Shawcross, Ronald Gendall: my Army recollections (June 14, and 19, 1985)
Interviewee: Shawcross, Ronald Gendall, b. 1916
Interviewer: Hill, Mark C.
An interview/narrative of Ronald Gendall Shawcross's experiences during World War II. Major Shawcross served with the Regina Rifle Regiment. Interview took place on June 14 and 19, 1985.
Rank: Major.
ABSTRACT: Maj. Ronald Gendall Shawcross Regina Rifle Regiment Shawcross_R_0132_01.mp3 (Side 1) Born on Feb. 4, 1916 in Regina, Sask. and educated in that city. Joined the Regina Rifle Regiment (militia) in 1936. General comments on militia life, training, etc. A corporal in 1938 and was asked to become an officer. Second lieutenant in 1939 when war declared. Regiment mobilized in 1940 at Dundurn, Sask. Qualified as a lieutenant, moved to Debert, N.S. (15:00) Overseas in 1941 as part of the 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Impressions of England. (30:00) Heavy training schedule, new weapons introduced. Mentions the Boyes ant-itank rifle: useless against tanks, but he found them very accurate and thinks they might have been useful against snipers. Assault training in Scotland. Attached to a British commando unit at Fort William. Organized a training school when he returned to the regiment. (45:00) Shawcross_R_0132_02.mp3 Promoted to captain in 1943. Describes pre-D-Day concentration areas in southern England. Boarded cross-channel steamer at Southampton. Both officers and men of the assault troops carried a rifle and small packs with bare necessities (e.g. no blankets). From their landing craft, assault they had to cross two hundred yards of Juno Beach under heavy fire. Twenty-eight out of 140 men of "A" Company, now under his command, reached the protection of the seawall. (30:00) Discusses the German soldier: probably the S.S. were better than the average soldier of any army in Normandy. They slowly moved inland; heavy tank attacks, German mortar, and machine-gun fire particularly effective. Carpiquet Airport, Caen. (46:00) Shawcross_R_0132_03.mp3 (Side 2) Crossing the Orne. Allied air-ground co-operation resulted in a very effective anti-tank role. Best of all was the German 88-mm. gun. (Interview 2 begins.) Constant shortage of reinforcements. Company had a maximum of one hundred men, most often between sixty and eighty strong. Those left out of battle contributed to the shortage. Reinforcements were sometimes poorly trained. Comments again on the quality of the German troops and that some Canadian reinforcements lacked experience and skill. Falaise. Sherman tanks had many faults. So many prisoners that they were sent to the rear without an escort. Quesnay Wood. (20:00) Inexperienced American troops at Elbeuf. Crossed the Seine. In his opinion, line of attack by infantry as sometimes laid down was too rigid. No complaints about conscript reinforcements. Cape Gris Nez, Calais, (35:00) where the Germans well dug in. Injured by a shelled collapsing house. (45:00) Shawcross_R_0132_04.mp3 Had to be evacuated two or three days later. Two months of excellent care in Army hospitals before returning to the regiment. Canadian attitude while waiting for the war to end. German troops of good morale. Comments that prairie soldiers seemed more resourceful than some from other parts of Canada. (12:00) Life in Holland immediately after the war. Dutch resistance forces. Repatriated in July 1945. Considerable welcome in Canada for the early arrivals. Posted to Dundern Camp; discovered that he had a broken back which is still a constant problem. Returned to his job at Simpson's. Toyed with the militia, but nothing serious. (25:00) Enjoyed his army service, learned a great deal. Canadian army today (1985) short of men and equipment, particularly the militia, therefore probably not very effective. (31:00)
- In Collection:
- 4 sound recordings (MP3)
- 52.16045, -0.70312
- One original sound tape reel (ca. 165 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 2 sound cassette copies : standard, mono. in Special Collections.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- SRG_132
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds
- July 24, 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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