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I was shot down by a sniper through my right hip
World War II Veteran’s Biography - Maurice Leclerc
I was 21 years of age when they called me to enroll in the
army for World War II. I was in the Chaudière Regiment of
Quebec, Canada (Le Régiment de la Chaudière). My rank was
Private in the Army. We were in Holland during the month of
December and Holland had bad weather at that time. The
people I met in Holland were very good to us and received us
in a special manner. I find the people of Holland very
appreciative, friendly, kind and generous. There is special
warmth with the Dutch that made me feel at ease and at home.
We fought for at least three weeks in Holland in very rough
battles. A few of the men were killed in Holland. I was on
guard duty at the bridge near the red brick church to ensure
that the bridge would not get blown up. The Germans would
arrive by parachute and land in the river. They would come
on land from there and we shot them. One night, I was on
patrol and we left Nijmegen to Germany. I was shot down by a
sniper through my right hip. I had to pretend that I was
dead as the Germans were going around checking if we were
dead and they would shoot us if we were alive. I crawled
about one and a half mile to get out of there when the
Germans left. I yelled at our regiment and some of them
picked me up. They thought I was dead but then were happy to
hear me yell at them for help. This was my worst day. I was
in the hospital in Brussels then transferred to England.
This is one of my many experiences I went through during
World War II. The young people of today should always be
proud of us, the Veterans, as they would not be here today
if it would not have been for us. I have observed the young
people during every Remembrance Day service held on November
11th each year. I attend these ceremonies on Parliament Hill
in Ottawa and I march with the other Veterans. A lot of
young people do appreciate us by also attending on this day.
I find their poems very touching on Remembrance Day. I hope
the young people will continue to remember us forever. It is
always sad and difficult for me to remember the events I
went through during World War II. I lost many friends in the
line of fire to save Canada and the other countries. Maurice
Leclerc, Ottawa, Ontario
Interview by Madeleine Leclerc |
