I just finished reading
Farley Mowat's My Father's Son:
A funny, poignant collection of letters, mostly between him and his parents back in Richmond Hill, Ontario during his time fighting in Italy, Holland and Belgium during WW II. His father Angus (nicknamed 'Squib' during WW I, a nick Farley shared during his time in service) had fought over many of the same pieces of land years earlier and their relationship transcended one merely of father and son.
Later during his service he became an Intelligence Officer, charged with the task of sniffing out various Nazi infernal machines for dissection by Allied Forces, and succeeded in forming what was known as "Farley Mowat's Private Army" (basically, with brass balls, suspect signatures and a rubber stamp purchased in Belgium he formed the "First Canadian Technical Equipment Team, auspiciously known as the 1 Cdn War Museum) which collected over 1,000 tons of various Nazi weaponry (both in-service and experimental) and shipped it all back to Canada. They even managed to steal an armed V2 rocket which, disguised as a one-man sumbarine, made the trip west across the Atlantic aboard a freighter.
I say mostly, as he also includes some correspondence between himself and his "nominal superiors at Army HQ":
40-3-0/Int
HQ First Cdn Army
12 Jul 45
Capt FM Mowat
1Cdn War Museum
c/o Cdn Army Leave
Cenre - AMSTERDAM
HQ 1 Cdn Corps
IO (Tech) Material
1 A considerable amount of IO (Tech) materials, and other Int files, etc., have just been received ath this HQ. Incl are two small drums, painted grey, about 10" in diameter, one 12" deep and the larger 24" deep. The driver understood they were "mines."
2 NO one at this HQ recognizes these containers or knows anything about them. As this is a particularly unhappy stage of the War at which to have accidents, please advise at once what disposal you recommend.
{signed}
Extension Main 22
(P E R Wright) Col
GS _ Intelligence
/rb
Time of signature
1730 B hrs
Capt Mowats' smart-assed response:
1 CDN FD HIST SEC (CDN WAR MUSEUM)
OOSTMALLE via No 7 BASE SUB AREA
ANTWERP BELGIUM
31 Jul 45
G (INT) (a)
Main HQ First Cdn Army
Ref your 40-3-0/Int dated 12 Jul 45.
1 The Int files which you refer to are presumed to include a certain amount of technical reference data. If this is so we would appreciate having it sent to us.
2 As to the "two small drums, painted grey etc" naturally we don't know what they are, and acting on the assumption that higher formations always know the answer we assume that you will deal with this matter to everyone's satisfaction.
3 I suggest that you get someone you do not like to bury them.
4 I hope that this letter reaches you in time.
(F M Mowat) Capt
OC 1 Cdn War Museum
Collection Team
The book isn't all fun and hijinks. He had demons to fight after being involved in several tragic battles and witnessing several childhood friends die, but his unique wit and copious amounts of alcohol got him through the war.
I recommend this book
very highly; I'm currently looking for a good hardcover copy for a friends' son, recently returned from the Sandbox. I'm sure he'll not only appreciate it for its warmth, but also for the local connection; Farley's father Angus had been the chief Librarian here in Windsor in the '30s, and Farley was once the Author in Residence here at the University of Windsor.
Mr. Mowat is one of the finest authors Canada has ever produced; he's also a well-respected naturalist. In 2004 he was voted the 88th Greates Canadian, a shame considering he was bested by mere entertainers (Shania Twain, 18th; Mike Myers, 20th; Celine Dion, 27th, etc.) and hockey players (Bobby Orr, 19th; 'Rocket' Richard, 23, etc.). Do I sound a little bitter about that? Yeah, a bit. He should've been in the Top Ten, to say the least. In '81 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and has authored some 40-odd books (his
Lost in the Barrens (1956) won the Governor General's Award).
if you've never read anything by him, you've surely missed out.
My Father's Son is as good a place to start as any.
Cheers.
