FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2016 45 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2018 45 WII veteran Bud Corby laughs as he recalls get- ting a surprise package from home while he was serving overseas. His father Ernie Corby sent him a Mickey of whiskey concealed inside a hollowed out loaf of bread! “They thought it was just a loaf of bread so it went through,” Bud chuckles. His Dad was a WWI vet so he knew the tricks. “Mickey and I had a lot of friends that night,” Bud said. At age 93 now, “Bud” Gordon Ernest Corby voluntarily enlisted in the Canadian Army, serving from July 26, 1943 until his discharge date of June 27, 1946. His tour of duty in- cluded the United Kingdom, Central Mediterranean and Continental Eur- ope. He started out in the tank quar- ters as a gunner. He was stationed in southern England when his brother Corky (Ross), of the Air Force, was reported shot down and missing. Luckily, he was found safe and sound and Bud went to northern England to visit him. That’s when he switched over to the infantry. A proud member of The Perth Regiment, Bud’s military career ended with him earning the title of Corporal, and being decorated with the France, Germany and Italy Stars, the Canadian volunteer service medal and the Gunner Clasp. At the time of our visit, Bud was reading a book about his regiment, lent to him by the Perth Regiment Museum in Perth, Ontario. His daughter took him to visit this his- toric museum recently. “They were really glad to see me,” Bud commented. The museum staff was excited to meet a real live Perth Regiment veteran. During WWII, Bud had the op- portunity to visit the scene of a WWI battle. “I travelled to where the war took place,” he recalls. There, he was told a story about a runner who would bring messages to the front line. It could have been a story about his father, who was a runner in WWI. A positive memory dates back to his time stationed in Sneek, Holland, in 1945. “The people of Sneek (pro- nounced snake) adopted our regi- ment and were really good to us. Of course! We were fighting against the Germans!” While in Sneek, Bud said he had a great time living on a docked houseboat. He also had a few fun- filled leaves of absence, travelling to Scotland with his buddies, for example. Luckily, Bud did not suffer any physical injuries from his years of service. After the war, he happily went back to civilian life, putting the wartime experience behind him. A new resident of West Shore Village as of May 2018, Bud is a mem- ber of the Bobcaygeon Legion, where his cottage was, and he is planning a visit to the Port Perry Legion. “I don’t go in the parades or any- thing,” Bud said. “And I hardly ever talk about the war.” As a civilian, Bud had reason to visit Europe again. He worked in the steel business for a major company that built banks in Toronto. As a pur- chasing agent for the steel company, he made a few trips to England. ––– CORPORAL GORDON ERNEST (BUD) CORBY ––– “It was really good bread.” W PHOTOS BY MARYANN FLEMING Bud at his home at West Shore, sharing stories and memorablilia. ...................... Please turn to page 46