| Service # | A110463 |
| Unit # | Infantry Rifleman of the Essex Scottish Regiment |
| Resident | Tilbury West |
A Story of Bravery and Humility
William, known as Bill to all who know him, was born in Tilbury West. He was the son of Samuel and Anna (nee-Gauthier) Glasier. They had 13 children in a small white farm house. Their names from oldest to youngest: Ida , Clarence, Clifford, Gordon, Irene, Eva, Agnus, Raymond, Henry (also in WWII), William, Victor, Anne, and Maurice.
After the war, Bill married a beautiful woman, Pauline (nee-Seguin), also from Tilbury. They had 3 girls, Connie, Karen and Judy. They have lived in Tilbury since 1961. They will celebrate their 70th anniversary on May 8, 2016.
At 19 years old, Bill went to London in 1944 after receiving a letter saying he was going to be drafted. He signed up for active duty and was sent to Ipperwash for training. He was sent to Nova Scotia to wait for his call to the front lines. He was glad to have a friend with him from his hometown, Art Peltier, (a boxer before enlisting). With Art by his side, no one ever dared pick a fight with them. They were supposed to ship out together, but the night before, Art decided to go out. He never made it back in time and Bill had to ship out without him. He heard later he was killed in action.
Bill landed in England before Christmas, 1944. The soldiers were allowed a Mass on Christmas Day before being sent to Holland. During the Mass the weight of all the soldiers collapsed the floor of the Church, but they were glad to have had the time to pray before shipping out. Bill met with the Priest for confession and he told him to remember one prayer. God help me! Bill was sure he said it so often, the good Lord was tired of hearing his voice.
While in England, waiting to be shipped to the front lines, Bill received a message from his brother, Henry. His brother sustained injuries from shrapnel when a jeep ran over a mine. Bill knew the hospital was only a mile from where he was and decided he would go and see him. The nurses were kind and offered him a bed so he could spend one night with his brother. They had planned to go to the front lines together. Henry was sent back home after he recuperated.
Bill’s regiment went to the front lines in Holland the first week in January, 1945. His job was to carry and fire a Piat gun (an anti-tank weapon). It weighed 32 pounds and was 39 inches long. Because of the size it took one person to load it and another to fire it. There were complaints by other soldiers that he was the only one allowed to shoot the Piat gun. His commanding officer told them it was because Bill was the sharp shooter and the best one at the job.
On the 18th of February, 1945 the regiment launched an attack on Germany. He admits this was the worst day of his time in the service and also his life. In pouring rain the Germans shelled them heavily for approximately 18 hours. They ran in the zigzag pattern they were taught in training, but many were killed during the advance. Many shells fell extremely close with deafening noise. Just after dark, they were forced to jump into trenches (with full gear), Bill carrying the Piat gun. The gun jammed him in the stomach and the jump broke his ankle. The trenches were 10ft deep and had been used by the Germans the night before. His comrades told him, because of his injury, he could go home now, but he wouldn’t leave his regiment. On Feb 19, 1945 at approximately 2:00am, they were waiting for the reserves to come and relieve them. This didn’t happen as the Germans began a counter attack. Houses along the Cleve-Calcar Road were burning and the sky was well lit.
Bill could see 2 German Tiger-Tanks far to the right. He wanted to shoot the tanks with the Piat gun. He thought he could take them out. The soldier who was supposed to load the Piat gun was afraid because he was sure it would blow them all up. They argued and while Bill was attempting to load the gun himself, the German tank shot an 88-Cannon. It was almost a direct hit. The ground crumbled on them and the trench filled with gun smoke. Immediately the Germans surrounded them with their guns pointing directly down at them.
One of the men in his regiment was born in Germany and moved to Canada before the war. He could understand what the Germans were saying. He told Bill they were going to walk them behind enemy lines and shoot them all. He began speaking to them in German and pleaded with them not to shoot them. The German soldiers argued about what to do, until one of them said they couldn’t kill one of their own. So for the sake of one, they took them all prisoners.
Bill told one of the German soldiers he had a broken ankle and couldn’t walk. They hit him in the head with the butt of their rifle and instructed him in English, “Walk or die.” They walked 3 days and 2 nights! They were then loaded on rail cars. The boxcar right behind theirs was fired on by aircraft and all inside were killed. The surviving prisoners were taken to a prison camp in Germany. They were moved to three different locations, one he remembered being underground.
At first they were kept in solitary confinement, with no heat or food. They were interrogated everyday. One of the German interrogators told Bill he was also from Canada. Bill asked him if he was going back to Canada after the war. He was surprised and said, “No, they would kill me there.”
Food was always scarce and often some type of soup. Thank goodness the Red Cross supplied some food packages for the prisoners. The men were expected to share each small package between two soldiers. Bill and his partner never argued about how much each other got. Others fought because they didn’t think their share was enough. As a prisoner he was beaten and hit on the head with the butt of a rifle many times. There were many more instances of brutality, but he is unable to talk about them even to this day. The nightmares would come back to haunt him, off and on, his entire life. Especially when he tried to talk about his experiences.
When Bill was liberated from the prison camp he was sent back to the United Kingdom where he was reported safe on April 29, 1945. He weighed in at 98 pounds.
After some recuperation time, he went out to celebrate and talk to comrades. Standing on the street corner, he heard someone speaking French. Bill was bilingual and began a conversation with him, also in French. The man was from Africa and couldn’t believe he knew his language. He insisted Bill come with him to meet his comrades. They entered a large hall with approximately 200 men, all black. Bill was the only white man present. He felt honoured to be included. He couldn’t stay very long because they all wanted to buy him a drink.
Bill’s mother received a letter reporting him missing in action as of Feb 19, 1945. One can only imagine her joy at getting him back alive. His father had passed away when he was 14 years old.
He states, “By the grace of God he was able to live through it.”
The narrative above has been written by his daughter, Judy.
All the information was gathered in bits and pieces over a lifetime. He couldn’t talk about the war without becoming very emotional. My mother would always make us stop asking questions when she saw him getting too worked up. She knew the nightmares would come back and she always tried to protect him.
My father is a very proud, but humble man. The events of the war have not interfered with his everyday life. He has always been happy and remained positive. As he looks back, he has no regrets about his contribution in the war.
Because of the sacrifice of so many brave young men, we have the freedom we enjoy today.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
| Sources | Judy McCracken |
| Birthplace | Born December 28, 1924 |
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