Next time you feel stressed remember Barney McBride.
Barney grew up on the East-side of Moose Jaw. I think he was the son of Mrs. Samuel McBride, 1213, 3rd Avenue N.E. He would have attended Ross School.
Barney joined the South Saskatchewan Regiment in September 1939, at the outbreak of World War Two. Army life was good. Free food, clothes, health care and you got paid.
No stress until the morning of Wednesday, August 19, 1942 when he stepped off a Landing Craft and onto the stony beach at Dieppe and, what seemed like the entire German Army, was shooting at him and trying to kill him.
To make matters more stressful, after a few hours of shooting and being shot at, Barney and his S.S.R. buddies were told to go back to the beach, get on a Landing Craft (ALC) and go back to England. Again, the German Army tried to kill him.
Once onboard a ship and away from the German Army, the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) took over and bombed his ship.
We know about Barney because he wrote a letter to Moose Jaw Recruiting Officer Major Richard Loney at the Hammond Building.
Major Richard Loney was a Veteran of the South African War and became involved in the lives of many Moose Jaw and District recruits. The Major wrote to many enlisted men and women while they were overseas. He lived at 790 Stadacona Street West, Moose Jaw and died in 1965 at age 87
Barney’s letter of October 13, 1942 was reproduced in the Moose Jaw Times Herald.
“Dear Major
“Glad to get your air letter. I am just out of the hospital and feeling pretty shaky yet. Still have a bullet or piece of shrapnel in the shoulder blade.
“I feel lost, so many of the boys gone. Scores in the hospitals yet, but we left a lot in France. I was well inland when I got hit and it was tough enough getting down to the shore again.
“It wasn’t too bad till the evacuation started. Then, when the A.L.C. (small Landing Craft) came in and we had evacuated the buildings etc., Jerry took them over and swept the beach. It was like hail. Some of the boats were sunk with men left swimming all around. Other boats got overcrowded, and men were hit in the water and in boats. One man was killed right beside me; others just alongside the boat. Seems you get calloused. We all figured, ‘your turn next, why worry.’
“Just as we thought our A.L.C. would sink we got transferred to a M.L.C and from there to a destroyer. It seems that particular destroyer was covering the rear, and Jerry bombed us all the way back, while our guns put up a terrific fire.
“Anyhow, we made it safe at last and landed, all soaking wet. All I had left was one boot, a pair of pants badly torn from barbed wire, and a P.T. shirt.
“The navy sure did a great job and we have to thank the R.A.F. They were very good too, although on the return trip they were further out to sea covering the mother ships.
“It was sure hell. We lost a lot of good men and I think a guy was lucky to get back. Next time we go we hope to stay. No one wants any more evacuations.
“The officers and men were wonderful. Our Colonel was a superman (Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Merritt). He should have a dozen V.C.s.” (Victoria Cross)
Editor’s Note:
Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Merritt, VC, South Saskatchewan Regiment was born in Vancouver in November 1908 and died there in July 2000. Merritt was taken prisoner at Dieppe and spent the rest of the war as a POW.
Special Note
Please credit to Tom and Wendy for posting the Major Loney information. I encourage anyone interesting in Moose Jaw Births, Marriages and Death posted in the Moose Jaw Times Herald – and other sources, to visit their Blog. SEARCH:
Births, Marriages & Deaths 1889-1969: McBride Tom 1910 (moosejawobits.blogspot.com)
