Collection search - Ball, Ollie V. - Interview

Record information – Brief

1

Ball, Ollie V. - Interview

Item number (ISN):

379035

Series title:

[The Great War and Canadian Society]

Hierarchical level:

Item (Accession level)

Date:

1974-06-18

Item number (ISN):

379035

Type of material:

Sound recordings

Found in:

Archives / Film, Video and Sound

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Record information – Details

Fonds/collection:

THE GREAT WAR AND CANADIAN SOCIETY PROJECT

Accession:

1975-0098

Media:

Sound

Part:

1 of 1

Production date:

1974-06-18

Production company:

Opportunities for Youth

Production credit:

interviewer, Lori Rotenberg

Description:

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Interview of Ollie V. Ball of Toronto, age 81, who was born in Toronto in 1893. Subjects discussed include: growing up in Toronto; his education; sports; reading the newspaper; his first job, in a warehouse unpacking china and glassware for an import company; working conditions; getting a job with another importer; starting university in 1915; studying at the University of Toronto; enlisting in the spring of 1916; with the militia at university; a sham battle; infantry training; wanting to enlist with his friends from university; the Canadian Officers' Training Corps at the University of Toronto; professors rather than experienced military officers as instructors; enlisting in the Canadian Army and training at Exhibition Park and Petawawa; living conditions at the barracks at Exhibition Park; at artillery training camp at Petawawa until the fall of 1916; more advanced training at Petawawa; his parents' support for his enlistment; leaving from Halifax in the fall of 1916 in a convoy; life aboard the ship; landing at Liverpool and journeying by train to Whitby Camp; more training at Whitby Camp; the relationship between soldiers and officers; getting passes and leave; entertainment such as concert parties and the YMCA canteen; camp food; packages from the family, containing food, socks and other items; his mother and sister knitting; with the [Signallers] and engineers; trench warfare; living conditions in dugouts and the cellar of a French farm house; food; getting a rum ration only while in action; the artillery; the armistice; a subdued celebration at war's end; serving in Germany with the army of occupation after the war; in Belgium for a few months; the discontent among soldiers who felt that they were not being sent home fast enough after the war; support for conscription; soldiers' pay; his father buying war bonds; not hearing about soldiers' discontent until after the war; being isolated in terms of receiving news; calling the Germans derogatory names suchas Hun; the view that the years overseas were a big waste but his lack of regret that he enlisted; his return to Canada in 1919, arriving at Exhibition Park in Toronto; his parents coming to meet him; his graduation in engineering in 1920; working for the engineering division of the Department of Health; working conditions; his salary; his marriage in 1922; the readjustment to civilian life and getting jobs; not talking about the war; veterans' living conditions; happiness that the war was over; and his view that the war changed customs and costumes, but did not have a major impact on society apart from that.

Language:

English

Notes:

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1. The interviews took place in 1974 and resulted in the publication of a book entitled "The Great War and Canadian Society" edited by Daphne Read - copyright 1978 - New Hogtown Press, Toronto.~2. Release forms, data sheets, and summary analysis/transcripts are available in binders labelled Opportunities for Youth - War and Canadian Society in VSA's audio-visual section.~3. Part of a series of recorded interviews with elderly citizens who lived in Canada during the period of World War I. The interview material consists of their opinions and observations about the war, the war years, and the effect on Canadian society during and after WWI.
~4. The interviewee signed an agreement giving consent for a recording of this interview to be placed in the Public Archives of Canada for the purposes of historical research and also signed a publication agreement allowing any transcribed portions of the interview to be used in the book under the condition that no full names, addresses or phone numbers would be published.
~5. Subject description is based on information found in the fact sheet, deposit agreement, publication agreement and summary analysis.

Detailed holdings information:

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Vault ISN:

436369

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

C01385

Vault code:

GAT

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

R/R

Technical description:

POLY

Made from:

FROM LOANED MATERIAL

Status:

MASTER

Vault ISN:

439016

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

A1 2007-05-0052

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

CD

Duration:

79:28

Status:

REF

Vault ISN:

439021

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

A1 2007-05-0053

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

CD

Duration:

79:28

Status:

REF

Vault ISN:

736956

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

1975-0098/070

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

CASSETTE

Made from:

DEPOSIT

Status:

ORIG

Vault ISN:

736957

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

1975-0098/071

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

CASSETTE

Made from:

DEPOSIT

Status:

ORIG

Vault ISN:

1003815

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

A4 2007-05-0052

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

CD

Made from:

C01385

Status:

MASTER

Vault ISN:

1003816

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

A4 2007-05-0053

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

CD

Made from:

C01385
C01386
C01387

Status:

MASTER
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

Open

Consultation copy number:

A1 2007-05-0052
A1 2007-05-0053

Restrictions on consultation:

No Restrictions / Pas de restrictions

Reproduction access:

With written permission of Copyright Owner / Avec la permission écrite du détenteur des droits d'auteur

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