Corker, Arthur Donovan: my Army recollections (August 29, and 31, 1983)

An interview/narrative of Arthur Donovan Corker's experiences during World War I. Private Corker, M.M. served with the 7th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Interview took place on August 29 and 31, 1983.

Interviewee: Corker, Arthur Donovan, b. 1894

ABSTRACT: Pte. Arthur Donovan Corker, M.M. 7th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force Corker_A_0035_01.mp3 (Side 1) Born on Feb. 26, 1894 in Victoria, B.C. His father was an Anglican missionary at Alert Bay and Comox, B.C. Educated in England. Returned to Alert Bay, taking a temporary job in a sawmill; ten hours a day, six days a week, ten cents an hour. Moved to Victoria where he was employed by the Bank of Nova Scotia. Joined the 5th Regiment, Canadian Garrison Artillery. Describes militia activities, summer camp at Sooke, all pay to the regimental fund. When war was declared in 1914 he was working in Nanaimo as Assistant Manager for a milling company. Immediately joining up, sent to the 88th Victoria Fusiliers, then to Valcartier Camp where he was posted to the 7th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Sailed for England on Sept. 26, 1914 in the Virginian. Describes living and training conditions on Salisbury Plain. (35:00) Trained with the machine-gun section of his unit. Remarks that later at the Battle of Ypres three out of four of their machine guns were out of action. The Colt machine guns were not very reliable. In France the battalion underwent three days familiarization in the trenches before taking over from a British unit. They occupied the trench in about half-company strength so that effective rotation was possible. He thought that the trenches were in pretty good shape. (45:00) Corker_A_0035_02.mp3 Mentions sanitary arrangements, rations, sleeping areas, etc. Initially held in reserve at the Battle of Ypres. They were armed with the Ross rifle; he partially blames its unreliability for his capture by the Germans during a heavy attack at St. Julien on Apr. 24, 1915. Corker was employed as a range finder operator for the machine guns, but, during a general retirement, they could not hold the Germans off, and a number had to surrender. He considers that in the war zone he received reasonable treatment by the Germans. Transported in freight cars to a camp at Giessen where the accommodation was good, even with 250 men in a building. (20:00) The rations were low, consisting of soup and one loaf of bread per day for five men. Prisoners combined into messes so that the food could be better cooked. After six months they began to think of escape. He was sent a compass from England, hidden in a jar of strawberry jam; the compass served him well during four attempts to escape. The "you know what society" was the name for their escape committee. (30:00) States (surprisingly) that in Germany he was introduced to the coffee break. The best work detail that he had was in a vineyard near Mainz. In industrial settings he was able to perform small acts of sabotage. Anecdote. (40:00) Corker_A_0035_03.mp3 (Side 2) Additional escape tales. Discourse returns to trench warfare, Ross rifle, leather Oliver-pattern equipment, etc. (10:00) Instrumental in formulating instructions for escapees, what to do and where to head. To his surprise in Apr. 1920 he learned that he had been awarded the Military Medal for his constant (six) attempts to escape from prison camp, his organizing and helping others, and his final success on the seventh personal attempt. (20:00) In 1917 he worked at Hoerde at the iron foundry. In 1918 he made his successful escape. He and another spent twenty-one days getting to the Dutch border which they crossed by crawling through a field of turnips. Reported to the Dutch Police, fourteen days in quarantine, then England. Extensively interrogated in London; a copy of one is held in the University of Victoria archives. (Public Archives of Canada record group 9, III, volume 4739, folder 155, file 16, no. 2287). (40:00) Corker_A_0035_04.mp3 In England he was given two or three weeks leave, extra rations, three years back pay. (45:00) Sent back to Canada (Sept. 1918) on the same ship (Virginian) that he arrived in. Received medical treatment for a wartime hearing disability. Discharged. Farmed and taught school in the Vanderhoof area of British Columbia. Married. Joined the Canadian National Railways as a bridgeman. Tough times in the Depression. Moved to a job in Victoria. (11:00)

Rank: Private. Medals and Honours: Military Medal (MM)

Interviewer: Bell, Chris

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Bell, Chris
• Corker, Arthur Donovan, b. 1894

Subject

• Personal narratives--Canadian
• World War (1914-1918)
• Military history
• Canada. Canadian Army

Language

• eng

Keyword

• Ross rifle
• Virginian (Ship)
• Ypres, 1st Battle of, Ieper, Belgium, 1914
• Giessen (Prisoner of war camp)
• Machine guns
• Ypres, 2nd Battle of, Ieper, Belgium, 1915
• World War, 1914-1918--Military life
• Prisoner-of-war camps--Germany
• Canada--Canadian Army--Battalion, 7th
• Canada--Canadian Army
• Canada--Canadian Army--Battalion, 88th
• Colt automatic machine gun
• Prisoner-of-war escapes
• Canada--Canadian Army--Regiment (British Columbia), 5th
• World War, 1914-1918--Personal narratives, Canadian
• Canada--Canadian Army--Royal Canadian Artillery
• Great Britain--Army--Salisbury Plain Training Area
• Trench warfare
• Canada--Canadian Army--Canadian Expeditionary Force
• Corker, Arthur Donovan, 1894-1994--Interviews
• Canada--Canadian Army--Canadian Artillery

Date created

• August 29, 1983 to August 31, 1983

Relation

• Part of the Reginald H. Roy collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 4 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic coverage

• Great Britain
• Canada
• Germany

Coordinates

• 51.5, 10.5
• 60.10867, -113.64258
• 54.75844, -2.69531

Additional physical characteristics

• One original sound tape reel (ca. 150 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 2 sound cassette copies : standard, mono. in Special Collections.

Physical repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• oral histories (literary genre)
• sound recordings
• interviews
• reminiscences

Archival item identifier

• CAD_035

Fonds title

• Reginald Herbert Roy fonds

Fonds identifier

• SC104

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds

Date digitized

• July 19, 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 AN and SC, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. ; WWI 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

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/gwka-aa46

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