Interviewee: Twidale, Percy, b. 1892

ABSTRACT: Mr. Percy Twidale 113th Canadian Infantry Battalion, C.E.F. 16th Canadian Infantry Battalion, C.E.F. (Canadian Scottish) Twidale_P_0153_01.mp3 (Side 1) Born into a farming family in Lincolnshire on June 10, 1892 (died in 198-). Recounts his childhood adventures, some humorous. In 1906, at the age of fourteen, he emigrated to Canada to live for a time with his brother in Alberta and work as a ranchhand (15:00). He provides a good description of a cattle roundup on the open prairie south of Calgary, those engaged in it, including the well-paid cook, living conditions, etc. Also participated in the last roundup before the C.P.R. fenced the land for farms. (35:00) Winter conditions were extremely hard on men and animals. In March 1916 he joined the Lethbridge Highlanders (113th Battalion, C.E.F.) and, after harvest leave in August, they proceeded overseas to England in late September. (45:00) The unit moved to France while he was in hospital with the flu. Transferred to the 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish), but upon reaching France he and his draft were seconded to the "First Entrenching Battalion" (perhaps the First Construction Battalion) and spent the winter preparing railway grades, digging trenches, burying water pipes, cables, etc. Returned to the 16th Battalion in time for the attack on Vimy Ridge in Apr. 1917. A member of the first wave of infantry, he had his rifle smashed from his hands by shell splinter, picked up another from the ground and almost immediately received a shrapnel wound through his shin. Able to escort six German prisoners to the rear. Hospital at Etaples where, more than twenty-four hours later, his leg was operated upon (53:00). Twidale_P_0153_02.mp3 (Side 2) Hospital at Manchester, Eng. where he remained for eight months. Gangrene developed in his wound and he was near amputation, but intensive nursing care and the removal of additional foreign matter deep in the wound saved his leg. Eventually in 1919 he married one of his English nurses in Canada. In the meantime, at Christmas 1917 he was invalided home. Returns to comments on early days in the Army. Describes narrow-gauge railway at Vimy and the problems of maintaining it under shellfire. A great deal of night work was necessary in order to keep the activity secret from the Germans. "Task work": two men given a set amount of labour which had to be completed in the allotted time. In this there might be five hundred men working in pairs, digging a cable trench which had to be seven feet deep -- a protection against shellfire. Often they dug up bodies (usually French) during the course of this work. Recalls his early upbringing in England as a staunch Anglican. Repeats tale of broken rifle. (26:00)

Interviewer: Hazlitte, Elizabeth

An interview/narrative of Percy Twidale's experiences during World War I. Mr. Twidale served with the 113th Canadian Infantry Battalion, C.E.F. and the 16th Canadian Infantry Battalion, C.E.F. (Canadian Scottish). Interview took place in June and August 1983.

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Twidale, Percy, b. 1892
• Hazlitte, Elizabeth

Subject

• Personal narratives--Canadian
• World War (1914-1918)
• World War (1939-1945)
• Military history

Language

• eng

Date created

• June 1983 to August 1983

Relation

• Part of the Elizabeth Hazlitte collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 2 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic Coverage

• England
• Alberta--Calgary

Coordinates

• 51.05011, -114.08529
• 52.16045, -0.70312

Additional physical characteristics

• One original sound tape reel (ca. 75 min.) : 3 3/4 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 1 sound cassette copy : 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

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

Archival item identifier

• TP_153

Fonds title

• Elizabeth Hazlitte fonds

Fonds identifier

• SC405

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/elizabeth-hazlitte-fonds

Date digitized

• August 18, 2006

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 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 2006. 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/10.58066/0hw6-9x60

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	SC141_MilitaryOralHistory_GenericThumbnail		Press to Select an action Download
	Twidale_P_0153_01.mp3		Press to Select an action Download
	Twidale_P_0153_02.mp3		Press to Select an action Download