew about it. I had met Daisy through Arnold Conrad when he was working for my dad. Daisy and Arnold were cousins and Daisy happened to be visiting with an uncle to both of them. Arnold persuaded me to pick up Daisy and her friend and take them to a show in Lacombe. This we did.

I always remember Daisy going about Wilf’s house humming, “I don’t want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart.” The Daisy that I knew was nothing like the Daisy described in the book about Cook. Poor Daisy. I told my sister-in-law, Ida, about putting Daisy’s name in the book and her remark was “Poor Daisy” as well.

On November 14th, we were in Consort and stranded there by one of the worst blizzards that I had ever seen. All roads were blocked and even the train could not get through.

My mother phoned on the 16th to tell me that my call up papers had arrived and that I was to be in Edmonton on the 19th for army registration. There was no way that I could get there. We lived on Highway12 about 15 miles east of Lacombe but the busses were snow bound too. The next day, the train got through and I was able to get to Clive. My Dad had to pick me up with team and sleigh. This was almost too much for the team as the drifts were so deep.

Even though the blizzard was still on the next day the highway was opened and I was able to catch the afternoon train to Edmonton. Many travelers were trapped in Edmonton. This was the time that the Americans were building the Alaska Highway. It seemed like everyone was wearing parkas, the first I had ever seen. All hotel rooms were taken and I was at a loss as to what to do. Finally I asked a policeman if he knew a patrolman by the name of Pete Tyler. Then I asked if he knew of any place that I could stay for the night. He took me to a house that he described as a “flop house”. It was an old house but anything was better than nothing. The landlady took me to a room and then asked me down for tea. This was nice as I had had nothing to eat since morning.

That night I had just gotten to sleep when I heard a slight noise in the room. I could see the landlady coming to the bed with a knife in her hand. I was ready to grab her hand when she said “Mister here is a knife to put in the door as a couple of tough looking men have just come in.” The next morning, I took a bus to Griesbach Barracks. I should have taken a taxi the night before. I told the bus driver where I wanted to go and he said that they drove near there. On the third trip around town I finally asked the driver where the barracks were. He said that we had gone by it three times and stopped and let me off about three blocks from the gate. I arrived in time for the noon meal. The afternoon was spent answering questions and signing papers. I had a document with me that stated that because of my category, I would not be called up. I thought that with my bad back I could get a permanent discharge, so I signed up for the regular army. They also asked why I was one day late and I explained that to them and they marked me as being there on the 19th. They gave me my uniform and all the equipment that seemed to be necessary. I was then shown where my bunk would be.

That night another recruit and I decided to go down town for a while. Naturally we got lost and missed the roll call. Next morning we were marched up in front of a colonel and given a severe lecture and reprimanded. We lost one days pay which I thought was not too bad as I was not there anyway. This Absent Without Leave was brought up at every camp that I was in while training in Alberta. This was the only advantage in not having documents when overseas as no one knew about me being AWL. This was only the first of my many troubles in the army.

In Edmonton I met a few people from Clive and district. Keith Sim and I went to a few dances together. It seemed like he could get into trouble quite easily and I would have to help him out.

I was over at Pete and Ruth Tyler’s twice. They had both worked for my people different times. Ruth sure served better meals than what we got in the Mess room. Pete had worked in the jail in Edmonton and one of his jobs was to use the lash on prisoners. He was about six foot three and weighed around 250 pounds and claimed that he never had a repeat. Too bad they abolished that sentence.

Seems like all we did was parade for lectures and receive many vaccinations. About all we learned was how to stand at attention and salute. We left Edmonton on December 4th for Camrose to take basic training. This was one of the coldest winters on record, with many blizzards and lots of snow. We were billeted in the buildings that were formerly the Alberta Teachers College. There were about 30 of us in one former lecture room. Most of our training had to be inside due to the inclement weather. There were more lectures and parades.

I run onto Arnold Conrad in Camrose. Some guys have all the luck; he was a driver for the commander of the Camrose Division. I visited him a few times. Many of the young farmers that were called up signed for duty under the Conscription Law. Maybe I should have done that too. Two fellows who were in the same barracks as me never had to go overseas until they were 19 years old and both served in the Service Corps. I met them again at the Sunnybrook Farm Museum many years later.. Much of our training consisted of wrestling, boxing and unarmed combat training. The first wrestling bout that I was in was different. The sargent called out a fellow by the name of Galenza. Then he asked if anyone wanted to challenge him, no one did. Then he called out “You with glasses get out here”. There were two of us with glasses and Zederuck started complaining that he did not want to wrestle big Galenzo. “No” the Sarg said “I mean the other fellow with glasses”. There was nowhere to hide, so I took off my glasses and went out. We were instructed as to what the rules were and how to beat the opponent. Army wrestling consisted of mostly trying to lift the other fellow off his feet and hold him there for so many seconds. Of course, Galenzo won the first round. Then we fought until almost the end of the period and I got his feet off the floor.

After dinner, we were out on a route march but it was too cold, maybe 30 below. The Sarg said something to the Captain and we were dismissed to our barracks. As soon as we were settled, the Sarg said “All right, you two, get out here and finish your bout”.

We fought the rest of that period and just as the bell rang I got him off the floor. The next morning I could hardly get out of bed. I was glad for lectures that day. I had two other wrestling bouts and won them. Neither were as tough as Galenzo. He must have out weighed me by 20 pounds. I had three boxing fights; won two and tied one. After the last fight I decided that boxing was not for me. That lad was smaller and faster and could hit harder. I was lucky to get a tie.

One of our sargents was Jim Hall, who had worked for my Dad when he was 18 years old. He said that Dad fired him because he could not get up in the mornings. I met him quite a few other times in other places. He said that he would like to work for Dad some time and show him that he could get up in the mornings.

Camrose January 18, 1943

Dear Mother,
I think you had a worse blizzard down there than we did. It is about 34 below here now. Went down to Bashaw over the weekend. Better than staying in Camp. They are all fine.
Sunday we had dinner at another place. First time I had ever tasted venison. They also had ice cream. The only dance hall here was put out of bounds due to fights. One hotel was almost wrecked too. Glad I wasn’t here. I may be quarantined when I get back. One of the boys has swelling on his throat that may be mumps.
One of the boys drank wood alcohol by mistake and almost died Friday night. Sure caused plenty of excitement. They strapped him down to the stretcher and put him in the Guard House. He had fits, his eyes rolled and he fought everyone, but no charges were laid against him.
Would have liked to come home, but felt it was too cold for Dad to be out with the car. Half the camp is leaving soon, so it won’t be long until we leave. We are having tests regularly, but they are not too bad. So far, we haven’t had any final ones. I have some platoon pictures but I will bring them when I come. Did you get my photos yet?
...
Your son
Lyle

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