Wilkinson, George: : my armed forces experiences (November 17, 2009)
PublicInterviewee: Wilkinson, George
Interviewer: Hill, Ryan
Rank: Lieutenant-Colonel.
ABSTRACT: Lieutenant-Colonel George Wilkinson Lieutenant-Colonel George Wilkinson enlisted in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light infantry in 1935 at the age of seventeen. He left Victoria with his regiment on November 17th 1939 and landed in England in December. In April 1940, following an aborted attempt to go to Norway, Wilkinson and five of his Patricia comrades volunteered for an attachment to the British Merchant Navy to man machine guns on ships operating in the North Sea. In the interview he reflects on his memories of Dunkirk (09:30) and the atmosphere in Great Britain afterwards. After being injured by a ruptured hand grenade Wilkinson joined the Provost Corps (26:00) and participated in Operation Rutter (31:30). Less than two months later he missed the Dieppe raid because he was on another assignment (37:00) and soon after was sent to an Officer Cadet Training School in England. He graduated 1st Lieutenant in February 1943 and returned to No. 2 Provost Company. The provost’s daily activities are outlined along with description of training exercises leading up to the D-Day landings (47:00-1:04:00). In 1944 Wilkinson was posted to a reinforcement battalion and landed in Normandy with that unit. In the interview he recounts his first impressions of Normandy, describes what life was like behind the front lines, and provides anecdotes about other Canadian soldiers (1:04:00-1:34:00). He goes on to mention his experiences with the 4th Canadian Armoured Division following the breakout from Caen (France) and briefly discusses fighting through Belgium and into Holland. The interview concludes with Wilkinson reflecting on what the war was like for most men (1:56:00) and on what stands out most clearly in his memory. Enlistment 00:30-01:30 Move to Great Britain 01:30-02:30 Service as a gunner with the British Merchant Navy in the North Sea 02:30-06:00 Story about trying to collect pay at the Tower of London 06:30-08:00 Recollections about aerial bombardment of England 08:00-09:30 Memories of Dunkirk 09:30-12:00 More memories of time spent with the Merchant Navy 12:00-15:00 Time off in London 15:00-21:00 Hospitalization due to exposure to mercury 21:00-23:30 Time in a holding unit- recruitment to the Provost Corps 23:30-27:00 Training exercises on the Isle of Whyte for Operation Simmer/Rutter 27:00-32:30 Delivery of documents to General Montgomery 32:30-35:00 Description of Dieppe Raid 35:00-41:00 Officer Training (O.C.T.U) 40:30-44:30 Training with the Provost Corps 44:30-46:00 Re-hospitalized 46:00-47:00 Motorbike training 47:00-49:00 Provost Operations 50:00-53:00 Description of training exercises 53:00-1:01:45 Preparation for Normandy landings 1:02:00-1:04:00 First impressions of Normandy 1:04:00-1:09:30 Acquisition of a motorbike 1:10:00-1:13:00 Remarks about other units in the war 1:13:00-1:20:00 Story about a provost P.O.W cage 1:23:00-1:25:30 Account of what a soldier would see in the summer of 1944 1:26:00-1:34:00 Memories of German aircraft 1:34:00-1:37:30 Description of field hospitals 1:37:30-1:40:00 Movement of the 4th Armoured Division 1:40:00-1:43:00 Deceased Officers Stores 1:43:00-1:44:00 Christmas 1944 1:44:30-1:47:00 Leave in Antwerp 1:50:00-1:52:00 Twenthe Canal 1:52:00-1:56:00 Reflection on what the war meant to most men 1:56:00-end
An interview/narrative of George Wilkinson's experiences during World War II. Interview took place on November 17, 2009.
- In Collection:
- World War, 1939-1945--Medical care
- Canada--Canadian Army--Provost Company, no. 2
- Prisoners of war
- Canada--Canadian Army--Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
- Canada--Canadian Army--Canadian Armoured Division, 4th
- Naval convoys--North Sea
- Dunkirk, Battle of, Dunkerque, France, 1940
- Canada--Canadian Army--Leaves and furloughs
- London (England)--History--Bombardment, 1940-1945
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Netherlands
- Merchant marine--Great Britain
- Burial
- Canada--Canadian Army--Canadian Provost Corps
- Military training camps--England--Isle of Wight
- Soldiers' bodies, Disposition of
- Canada--Canadian Army--Officers--Training of
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Canadian
- Canada--Canadian Army--Military police
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Normandy
- World War, 1939-1945--Hospitals
- D-Day, 1944 (Normandy invasion)
- Montgomery of Alamein, Bernard Law Montgomery, Viscount, 1887-1976
- Wilkinson, George--Interviews
- Canada--Canadian Army Overseas
- Operation Rutter, 1942
- Naval convoys--North Sea Coast (England and Scotland)
- Military maneuvers
- War wounds
- London (England)--History--Bombardment, 1940-1941
- Twente Canal, Battle of, Twente,Netherlands, 1945
- Dieppe Raid, 1942
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Belgium
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 60.10867, -113.64258
- 49, 0
- 54.75844, -2.69531
- Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- WG_605
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- November 17, 2009
- Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 48 kbps and 22 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 2009. 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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