Rhodes, Neil Campbell: my Army recollections (March 14, 2012)

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ABSTRACT: Neil Rhodes was born in England, where he spent the first eight years of his life. When he was a child, his sister was diagnosed with a crippling disease, and Mr. Rhodes' father decided it would be in the family's best interest to move to Nova Scotia. The family arrived in Nova Scotia in 1931 and lived in a rooming house for a few months until Mr. Rhodes' father managed to purchase a farm in Nictaux, Nova Scotia. While the family was in Windsor, Mr. Rhodes was in the King's Collegiate School cadet corps in Windsor prior to the war breaking out because he was too young to join army at the time. Initially, his mother was upset that he was joining the army and knew he was still too young, so she contacted an officer and told them not to let him go overseas. As a result, Mr. Rhodes was initially turned down on the account of "bad eyesight". After a family discussion Mr. Rhodes was accepted to the army in 1943, and journeyed overseas to train in Aldershot with the West Nova Scotia Regiment. During his time at Aldershot Mr. Rhodes became an instructor, and as a result he did not need any additional training before going to Italy, where he joined brother's company. His first experience in combat was The Hitler Line, and he recalls the fighting carried out by both the German Luftwaffe and the Hitler Youth. Proceeding the Hitler Line, Mr. Rhodes spent 5-6 days at a rest house with an Italian family in the town of Cattolica. From there, him and his group continued their advance up the Adriatic coast of Italy, and Mr. Rhodes recalls some of the more unique memories of wartime when the fighting would seem to cease, even momentarily. Mr. Rhodes was withdrawn from Italy near the Rimini airport, and was then transferred to the Netherlands. After the German surrender, he became physical training instructor in Apeldoorn for three months before returning home. Although Mr. Rhodes volunteered to go to the far east to fight the Japanese at this time, by the time he had returned to Canada for re-training, the Japanese had surrendered and Mr. Rhodes remained in Canada. Time Log: 0:00-0:30: introduction and opening statements 0:30-4:45: life before the war 4:45-7:17: enlistment 7:17-9:20: training in Aldershot and schooling at King's Collegiate School 9:20-10:26: posted to Bridgwater to go overseas, and initial issues with going overseas 10:26-15:53: journey and arrival overseas in 1943 15:53-16:50: arrival in Italy and experience at the Hitler Line 16:50-18:15: experience with the Hitler Youth 18:15-21:42: move from the Hitler Line up Italy to rest area and housing in Cattolica 21:42-23:45: discussion of weather and general experiences during the summer in Italy 23:45-25:28: experience of crashing car and returning to regiment late 25:28-28:23: discussion of engagement types and general experiences in conflict 28:23-30:30: discussion of heavy fire from Germans 30:30-32:52: discussion of lack Infantry Platoon Commanders and• orders given under replacements 32:52-34:15: German stretcher-bearer having tea with the men 34:15-36:00: discussion of rifle-ranges and target games played with Germans 36:50- 39:39: weather and terrain issues while in Italy 39:39-44:09: withdrawal from Italy (near Rimini) and placement in The Netherlands 44:09-51:10: experiences in The Netherlands (including after the German surrender) 51:1 0-53:35 return home and life after the war 53:35-56:09: general reflections on the war 56:09-59:54: reflection on combat and what it's really like 59:54-1:02:32: concluding statements

An interview/narrative of Sergeant Neil Rhodes's experiences during World War II. Interview took place on March 14, 2012.

Interviewer: Maher, Ceilidhe

Rank: Sergeant. Medals and Honours: 1939-45 Star; Korea Medal; Italy Star; Canadian Forces Decoration; United Nations Service Medal for Korea; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-1945; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal

Interviewee: Rhodes, Neil Campbell, b. 1922

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Keyword Date created Relation
  • Title of paper: "Oral History and the Trivialized Aspects of the Second World War".
  • Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews.
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
  • 51.5, 10.5
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • RN_720
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • March 14, 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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