Carla Qualtrough
Hon. Carla Qualtrough
Member of Parliament for Delta
Pocock

Over 75 years ago, in the waning days of the Second World War, a bullet tore through a young Canadian's uniform.

Private Marshall Pocock, having signed up on his 18th birthday and now a signalman from Vancouver serving with the 19th Field Regiment of the Canadian Artillery in the Hochwald Forest in Germany, was not wearing his tunic as the bullet passed through the chest.

Although grandpa was not big on religion, he was a stickler for proper protocols, and so was always in his full issued uniform, including the supplied New Testament in his breast pocket. This bible has become a family heirloom ever since it was discovered in his soldier's footlocker, some 50 years after that spring day, with a bullet hole straight through the middle of the good book.

In dad's own words ...

“We were in position in the trees, waiting for orders to move up, so decided to take a break. It was a warm April day, so I took off my tunic and hung it on a branch. There was sporadic small arms fire going on all the time, but you learn to ignore this unless it's close. 

Returning to duty, I put back on my tunic and didn’t realize anything was amiss until a comrade pointed out the entry and exit wounds in my jacket.  With that, I realized that as my tunic hung on a tree, someone thought it was a man and took a shot.  Whether the shot was deliberate or a stray, I’ll never know...but I said a prayer that night that it hung on a tree, instead of me”. 

Grandpa was only 21 years old that day.

Although he’s been gone for almost 20 years now, he was proud to see that the bible with the bullet hole that cries out “what might have been”, became a fixture at our school Remembrance Day ceremonies.  Each grandchild would pass it from class to class, and read out his story and show the bible, and it had a genuine impact on other kids, realizing had he been wearing it, non of us grandkids would be here to tell the story.

In a very real way, it passed along the tragedy of war to a new generation ... giving real meaning to kids who only have a passing knowledge from pictures and poppies.

Thank god for his service and to the angel on his shoulder that day in 1945, and to all who took up the cause in the war to end all wars ... rest in peace, you 've earned it.

Submitted by The Pocock Grandkids - Haley, Christine, Kayla, Mark, Chloe, Tyler, Lindsay, Cameron, Brianne

(Submitted by Blair Pocock on behalf of his grandchildren)

 

 

 

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