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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1983-09-28, Page 9,z,n.,a, view HURON EXPO8l.TOR SEEPTEM.BEKl' taw 7, A9 19 -YEAR-OLD t3eorge Miller, right, and other army m tent together In Europe In 1944. BY SUSAN WHITE It's 39 years since. 19 -year-old George Miller and the other members of the 86th Bridge Company left England' in the middle of the night. They rode in large flat- bottomed barges. It was three days after D Day in June, 1944. Their destination was Ulle, France and their mission was to build' bridges through France Belgium, Holland and Germany for the Allied forces to cross as they"latinched the "big push" against the Nazis. But the years fell away quickly on a recent berg pelt their own summer weekend when 60 or 70 of the survivors addddddd their Wives got together for a reunion in Kingston. "1 didn't know if I'd know a soul or 'not," says George, who's lived in Seaforth since the war and is an'active member and past president of the Legion here. "But there, were about seven from my own platoon," (N platoon whicl, had 60 members). That included the lance corporal and the corporal, a character from down east' who greeted George with "you've grown bye, you used to be a runt." JAVEX BLEACH 3.6 Litre Reg. 2.13 As the phtekiln his aterully...Mounted album show,�thet G.eOrge Miliar;who.enlisted is Londoq wile$,1lie Was 18,iyell;hed a grand total Of 118 ppoouii�dsr,$:pre ypa think about those years, George says. And hiswlfe Joyce (the Millers were married In 1947) who heard all the wartfrne stories says "it was nice to put faces to' those names." MEMGRIBS ' 'The faces had changed In nearly 40 years, tutturally. Peopleare heavier, balder or just bider. Bin the memories they all have in common Carne flooding back, especially after a speech ,one. of the old officers made. Like waterproofing every single one of the compF's vehicles so they could drive throur,the water when they landed in Ei rope,. George hasn't had much call for that in the garage business he's been in since the war, but he jokes 1i could probably stili do it. Sealing all moving . parts was crucial because when' the ,company landed on the dark beach the men waded ashore in wate up to their waists: George, riding on a truck, got water over his ankles and thotfght "1 hope this thing doesn't stop." It didn't. Off in the distance they saw flashes of light from a battle. Putting bridges in wherever needed for advancing Allied troops, tanks and trucks, George's company, with the 85th and some English companies, mdved north along the coast. They met German'troops "we didn't NABISCO SHREDDIES 59 675 gm. Reg. 2.27 McCORM ICK'S 400 GM. REG. 1 .89 WAGON WHEELS .99 HEINZ SOUP Tomato & Vegetable 100Z-1 0\ R l00 HEINZ -- SOUP Chicken Noodle & Chicken Rice 10 OZ. F 0 R Stop to tall" And once they got past Caen were able to move falriiyy qquii<kly. KEEP GOING " Although some of the Men Were killed qtr wounded ,'yotl'had to keep going, you Dever seemed ,to worry about it." The men'of the $6th carried` everything. they needed with' them: bailey bridges, pontoons to float them. in stations across the rivers; gasoline; supplies. Their last bridges were built across the Rhine. "It was pretty fast and 1 -couldn't swim a strgke." George remembers •being out on a pontoon hooking sections of a bridge together and wondering "what am I doing here?" Civilians were welcoming and friendly, especially in Holland where George and some buddies stayed at the mayor's hoose in one little town. They played Monopoly with the family, the first time ever for the' Canadians. The ravages of tear were obvious, especially in France, "blown to pieces...mud dust, you ntme.it." An extra problem in• France, because of government Ilaboration with the Germans was that ' you didn't know who to trust." At times too the bridge company found that as fast as they'd construct a bridge "our friends were out undoing what we were doing." The men lived in foxholes, in trucks and 1n tents, even in the middle of winter. When their tent disappeared, George and others made themselves another one, and installed a stove and stove pipe they aa▪ oungedfram enptuted German store. CMOS,: TO PARIS ,' r George remembers the characters, like Ono company man who Said all along he was going to get to Maris. "Add he did. He came driving into camp one day in Holland in a car and he's been to Paris.,1 don't know where be got the car. He was a real racketeer." Although he didn't get to Paris, •George and the.86t11.alinost saw. Berlin, They were on an autobahn near, that city when the war ended. After repatriation in December, 1945 it was back to Canada the same way he arrived, on the troop carrying Queen Elizabeth. The QE wasn't quite as crowded on the return trip, "we didn't have to sleep outside", but the passage was extremely rough. "For a couple of days we just stopped in the middle of the ocean." ' GOOD MEMORIES e . It's the good memories, of the clean Dutch toyvns and the streets decorated with welcoming flags and banners that George has. He'd like to see Europe again, perhaps in a few years when he retires. And the danger? "We never even thought of it. We kept going, kept hoping something would happen. And it did...Oh 1 was scared different times and kept my head down. Afteer 1 came home 1 didn't want a gun around: And all through the war 1'd carried two, and used them too." Stilfen!S FROZEN TRUCKLOAD SALE George Miller, and wife Joyce attended a reunion of the 881h Bridge Company In Kingston this summer. Some of the men of the 86th came from many parts of Canada and the US to the reunion in Kingston. (It was the third one; the first was organized by an American veteran who drove 9,000 miles putting it all together.) The neat one is planned for 1986 and George and Joyce Miller hope to be there. A lot of people call life "The Survival of the Fittest". You know, a lot of people are right. Pd�CPBrnnn�® QrK DWR •We plow in plastic or cloy tile •Loser controlled grade -*No back filling •No stones to pick •No sub -soil on top For more information, please write 21 -4777 RR 4 Stretford. Ont NSA 655.or toll 6 'F 144. FancGrade MIXED VEGETABLES Are you over 60 .. or turning 71? before December 31, 1983 If you are. and wish to secure a lifetime income from RRSP or are interested it tother 5 ye r;i fa invesi'ment's 3t' very rales, call: Arnold J. Stinnisen 117 Goderich St. East, Scaforth 527-0410 6x5LB. BAGS 'PLAIN' E/ FALL CLOTHES BOYS -SPORT SUITS Sport Jacket, Jacquard Vest, Co-ord Slack. • Sizes 10 to 16 89.50 RAGU SPAGHETTI SAUCE 28 Oz, 19 McCAIN FROZEN Canada Fcy KERanNE9 9L CORN 1 KG. Reg. 2.69 6x5LB. BAGS case 53.34 LB. WESTON'S ENGLISH pMUFFINS. 79 McCAIN MIXED VEGETABLES - PEAS & CARROTS Rgi; o, McCAIN FROZEN 19OZ DEEP N' DELICIOUS CAKES WESTON 5 450 GM RAISIN BREAD WESTON S PKG OF 6 L WESTJAMON'5FILPKG OEs4ED REG 119BUNS CHOCOLATE SWISS ROLLS SCCHRNSER 5 4C54 GGRMMU ST LARD CRISPYFLAKE SHORTENING 149, 199 .99 1.19 .99 .89 •vim NESTLE INSTANT COFFEE SALE NESCAFE a oZ. DECAFFEINATED COFFEE 695 With Chickory ENCORE sot COFFEE R5 79 e regular or decaffeinated TASTERS CHOICE 8OZ. GREEN Fancy Grade Yellow Wax or it. Q30 BEANS 6X5LB. BAGS case 614 LB. 9 9 Fancy Grade SLIcED 6 X LB AGS CARROTS Ode 12 al It ILJF 6 PIN STRIPE SUITS with vests. Grey, Brown, Blue. 8 to.10... 75.00 12 to 16. . .85.00 18 to 20. . . .95.00 SPORT JACKETS Tweed, Corduroy,'or Suedene. Sizes 8 to 18 39.50 to 59.50 case 45.3' 18. Reg 6 99 9 Staffed WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT OUANTIT IES STORE HOURS MONDAY to FRIDAY 9 a m to 9 p.m SATURDAY 9a.w to6pm SUNDAY 10om to6p.m price effective till closing MONDAY AT 9 5 M. PLEASE NOT Adverting done by our St. Marys Store may differ from Mitchell's. FOOD MARKETS ��MirEo st. anrs • �itcl�ll c��.�u( renet- i BOYS DRESS SLACKS Plain Shades Sizes 8 to 18 13.95 to 18.95 BOYS WINDBREAKERS For Fall & Winter. Many qualities, colors and weights. 12.95 to 39.50 BOYS SWEATERS Washable, blends, cable pullovers. S to XL 14.95 V -NECKS l00 % acrylics, blue or wine. All sizes. 12.95 SHAKER KNITS Sleeveless, -V-neck. 12.95 PULLOVERS Crewe neck, e long sleeve 16.95 SWEAT SHIRTS Long sleeve 10.95 All colors RU KNIT SHRTS Long GGER I sleeve 2.95 & 13.95 DRESS SOX 1.95 to 2.95 RUGBY JEANS 17.95 to 22.50 LEVI JEANS 17.95 & 22.50 Ore/void is'ix