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Origène Poulin was a conscripted French-Canadian soldier who was sent to the Aleutian Islands with an American-Canadian expedition during the Second World War. After landing on the island of Kiska, he spent seven months facing extreme wind, snow, fog and rain. Listen as Poulin explains the conditions on Kiska and his training.

See below for Mr. Poulin's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"One time I drove for 36 hours without stopping. When I stopped it was just long enough to off-load and load. That was war. That’s what you trained for."

See below for Mr. Cromwell's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"I think the young people should understand what our generation went through to give them their rights today. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Chinese, Japanese, Irish, they all went through discrimination here in Canada in those days."

See below for Ms. Lee's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"We sank a German submarine, U-877."

See below for Mr. Blais' entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"Well, that’s where we had most of our casualties; on that third day at that time. And that’s when that German General let his troops kill [soldiers of the Royal] Winnipeg Rifles. "

See below for Mr. Couture's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"It’s odd that you meet a person and you knew that this person is someone you wanted to really get to know. It was the right thing. And 63 years later, I still think that that was a very good thing."

See below for Mr. Britch's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"Then they took me and sent me to a little company, Royal Canadian Engineers, that’s where I was for all the rest of the time in Italy."

See below for Mr. Steinberg's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"Being Jewish, you know, Hitler, he murdered six million Jews, and I felt it my duty to join up and fight the Axis Powers."

See below for Mr. Hurwitz's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"You're twenty years old and you think of your own mortality and are you going to survive the next twenty-six trips. We did."

See below for Mr. Cowhey's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"I'd been shelled the odd time, when they'd see vehicles moving. But we went in over what they call Camouflage Hill. And it was pretty well covered."

See below for Mr. Snider's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"The [M4] Sherman was a fairly light tank and the armour wasn’t all that heavy on it because of it being a light tank. It was good for protection inside. Even .50 calibre machine gun bullets would just bounce off. But the German anti-tank guns – even their armor-piercing shells from 1500 yards wouldn’t even slow down going through our armour."

See below for Mr. Rowe's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"In the medical corps, you were on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Now mind you, we didn’t work that all. You slept when you could. But, anyhow, that was it, this was your duty."

See below for Mr. Jagoe's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"I did 220 hours of operational time, which is actual engagement with the enemy, other fighters and bombers and so on."

See below for Mr. Connolly's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"I was a junior officer with executive responsibilities; and I didn’t have much time to sit around and be concerned about the dangers."

See below for Mr. Webb's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

See below for Mr. Berntson's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"When I advanced, I could hear the Germans speaking. We had advanced too quickly and we were forced to hide in the woods. We stayed there for two days and one night. We couldn’t move at all."

See below for Mr. Blanchard's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"But my great wish is that never again will there ever be cause again to disrupt and sacrifice so many lives, young and old."

See below for Mr. Scammell's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"The children hadn’t seen chocolate during the war. There were a lot of young children that had never seen it before. There was a lot of misery during the war."

See below for Mr. Querry's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"We were unsung bums right from the slums, some people said we were crazy, others said we were lazy. We were Big Jim Stone's Patricias."

See below for Mr. White's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

"We were told that if you ever got shot down, to make sure you leave the area of your parachute."

See below for Mr. Ryckman's entire testimony.

Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.