Herbert 乌鸦传媒楤uck乌鸦传媒� Rogers was 13 and a half pounds the day he was born in Nova Scotia, 100 years ago today.
乌鸦传媒淚 was the biggest baby in Cape Breton,乌鸦传媒� laughed the veteran who served more than six years during the Second World War. 乌鸦传媒淪o big my father said, 乌鸦传媒榳e乌鸦传媒檒l have to buy him a wheelbarrow for Christmas!乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
Friends and family gathered at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall in Vernon to celebrate Rogers乌鸦传媒� 100th birthday Saturday, Oct. 17, with Norm Crerar, Kalamalka Highlanders piper and Okanagan Military Tattoo founder, helping to mark the occasion.
Rogers has always been a fan of music and dancing and he乌鸦传媒檚 still nimble for a centenarian, jigging his way around the hall as Crerar played Happy Birthday on the bagpipes.
Born in Cape Breton, N.S., the Vernon resident joined the army at the suggestion of his friend Ronald Jones (known affectionately as 乌鸦传媒楶orky乌鸦传媒�) while the two were sitting and drinking wine on a train bridge in New Brunswick. They were 18 years old and fresh out of high school.
乌鸦传媒淚 didn乌鸦传媒檛 like algebra very much,乌鸦传媒� Rogers joked of his time in high school. 乌鸦传媒淲e drank the wine and Porky says, 乌鸦传媒榣et乌鸦传媒檚 join the army, because everything乌鸦传媒檚 free!乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
Rogers went along with Jones to Fredericton, N.B. to register. He was assigned to the Royal Canadian Artillery and became a signaller.
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乌鸦传媒淚n no time at all, we were overseas,乌鸦传媒� Rogers said.
Rogers landed in Scotland travelling up the River Clyde before hopping on a train to London, where he trained for a year and a half.
After his training, Rogers was sent to North Africa where Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery led British and Commonwealth forces in a three-year campaign against the Axis forces. He went on to fight in Italy, France, Belgium and Germany.
He assisted in the liberation of Holland, and recalls taking 800 prisoners back home to Germany on a barge pulled by a tug boat.
乌鸦传媒淭hey were all good singers, they played the piano and the accordion,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Rogers spent 22 months in Italy and Netherlands, in constant conflict.
乌鸦传媒淚 was in action every night and day,乌鸦传媒� he says.
In Milan, he witnessed the hanging body of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini after his execution in 1945.
He still speaks with reverence about his friend Jones, who didn乌鸦传媒檛 make it home from the war. Jones was killed by a mortar shell in Russi, Italy.
乌鸦传媒淚 miss Porky awful,乌鸦传媒� Rogers said. 乌鸦传媒淲hen you乌鸦传媒檙e 18 years old and your buddy is 18 years old, you乌鸦传媒檙e real buddies.乌鸦传媒�
Rogers moved to B.C. in 1947 and lived in Victoria for more than 35 years. He乌鸦传媒檇 gone back to school and started work as a bricklayer after the war. He started a family and raised a son.
Rogers still has his driver乌鸦传媒檚 licence and makes good use of it, having driven himself to his birthday party. He still misses the east from time to time, and on several occasions he乌鸦传媒檚 hit the open road to Nova Scotia. In 2015 he went on a cross-country trip in honour of Porky, the friend with whom his adventures began.
At the Eagles Hall, Rogers thanked all his friends who came to mark the occasion, while looking forward to the next.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 going to start another year - just imagine that!乌鸦传媒�
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