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George Emmerson with some of ‘his war time memorabilia Continued from page 33 Ultimately, this “high-water” training proved unnecessary, as “Bailey bridges” (modular, pre-fabricated bridge sections which could be assembled on site) allowed them to navigate the Nor- mandy shore without having to wade into the beach’s 20-foot swells. “But that was after we were lowered on rope ladders and jumped into the vehicles as they rose on those waves!” he adds. With the landing at Juno Beach successful, George and the rest of the Canadian force headed inland. The French village of Caen provided his first taste of war’s destruction — “dead bodies in flattened streets,” he recalls — as well as his initial contact with November 11 is a day we remember. PORT PERRY VILLA Retirement Community 34 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2014 SHEPSTON, grateful civilians. “I saw a Frenchman digging in the rubble. He had found a carved nativity and gave it tome. Of course, I offered him cash for the souvenir. ‘No money,’ he insisted, ‘Canadians saved my life...my gift to you.’ “T still treasure it.” One of Transport Corps’ many duties was the retrieval of soldiers’ mail from a central point. These frequent contacts proved useful. “We used our connections to swap goods. Say someone needed new boots and somebody else had beef — we arranged the trade.” Conditions in George’s outfit were looser than many. That freedom could be enjoyable, even profitable. “Cigarettes were in great demand,” he recalls. “Dad sent packages from home, where he'd pay a dollar for 300. We could sell them for 63 cents each. “You'd think that participation in the black market would land you in trouble,” he laughs, “but the military newspaper published cur- rent ‘offer-ask-sell’ prices for cigarettes, just like modern newspapers print stock exchange quotations!” The outfit’s Paymaster maintained a log of soldiers’ earnings, the daily pay rate $1.10. A swollen account from cigarette sales was unac- ceptable, so George helped design a creative solution. “When we booked leave, we'd draw out all our money except, say, ten dollars. That withdrawn cash we'd send back to Canada as a money order. When we returned to base with our cigarette profits, we'd tell the Paymaster we'd decided not to go. “You couldn’t return a greater amount of money than you'd taken in the first place, so we spent freely while we were away. We lived like millionai: igarettes. And after the war, I’d sent home enough cash to buy myself a brand-new Pontiac!” In spite of its apparent perks, life in the THANK YOU Nob OP, HAULAGE Limite 1451 Re