Burnett, Walter: my wartime experiences (May 12, 2007)

An interview/narrative of Walter Burnett's experiences during World War II. Burnett served with the British Pioneer Corps and the Royal Artillery. Interview took place on March 12, 2007.

ABSTRACT: Walter Burnett Walter was born in Vienna, Austria. His family moved to Italy for business where Walter completed high school. In 1938, with conditions for Jews worsening in Europe, Walter made his way to England. There he was interned near Liverpool and the Isle of Mann. At the age of 20, in 1940, he was recruited, as a 'friendly enemy alien', into the British Pioneer Corps. After 3 years Walter accepted an offer to join the Royal Artillery. He saw action in Northern Italy, with the British Commandos and where he served as an interpreter. As a Staff Sergeant he later served as an interpreter for war crimes trials in Germany with the Occupation Forces. Walter's fondest memories are of the British people and how they managed to maintain their civility and fighting spirit under fire during the Blitz. He felt accepted by the British and still has great respect for Britain. He experienced no anti-Semitism in England. In 1945, after the war ended, Walter married. He worked in his father's factory in London. In 1952, He and his family moved to Montreal where he was in business until he and his wife retired to Victoria in 2001. Walter still remembers he felt more uncomfortable living in Montreal than in London. His worst memory was sleeping in a tent and feeling completely vulnerable while under threat of artillery fire. "Nineteen and twenty year olds all feel they are immortal heroes".

Interviewer: Fitch, Edward and Sharon

Interviewee: Burnett, Walter

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Fitch, Edward and Sharon
• Burnett, Walter

Subject

• War crimes
• Military history
• World War (1939-1945)
• World War (1914-1918)

Language

• eng

Date created

• March 12, 2007

Relation

• Part of the Edward and Sharon Fitch collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 1 sound recording (MP3)

Geographic coverage

• Germany
• British Columbia--Victoria
• Québec--Montréal

Coordinates

• 51.5, 10.5
• 45.50884, -73.58781
• 48.4359, -123.35155

Additional physical characteristics

• Original sound recording (DVF) also available.

Physical repository

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

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

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

Genre

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

Archival item identifier

• BW_544

Fonds title

• Edward Fitch collection

Fonds identifier

• SC413

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/edward-fitch-collection

Date digitized

• August 28, 2012

Technical note

• Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 44 kHz. In .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 24 kHz. 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

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/0wvq-0m79

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