Ralph, Reginald: my Army recollections (July 26, 1977)
PublicABSTRACT: Capt. Reginald Ralph Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Ralph_R_0119_01.mp3 Born on Sept. 20, 1920 in Victoria, B.C. In Feb. 1939 joined No. 5 Army Field Workshop, R.C.O.C. (militia) which was based on Canteen Rd. in Esquimalt. Went active on Sept. 4, 1939. The unit was organized for a static role, but this soon changed as it was broken up into smaller units: Light Aid Detachments, for example. Initially he served in the orderly room documenting the members of the unit. Trained as part of a Light Anti-Aircraft L.A.D. One officer and fifteen men joined the 2nd Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, R.C.A. in Apr. 1941 at Colchester, England. (15:00) In Nov. 1941, as a sergeant, posted to the new Canadian army headquarters at Leatherhead where he worked for the deputy director of ordnance services, a British officer. Performed various staff functions, the longest of which was for eighteen months at the railhead, Leatherhead. Warrant officer, (W.O.I) when he was sent to an O.C.T.U. in Aug. 1943; commissioned in Feb. 1944. Posted to 3rd Canadian Infantry Division where eventually in Normandy he was assigned the hopeless job (he claims) of making the division salvage conscious. Concentrated on weapons recovery. Later commanded an ammunition section, preparing dumps, etc., particularly for medium artillery. Appointed staff captain (ammunition) for 2nd Canadian Corps. Explains part of the technique of establishing dumps, road access, good verges, etc. Not easy in flooded sections of Belgium and Holland. Assisted 30 Corps (British) during Operation Veritable. There was virtually a constant stream of ammunition platoons arriving at forward ammunition dumps. At times they required levied civilian aid or labour troops. Often worked in darkness and in flooded country. At the end of the war brought German ammunition dumps under control. Especially interested in keeping "engineer explosives and small arms ammunition out of the wrong hands. (46:00)
Rank: Captain.
Interviewee: Ralph, Reginald, b. 1920
Interviewer: Murphy, James
An interview/narrative of Reginald Ralph's experiences during World War II. Captain Ralph served with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. Interview took place on July 26, 1977.
- In Collection:
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 52.16045, -0.70312
- 48.4359, -123.35155
- One original sound tape reel (ca. 45 min.) : 3 3/4 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 1 sound cassette copy : standard, mono. in Special Collections.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- RR_119
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds
- July 17, 2007
- Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 22 kHz. In .mp3 format at 64 kbps and 22 kHz. Digitized by AN, 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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