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Beach, Horace Dougald: my Army recollections (May 15, 19, and 24, 1978)

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Rank: Captain. Medals and Honours: Silver Star (U.S.)

ABSTRACT: Capt. Horace Dugald Beach, Silver Star (U.S.), Ph.D. Three Rivers Regiment (12th Armoured Regiment) Beach_H_0017_01.mp3 (Side 1) "Ace" Beach was born on March 12, 1919 near Ernfold, Sask. Farmed during the period 1937 1940; attended the University of Saskatchewan for two years. Joined the Canadian Officers Training Corps in 1941, then went "active" in 1942 (Armoured Corps). Underwent basic training as an officer cadet at Brockville, Ont. Considered living conditions to be good, especially compared to a Saskatchewan farm in the 1930's. Commissioned and posted to Camp Borden. As a reinforcement officer he went overseas in Dec. 1942. Impressions of England. (12:00) In 1943 he and others were sent to North Africa (6th Armoured Division) where they trained on Sherman tanks in preparation for the invasion of Sicily. He joined the Three Rivers Regiment (1st Armoured Brigade) in the fall of 1943, just below Ortona, Italy. Description of the people and of Italy. (25:00) In Jan. 1944 was appointed intelligence officer at regimental headquarters. Mentions certain highly respected units in Italy, including the Van Doos, the Ghurkas, and the Japanese-American regiment of the United States Army. (36:00) Describes the circumstances of battle at the Gari River. Has a high opinion of his commanding officer (Lt.-Col. F.L. Caron). Here they supported Indian troops who were, in general, pretty good, with good officers. Describes some of the duties of the intelligence officer, including handling information about the enemy and passing it on to the regiment's officers. Beach_H_0017_02.mp3 Rough Italian terrain very bad for tanks. Feels that some advances by our troops were slow, partly due to lack of aggressive training which tended to be corrected as the troops became more skilled. Discusses the positive effect of the news of the D-Day landing. Heavy casualties before the Hitler Line. Miscellaneous actions, 1944. (16:00) Dedication of Polish troops mentioned. Made a critical battle assessment (Lake Trasimene Line, a copy of which is in the University of Victoria archives) which, it was felt, should not be passed upward. (26:00) Offers his impression of Italian partisans, civilians, and the black market in which a number of Allied soldiers were involved. Discusses position at the Gothic Line, near Bologna. Impressions of politicians in Canada; some bitterness. (40:00) In his opinion troops returning to Canada were better, more unified Canadians. Operation Goldflake (invasion of southern France). (47:00) Beach_H_0017_03.mp3 (Side 2) Operation Goldflake continues. Reached Belgium where much refitting took place. Went into action in Holland in Apr., 1945. On Apr. 15, near Doesburg, Beach investigated a report that two of the enemy were representatives of a group wanting to surrender. He accompanied the German troops (who were Russian) about two miles forward. Eventually accepted the surrender of about 140 of the enemy. Later awarded the American Silver Star for bringing in so many prisoners. Posted to a twenty-one-man reconnaissance team and promoted to captain. (13:00) The reconnaissance team was in Oldenburg at the end of the war with the task of gathering up weapons so that they would not fall into civilian hands. Many ex-forced labourers, now refugees, created a problem. Before returning to Canada he attended the University of Edinburgh for one term. Discovered psychology; never looked back. When he returned to Canada he felt out of touch with Canadian life. Comments on too drastic cuts in the Canadian army in the immediate postwar period. Returned to the University of Saskatchewan. Rhodes Scholar. Worked in Newfoundland in the mental health field. Describes outposts and their population. (32:00)

Interviewer: Main, Chris D.

An interview/narrative of Horace Dugald Beach's experiences during World War II. Captain Beach, Silver Star (U.S.), Ph.D. served with the Three Rivers Regiment (12th Armoured Regiment). Interview took place on May 15, 19 and 24, 1978.

Interviewee: Beach, Horace Dougald, 1919-2008

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Keyword Date created Relation
  • Part of the Reginald H. Roy collection of interviews.
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 3 sound recordings (MP3)
Geographic Coverage Coordinates
  • 39.76, -98.5
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
  • 54.75844, -2.69531
Additional physical characteristics
  • One original sound tape reel (ca. 120 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 2 sound cassette copies : standard, mono. in Special Collections.
Physical Repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • BHD_017
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • April 24, 2007
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 22 kHz. In .mp3 format at 64 kbps and 22 kHz. Digitized by JW, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Transferred from audio reel to audio cassette between 1987-1997. Interview migrated to digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2007. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
Rights
  • This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
DOI
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file details SC141_MilitaryOralHistory_GenericThumbnail
file details Beach_H_0017_01.mp3
file details Beach_H_0017_02.mp3
file details Beach_H_0017_03.mp3