Innes, John Marshall: my Army recollections (March 12, 2012)

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Interviewer: Maher, Ceilidhe

An interview/narrative of John Innes's experiences during World War II. Innes served with the Royal Canadian Dragoons. Interview took place on March 12, 2012.Medals and Honours: France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-1945; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal; Defence Medal (United Kingdom)

ABSTRACT: John lnnes enlisted in the army in 1942. Before the war, Mr. lnnes played hockey in Winnipeg, in hopes of becoming a successful hockey player. Mr. lnnes enlisted in the army with four other families who also lived on Rupert Street in Winnipeg. When he first enlisted he had hoped for either navy or air force, but unable to satisfy requirements, he was recruited to the army. He went to Portage la Prairie for basic training and continued to play hockey for the army's team while he was there. From there, he was sent to Borden for advanced training to become a gunner and radio operator. He was sent to Nova Scotia to be transferred overseas on the Queen Mary. When he arrived in Aldershot he received more training before he was sent to Italy with the Royal Canadian Dragoons. From his arrival in Naples, after doing some additional training in Benevento. Mr. lnnes and his group were sent to the Liri Valley. From there, they began to advance towards Rome, but were then told to move away from Rome towards Cassino. After Cassino the weather caused the tanks to become virtually useless and stuck in the mud, and Mr. lnnes and the rest of the men he was with were forced to become ground infantry. Once they had managed to re-gain their tanks, they captured San Marino and continued onward towards Rimini. Once again, weather caused the loss of their tanks, and the advance from Rimini to Ravenna was very slow with little equipment available. Due to the Germans blowing up a bridge in the small town of Lugo, both Mr. lnnes and his group as well as the Germans on the other side were forced to spend Christmas in this town. He was then pulled back to Rimini, where the tanks were recovered. From that point, Mr. lnnes was pulled out of Italy and placed in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. It was here where Mr. lnnes's tank was shot by a German anti-tank gun, killing the driver instantly. Mr. lnnes and the tank officer survived, and Mr. lnnes was hospitalized in Apeldoorn for three weeks. Upon returning to his group for only two weeks, the armistice was called and Mr. lnnes returned home. Time Log: 0:00-0:40: introduction and opening statements 0:40-1:24: life before the war 1:24-2:50: reasons for joining service and enlistment 2:50-4:59: training in Borden and Nova Scotia 4:59-5:53: journey overseas and training in Aldershot 5:53-7:13: arrival in Italy and recruitment to Royal Canadian Dragoons 7:13-9:18: radio and gunnery operations and additional training in Benevento 9:18-11:28: entry into battle and experience at the Liri Valley 11:28-14:29: departure from Liri Valley and journey towards Rome 14:29-15:33: re-directed away from Rome and journey to Cassino 15:33-18:16: journey from Cassino up the coast (failure of tanks and transformation to infantry) 18:16-19:00: re-gaining of tanks, capture of San Marino, and advance to Rimini 19:00-20:10: continued advance and arrival in Rimini 20:10-22:30: re-losing of tanks and equipment as infantry unit 22:30-24:10: advance up the coast to Ravenna, weather caused them to stay in Lugo for Christmas 24:10-25:12: pulled back to Rimini to re-gain vehicles before being withdrawn from Italy 25:12-26:03: arrival in Marseilles and journey to Apeldoorn 26:03-28:07: tank shot by German anti-tank gun and hospitalization in Apeldoorn for three weeks 28:07-29:00: re-joined with group, two weeks later the armistice occurred 29:00-33:34: arrival home and life after the war, general reflections on the war 33:34-35:03: concluding statements

Interviewee: Innes, John Marshall, b. 1922

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Keyword Date created Relation
  • Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews.
  • Title of paper: "Oral History and the Trivialized Aspects of the Second World War".
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 51.5, 10.5
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • IJ_718
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • March 12, 2012
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 192 kbps and 44 kHz. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2012. 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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