Community News

In Remembrance: Wounded and in hospital on V.E. Day

By Reginald Price

My name is Reginald Elbridge Price and I am a World War II veteran who served with both the Victoria Rifles and the North Shore (N.B.) Regiment.  I was born on March 14, 1922 in McNamee (O’Donnelltown), N.B., the son of Everett Price and Agnes O’Donnell.  I married Emma Nicholson and we had one child, Blaine Price.

I enlisted in Fredericton in January, 1942 and was posted to Woodstock, N.B. for basic training.  I was assigned to the Victoria Rifles and shipped to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario for training.  Eventually I ended up in Debert, N.S. and served as a driver while waiting to be shipped to England, I think in 1944.  I boarded a troop ship in Halifax and landed in England and was sent directly to Camp Aldershot.

Over time, I ended up as a reinforcement to the North Shore (N.B.) Regiment and was in Support Company for awhile and then ended up in C Company.  Somewhere in Germany, I was assigned as a C Company driver.  While driving my jeep I was hit by either a shell or I drove over a mine.  Since I was in the jeep and badly wounded, I really do not know all the details on how I got hit.  I am putting together the story based on what others told me had happened.  What I do know for sure is that after the jeep was blown up, I had a bad head injury, a broken arm and my left side was hit.  It was in April 1945.  I was transported back to England and ended up at a military hospital in Basingstoke, England.

I was in Basingstoke Hospital on V.E. Day.  The hospital staff came in and told me that the war was over.  I was in Basingstoke from April to July, 1945.  On July 10, 1945 I left England aboard a hospital ship and landed in Halifax.  I was transported to the military hospital in Sussex, N.B., but was shortly after transferred to Sainte-Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, just west of Montreal.  I remained in Sainte-Anne de Bellevue hospital until November 1945.  I was given a 42 day pass and I went home to Blackville to celebrate Christmas ’45 and New Year’s ’46 with my family.  I was discharged in January, 1946 in Fredericton with the rank of private.  I worked for a brief time at the Renous Ammunition Depot but was laid off because I just couldn’t do the work.  I have been on a military pension since 1946.

Mr. Reginald Price passed away the evening of Monday, December 17, 2012 at the Miramichi Regional Hospital at the age of 90.

Miramichi River Valley

Miramichi River Valley

The Rural Community of Miramichi River Valley is governed by an elected council made up of a mayor and six councillors.

1 Comment

  1. Avatar Winnie West on November 8, 2018 at 7:46 pm

    And my brother was named after him, a great man

Leave a Comment