of the Canadian Corps, were assigned to occupy and secure that end of the trench. As the Canadians crested the ridge, German artillery opened upon them with all they had, and in the opening salvo, Fred Groves, standing mere feet from William, received a direct hit by an artillery shell. William watched as someone he had known his whole life disappeared, literally turning into mist in front of his eyes. As he stood on the ridge, stunned about what was going on, another German shell landed a few feet from him, and he was instantly buried alive under six feet of dirt. No air in his lungs, he scrambled for his life, frantically clawing and kicking his way clear. He, along with others, was then directed to a rear area clearing station along with other wounded. As the little group proceeded, a shell landed close by and again buried William and the others. This time, William was pulled to safety by two soldiers. Believe it or not, as William resumed his trip to the battalion aid station with German shells continuing to rain down, he was again buried by debris and dirt. He finally made it to the station where, having been buried three times in the span of an hour and having witnessed his friend blown to bits, he was looked over, given a cup of tea and sent back to the front. The next day and the two following, we would find William again at the front of the Battle of the Somme, where he would have experienced constant battle and danger. Finally, after two months at the front, William was done; a broken man, he was admitted to the Norfolk Hospital, having been diagnosed with Neurasthenia, ‘shellshock as it was known then. Today, we better understand and know how to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and that is exactly what shellshock was. At that time, however, shellshock cases were treated with disrespect and ridicule. William was put into a Depot Battalion and went from hospital to hospital, mopping floors and emptying bedpans. Imagine what must have been going through this young man’s mind, being called a coward, being laughed at, all the while wondering where was the glory or the dramatic charges and heroic stands. He’d been tricked: war is none of those things and instead, mostly death and destruction. All Burns had seen was hell on earth. As 1918 rolled around, everyone ‘knew’ the war was ending. Germany was starving, and the Kaiser was bankrupt. Back home in Canada, we had never stopped recruiting new
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Boomers and Beyond Elgin November 2024 cover The Saxonia Hall Dancers
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Boomers and Beyond – Elgin • November 2024 Page 7
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