News TheReview Wednesday, July 25,1990 — 18 Lc ee ea Prison escape among reunion tales - by Valorie Lennox The Review July 21, 1944 “T walked until I heard voices — German voices. Turned 90 degrees, more voices — German again. : “T started walking down the edge of a wheat field with a bare field on my right. It was just breaking dawn as I heard German voices. There was no cover of any kind, except the wheat field. “T zig-zagged in a few hundred feet and lay down. The wheat obligingly lay right down with me, showing a fine track. “I was lying on my stomach, hoping they wouldn’t see me, when a German sergeant tapped my foot with his. I looked over my shoulder and no doubt tried to look sur- prised and saw five rifle barrels pointed at my belly button...” Les Moore’s capture and escape is just one tale that will be traded ihis weekend when members of LES MOORE in 1944. TORO, Shindaiwa SNAPPER SALE STARTS Wednesday July 25th 6777 KIRIKPATRICK CRESCENT (OFF KEATING X ROAD) CALL TODAY! 652-3908 * ON IN-STOCK ITEMS ONLY the South Saskatchewan Regiment Association, B.C. Division, gather in Sidney for their 28th annual reunion. Moore, now president of the association, was a 30-year-old pri- vate in the South Saskatchewan Regiment when he was captured - outside Caen, France. Knocked out by a shell exploding nearby, he " Tegained consciousness to find his platoon gone and the battlefield overrun with Germans. ‘I looked over my shoulder and no doubt tried to look surprised and saw five rifle barrels pointed at my belly button’ “The disgrace and shame Started to gnaw at me right then, being taken prisoner without a fight. I carefully held my hands over my head, rolled over and Stood up. “The sergeant then allocated a guard for me. We started back from where they had come.” A North Saanich resident, Moore has wanted to host the reunion in Sidney for many years. “I had to take on the job as president, which is difficult because I no longer see properly,” Moore said. With help from his wife Vivian and volunteers like former regimental sergeant Bob Morrow, 450 invitations went out for the July 27 to 29 reunion. Over 100 people are expected to attend. “The guard then took me to a building in a quarry where I Joined six or eight other S.S.R. prisoners. In such a situation our morale is about level with the soles of our shoes. We stopped at a house for inter- G.WG. Reutate Ltd. EVERY THING FOR THE CONTRACTOR OR HOMEOWNER ANNUAL CLEARANCE SALE NEW & USED EQUIPMENT Excellent savings on all our new lawn and garden equipment 10%-15% off regular list prices* Used equipment includes rototillers, lawnmowers, construction heaters, generators & many other items. RAISING FLOWERS is one of Les Moore’s skills however his flower garden is being upstaged this week by the annual reunion of the South Saskatchewan Regiment Association, B.C. Division, being held in Sidney July 27 to 29. Moore’s own experience in the Second World War included escaping from a prison camp in France. He has recorded the adventure in a booklet entifled “30 Gays — a lifetime. rogation. I met a young German warrant officer who spoke excel- lent English. He was very inter- ested when he s ;w in my paybook that I had been 1 sergeant and was now a private. I guess he thought a SPECIAL FEATURE HOMELITE® Model FI-5 Front Tine Tiller 5 hp motor 26° tines Reg Price $559” Sale Price $4699 disgruntled N.C.O. would be a good source of information. (Moore’s rank was reduced in England following a disagreement with his commanding officer) “We swapped cigarettes and he started to ask me military ques- tions. I asked him tf he considered himself an honorable soldier. His chest went out when I said that and he replied, ‘Yes’ “Then said I, “As an honorable Soldier, you know if I give you any of that information I would be harming and betraying my com- rades and my country. No mg questions.” Moore’s comrades in the regi- mental association will register at the local legion this Friday. Ox, Saturday at 2 p.m. there will be a parade down Beacon Avenue, with a pipe band and color parties, followed by a service at the cenot- aph. A reception willl be held at the Army, Navy and Air Force hall and a banquet and dance at the Legion Hall. “We eventually arrived at a barbed wire enclosed race track where we were to spend the night. The next morning we were each given a slip of paper with person! questions on it. We were told that these would be broadcast from Germany by short wave radio and they would be picked up and relayed to our relatives. “T still have some of the post- cards and letters many kind people sent to my wife. She received them long before she heard from the Canadian government. “We arrived at the last camp I. was in and it was the largest. A_ soon as we had arrived we were® told to sit on the ground a few feet apart to prevent talking and plot- ling to escape. “At this camp there were tw meals a day. We got up early in AM and formed a large cir, around the cooking pot which usually a thick barley broth wit Continued on Page A 9820 Seaport Place. 655-4019. You’ve always dreamed of owning a waterfront home ... why wait any longer? The Residences at Port Sidney offer an unsurpassed waterfront location with all the amenities of Sidney’s town centre. Relax and enjoy the changing moods of Georgia Strait from your suite or take in the fresh air and expansive views from your balcony or garden patio. If you’re feeling sociable, stroll down to our colourful marina or meet friends in the seaside restaurant. 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