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1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 Tel: 905-825-6000 Toll Free: 1-866-4HALTON TTY: 905-827-9833 www.halton.ca The Regional Municipality of Halton www.halton.ca 09110 7 Gary Carr Regional Chair As our Canadian soldiers continue to face adversity abroad, it becomes more important that we remember Q E B ? P > @ O F ? @ B P ? Q E B F O ? predecessors made. Halton Region pays tribute to those men and women who put their lives in jeopardy in order to protect the peace and freedom we cherish. Remembrance Day, Wednesday, November 7, 2007 3 I joined in 41, said Apted, And I stayed in Canada for a year, taking some welding courses one in Oshawa, another in Kingston. I finally got overseas in 42, and was stuck in a holding unit for almost a year. Finally, when I got out, I went as a truck driver, and was sent to this works yard. When I got to see the officer, he noticed on my pay book that I had welding and he said, Hell were looking for welders. and I became a welder. That was when I met Jack. Welding was a trade that Apted would use for the rest of his life, but it did get him in trouble once in a while, too. Being something of a practical joker, he once slid an anvil beside the cot where an annoying staff sergeant was asleep in the shop. Apted then tack welded the anvil to the steel cleat on the staff sergeants boot. That one cost me, grinned Apted, He reported me to the old man (commanding officer), and I was docked two days wages but it was worth it. Apted also used his own devices when he got married to his late wife Nora, a war bride who grew up in England. I got married in Southampton, England, grinned Apted, If you wanted to get your marriage licence during the war, you had to have the request signed by the old man. I knew Id have trouble getting one from him, so I forged mine. I just slipped into his office and filled out my own permission form. There was a staff sergeant in the office outside and I could tell he fig- ured I was up to no good, but I got away with it. Apted and Vidler met for the first time in works yard in an old estate in Dorking, England. It was June 30, 1943. I joined up September of 1942, said Vidler, and was trying to get into the work- shops, but Ordinance said they didnt need anybody. But the armoured corps had work- shops, so I joined the armoured corps. Vidler then spent nine weeks in Fredericton for basic training, then was off to Camp Borden for advanced training, to learn how to drive tanks. Vidler was able to recall exact dates for all his activities overseas he kept a diary, a practice that was considered illegal during the war he kept his notes in a tiny book that was with him all the time. He made his way overseas always told there were no openings in workshops until he ran into an orderly officer in England who told him, Gawd, Ordinance is crying for people here, so before long, Vidler had taken his trades test, and was at the unit in June of 1943 and met Harry. At that time, the ordinance corps was being reorganized and eventually became known as R.C.E.M.E. Shortly after D-Day, June 27, 1944, Apted and Vidler found themselves in the heat of things in Europe. It was pretty bad we were supposed to go earlier, but the (English) Channel was so rough, we were delayed. When we did get there, there was about 350 guys temporarily buried, said Apted, As it turned out, we were kind of lucky, being delayed. We land- ed and basically dug a hole in the ground to protect ourselves. Vidler told of one of their first jobs after landing. The first job I remember doing was working on the tanks, said Vidler, Our Sherman tanks were being shot all to hell by the German 88s (mm guns) and we had to find a way to better protect them. We went out to take the tracks off disabled tanks, and then brought them back, and tack welded War-time pals meet up decades later in Georgetown Harry Apted (front row, fourth from left) with a group from Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (R.C.E.M.E.s). (Right) Cpl Jack Vidler in March, 1945. Photos courtesy Jack Vidler Continued from pg. 1 See WAR, pg. 4 L E S T W E F O R G E T