Sherritt, J. K. H.: my armed forces recollections (October 26, 2008)

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Rank: Gunner.

Interviewee: Sherritt, J. K. H.

ABSTRACT: Gunner John Keith Harvey Sherritt Sherritt_J_0587_01.mp3, Sherritt_J_0587_02.mp3 PART ONE - Gunner John Keith Harvey Sherritt. "A" Battery, 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. Born in London, Ontario. 5 July 1929. - Enlisted in RCHA in 1951. - (1:00) Wanted to join infantry and instead got recruited into artillery - Was in the regular force and not the Special Force. - (2:00) Did jump training in Manitoba - (3:00) Boarded USS Black and sailed to Yokohama, Japan - Talks about his arrival in Korea - (5:00) Talks about his switching of uniform with soldiers coming off the line - (6:00) Talks about being sent to Hill 355 and his role as artillery relayer. - (8:20) Discusses the Battle of Hill 355. - Says the Chinese attacked 1100 at a time and the Bren gun barrels melted because they were fired so much. - (11:00) Discusses how he was better off in the army. Discipline, fighting for the guy next to him. PART TWO - Parachute training in Manitoba discussed. Did not jump anymore after training. - (1:20) Discusses the government of St.-Laurent and lack of respect for Canadian soldiers who fought and died in the Korean War - (2:45) Felt training was sufficient and made him a better person and helped him to join the Air Force after the war. - (3:50) Talk about training in Shilo - (4:20) Talk about his training in the Air Force after the Korean War and how he skipped rifle training - (6:15) Mentions a situation where he detained his Commanding Officer to halt during a training exercise while in the Air Force - (7:30) His artillery training took two-three months. Trained separately. - (8:15) Talks about training to repair broken communication wire. - (9:32) Talks a bit about using the wireless sets (Radio 19). - (10:00) Discuss training practices at Shilo, Manitoba such as laying wire and digging the guns in. Was very satisfied with training. - (11:30) Discusses relations with his fellow artillerymen and the rations he had to eat. - (13:30) Tells story about how he and his friends stole items from an American unit including a jeep. - (15:50) His commanding officer was McNaughton. Captain was McDonnel. - (16:50) Talk about the 25 pounder gun. Rate of fire, accuracy etc. Duke was happy with the weapon. Discusses the process of loading and firing the gun. - (20:20) Talks about the accuracy of the Chinese and North Korean mortars and captured artillery pieces. - (22:15) Discusses training with A Battery and how he chose to do radio training. No regrets with choosing the radio. - (23:00) Trained with small arms. Enjoyed that part of training. Did not feel weapons were obsolete. Did not have to use his weapon during time on the front line. - (25:00) Discusses where got the nickname "Duke" after a patrol. - (26:30) Lists some of the different equipment he used during his training as a relayer. - (27:00) Talks about his remote control he used while away from the radio. - (29:00) Does not recall difficult times during training. - (29:50) Deployed to Korea in December 1951. - (30:30) Discusses arriving in Korea just behind Hill 355. - (31:45) Talks about his assistance of a wounded man just as he arrived on the front and its impact on him. - (35:30) Mentions some of his chores such as the charging of batteries. - (36:55) Got letters from home and surrounded himself with candles in order to read them. - (37:30) His mother had a stroke and when Duke was interviewed for CBC TV she got out of bed to see him. - (39:00) Not happy with the food like powdered milk and potatoes, but came home weighing more than before he went to war. Always got ham chunks and lima beans for rations. - (40:45) Waiting in line for his rations, he forgot his mess tin, but a mortar landed in the line he had been standing in. - (42:00) Talks about the process of R&R. In Inchon, got to sleep in bed with sheets. There were huge tents with warm showers. Clothes got put in barrels for washing and given soap. Tokyo R&R also discussed. - (47:30) Uniforms were bad early on in the war. Got proper equipment in winter. Winter mittens were better than gloves and had an open finger so a rifle could be fired. - (49:00) Talks about his encounter with a mole while in the latrine. - (50:15) Mentions American supply problems. Mosquito nets in winter time. - (50:30) Built bunkers out of ammunition tins filled with dirt. Topped off with sandbags and mortar tins. Turned mortar tin into a chimney. - (52:20) Saw an old lady get caught with a cart full of ammunition in Seoul. - (52:30) Had to switch helmets with Americans on Hill 355 in order to fool Chinese. Did not wear helmets that much. Was not confident with helmet. - (54:30) RCHA put on Hill 355 to replace previous units. Brings out book on RCHA and reads. Called Little Gibraltar because it was a key point. - (56:50) Was buried after a mortar hit near the trench he was running through and the trench wall fell on top of him. - (58:20) A Battery did not suffer many casualties. - (59:00) Had to go through medical checks and shots in Japan before going home. - (1:00:10) Went on a patrol. Never ran into any enemies. Fifteen men on patrol. Had to see if the Chinese had moved in new troops. Didn't hear anything on patrol. - (1:01:00) Left Korea in 1952. - (1:01:30) Felt Canada was needed in Korea. Their presence prevented the spread of communism. - (1:04:00) Talks about his recent visit to Korea and the appreciation of the Canadians. - (1:06:10) Does not feel the Korean War should be forgotten. Mentions the Special Force and how they were forgotten. The war was not forgotten for him. - (1:08:20) Disagrees with the title of "police action" or "conflict" being given to the Korean War.

Interviewer: Reumkens, Brock

An interview/narrative of J. K. H. Sherritt's experiences during the Korean War. Interview took place on October 26, 2008.

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Keyword Date created Relation Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 2 sound recordings (MP3)
Geographic Coverage Coordinates
  • 39.76, -98.5
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recordings (MP3) also available.
Physical Repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • SJKH_587
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • September 28, 2009
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 24 kHz. Digitized by JF, 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
Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Actions
file details SC141_MilitaryOralHistory_GenericThumbnail
file details Sherritt_J_0587_01.mp3
file details Sherritt_J_0587_02.mp3