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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-12-20, Page 17Wednesday, December 20, 2006 TIMES—ADVOCATE 17 Lest we forget: stories about local veterans Segment 2 of 3 contributed by Comrade Eric Heywood Exeter Residents Help Farmers EXETER TIMES ADVOCATE JUNE 18TH, 1942 About thirty five of the business and the professional men of Exeter assisted by twenty five helpers armed with hoes invaded a five acre sugar beet field belonging to Murray Scott at the edge of Exeter, on Monday evening and three quarters of the field was blocked and thinned before darkness set in. Answering the urgent call for help if the sugar beet crop was to be saved, the men organized following a meeting in the Town Hall, Monday evening when Dr. Brown from Chatham, several beet growers and mem- bers of Stephen and Usborne councils and the Federation of Agriculture met with the members of Exeter council, Reeve Benson W. Tuckey occupied the chair and the clerk Clare V. Pickard was appointed sec- retary. With the acreage in sugar beets only 60% of what was grown last year, with wet weather and labour shortage threatening the crop, much of it would be lost. If the necessary help is not provided this week, I intend to plow the field down next week and to re -sow it. "It was impossible for me to do the necessary work, but the men and the boys and girls saved the situation, and have done a great job of it" said Mr. Scott at the end of the evening. Boys and girls from the high and public schools have been out in the fields all week and they are doing a great job according to Clifford Neil from McGillivray, the field man in charge of the work. The 55 Japanese Canadians were being introduced to the beets and are adapting themselves wonderfully. Every man, woman and child who could spare a day, a half day or only a few hours in the evening was asked to help. The boys and girls are doing a great job of thin- ning after the beets are blocked. They are being paid according to their service as are the day labourers. The local men who went out evenings donated the money they earned to the War Services Committee. There was one lady, Mrs. John Stire who assisted her husband on a Tuesday evening said, "I am glad to help out with the sugar beets and earn a little money for the War Services Committee." If the crop is to be saved, it must be saved this week and farmers were urged to lend their neighbours a hand. For more information if you wanted to help, contact Clare V. Pickard, Harp C. Rivers, The Times Advocate or Reeve Benson Tuckey. Among those who assisted one Tuesday evening were preachers, a lawyer, bankers, teachers and business men. German Prisoners Arrive In Camp: TIIE EXETER TIMES ADVOCATE (Two YEARS LATER JUNE. 21sT, 1945.) The newly established labour camp for German pris- oners of war on the same site as the Japanese camp operated in 1942, opposite the Eden School. The camp was situated on the farm of Mr. William Ellerington. Over 100 prisoners lived in tents within a wire enclosure and are under constant surveillance, the camp was flood lit at night. The prisoners were out for the first time working in the sugar beet fields near Thedford. They were allotted to the farmers in gangs of five or its multiple one guard for every five prisoners. No frater- nizing with them was permitted as was the case with the Japanese lads. Arrangements for their employment, was made though Mr. William Passmore who was act- ing for the Department of Agriculture. The officer in charge of the camp was Lieut. S.A. Walker. Most of the prisoners were from the German Merchant Marine. The guards were recruited from 1st World War Veterans and they would be in their late 40 and 50's. There were 20 guards that wore army uniforms and carried rifles and it was understood the rifles were not loaded as the prisoners of war were volunteers and were brought to the camp to work in the sugar beet fields. These guards were billeted in the old Luxton farm house. The German officers were billeted in the exten- sion building that was attached to the farm house. The ordinary seamen slept in tents which were set up on the grounds outside, enclosed by wire fencing with flood lights. Lieut. S.A. Walker slept in the farm house with the guards and he had his own jeep to travel around in. Garnet Shipman from the Royal Canadian Army Service Corp. was stationed at Wolsley Barracks, London Ontario. IIe was assigned to the job of delivering water every day to the Prisoners War Camp as part of the supplies, because the water well on the property could not handle the volume of water that was needed each day. Because of being attached to and working with army supplies, he was moved from Wolsely Barracks to the farm house on the property where the prisoners were being held. He also received what was referred to as Command Pay. This was money that was allocated to any soldier whose duties require him/her to live off base. Garnet drove a truck with 200 gal. Water tank on the back and pulled a trailer with 300 gal. Capacity and he filled the water tanks at Centralia Air Station, by making two trips in the morning and three in the afternoon. When he arrived at the prison camp with the water he would pump it into a holding tank and the water was used by the pris- oners. He was supplying water to accommodate twenty guards and over one - hundred prison- ers. It was said that Garnet car- ried a gun and bullets behind the seat in the truck and he never loaded the gun, nor did he ever have the reason to use it. The truck used by the guards to transport prison- ers to the differ- ent farms around the area was complete with seating for them in the back. In the morning the truck would deliver the prisoners with their guards to the fields then pick them up in the evening. The Germans ate their din- ner at the farm where they were employed. Due to the fact that the German Prisoners did not arrive until June, 1945 and the war was just over. They were only in the Exeter area for one working season, and then the camp was closed down. Look for the last segment of this interesting series next week. Technology left your business behind? Everyday, your business faces a host of new challenges. You need to stretch your resources as far as possible. How do you invest in technology that results in real productivity increases and competitive advantages? The answer is simple. 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