234244 Pte. Norman Moyer Canadian Expeditionary Force 1st Btn. Canadian Tunnelling Company from:Springfield, Ontario I interviewed Norm in 1993 about his experiences in WW1.
Private Norm Moyer, Tillsonburg District Hospital, April 8th 1993 by Laurel A. Beechey
Norm was born on 13th October 1895 and lived in Mt. Elgin on a farm. Enlisted at 19 years in Ingersoll, 12th April 1916 to Comp. B, 168th Battalion, Oxford's Own. He trained in Ingersoll from 26th April to 31st May and went to Camp Francis in London until 9th July, then to Camp Borden for 27th October to Halifax leaving on 30th October 1916 on HMS Lapland.
Norm was put in a lower bunk above the driving gear and became very seasick, "not eating for 3 days because of the vomit left by former passengers. Sgt. Newton Chambers moved Norm up to his room nearer midship, which saved his life." Reached West Sandling Camp on 11th November, and the battalion was broken up on 5th December into the 12th and 39th reserve battalions. Moyer was sent to 1st Canadian Tunnelling Co.
While in England for enjoyment "he borrowed Gordon Clines kilts and went roller skating at Folkstone."
Training was completed in December and he was sent to LeHavre in France, loaded with 39 other men to a freight car and taken to St. Eloi, Belgium. This was uncomfortable, as the car had previously held 8 horses and their waste was frozen solid.
Norm was a sapper. (The object of mining in WWI was to place large amounts of explosives under the enemy's front line, blowing it up at a predetermined moment and utilizing the confusion so caused to occupy part of the enemy's front line at a cost in life far lower than would have been involved in a frontal assault. The technique developed in the war was to dig an open trench, know as a sap, usually in a zig-zag pattern forward of the front line to a point as near to the enemy's lines as possible. This distance was usually the range to which a grenade could be thrown. From this point, a tunnel or mine would be dug towards the enemy's line. The tunnel was normally lined with wood. When a position under the line had been reached, an explosive charge or mine would be placed at the end of the tunnel and tamped in such a way that most of the blast would be
directed upwards into the opposition's front line trench. From the charge, electric cables were laid to a safe position and at the appointed hour the mine would be fired. The foregoing description supposes the enemy to have remained in ignorance of the mining operations. This was, however, unlikely as he would have been listening for such activity with the use of an unaided ear or a geophone, an instrument similar to a doctor's stethoscope. If he detected mining in operation, he would dig a tunnel of his own, a counter mine, and try to dig into his opponent's tunnel undetected and then destroy it. If this countermine were in turn detected the opponent would await its arrival and then attempt to beat the enemy in a fight in the tunnel or use a device known as a camouflet. This involved pushing a long tube towards the enemy's countermine, and when it
had reached a position fairly close to it, detonate an explosive charge at its tip. This was usually sufficient to cause the collapse of the countermine.)
Messines Ridge - some of the tunnels were almost 200' down countermine under countermine. It was here on 7th June 1917 that Norm helped in loading 80 tons of ammonal in the mine S.P.14. This was an explosive more volatile than dynamite. At 3.10am 19 mines, spread over 8 miles, were blown all at the "same second", rolling out huge mounds of earth and chalk the size of a city block - 933,000 pounds in all.
The miners also had to pump water out of the mines. Norm admitted to being very scared while in the mines as it was a very high risk job.
The men's shift was six hours in the mines and 12 hours out. They would dig their 4' tunnels, filling sandbags with the dirt and dragging them out to be used in trenches, bunkers etc. They would lug timber in to shore up the mines. And they would lug 40lb pails of explosives in, all the while trying to be quiet so the "Fritzies" would not hear. Often they would have to sit quietly in a tunnel listening for Fritzie. They could not tell where the Germans were and all of a sudden they would be in your tunnel and blow them up.
Norm went to Vimy where he stayed until end of war. He helped to plant mines at Vimy, although he was not there for the initial battle. (You must
remember that this battle went on "for ever".)
The Germans had an intricate underground system to house and transport men and goods.
The Canadians were called "Crazy Canadians" because the Canadians would go into battle and win where others before would not. They seemed fearless.
Norm could recall artillery barrages where the wheels of the guns touched each other for what seemed like miles. He also recalled mules tied to a rail, then a shell came and killed them all. Mule skinners were so named because they would push the mules so hard they would "skin the hide off". Because of the mud, the mules' harnesses would rub them raw.
Norm was at the front a lot, although he did get some leave. He went to Scotland to see where his mother came from.
Norm returned to Canada on HMS Olympic on 25th March 1919 and was home by the 29th.
When asked if people ever asked him about the war he said: "People at home didn't know what was happening over there, they never understood unless they were there."
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