I had gotten directions to the Centrepoint branch of the Ottawa library from Steph (a friend). She had warned me that the archives were in a separate building that was located close; but me being me, I didn’t write down any of the directions. Low and behold, I ended up at the archives rather than the main library.
This minor annoyance ended up being a great thing because the library was having a book sale. As all my friends and family will tell you, there is one thing I can’t resist… and that is books. I was surprised at the collection; it was quite extensive. I was even more surprise to find out that they do this sale every month… that is a LOT of books that are getting donated for sale.
When I first entered, there was a table for war books. It was before Halloween (they did also have a section for Halloween books, but it was mostly for kids), but in Canada we are coming up to our Remembrance day (November 11th), so that didn’t really surprise me. One book on the display did catch my attention. It was a little white book, bound in plastic comb binding, called “The Dispatch Rider” by Harry Watts. It was clearly not a professionally printed book; and upon close inspection I noticed it did not have an ISBN number. For those of you that do not know, an ISBN number is the International Standard Book Number. It is a unique commercial book identifier. If you want a book, or a certain version of a book, you write down the ISBN and the book store can get it for you (if it is still in print). When I was searching for the ISBN I saw, on the back, that the author was now living in Kitchener, Ontario (a place I know quite well).
I was interested, but I had just arrived, so I wanted to see what else the sale had to offer, and I walked away.
After having done a tour of the sale, I was still thinking of the book. So I decided to go back to pick it up. As I headed to the display, there was a gentleman there reading the book. And there you go; I thought I had lost my chance.
I went to the children’s section and picked up three books my nieces, paid for them, and headed to the door. Then I saw it… the book was still there. Grabbing a dollar from my wallet, I quickly paid and left.
The book is not long (91 pages in total), but I had to finish my other book before starting it.
“I joined up at Hamilton, Ontario and was sent to Ft. William (now Thunder Bay) to enjoy the winter wonderland of basic training as prescribed by the army. The thermometer hovered at the minus 40°F mark for days at a time. Our barracks was a vacant nail factory with a few broken windows on the roof so that some mornings we woke up with snow on our blankets.”
Page 2
Well this was going to be a fun read. The book is not written by a professional. He skips a lot of the battle situations, and admits that dates are not is strong point. If I was expecting a war novel, I would have been disappointed. This book is a grandfather telling his grandchildren what happened to him during the war. Not the fear and suffering. Not the death and destruction. There are some mentions of bombs and being shot at, but it does not pull you into the stress of the situation. In a way, I liked the book because of that.
The story is about Harry Watts, a young man who joins the Canadian army in 1942. He and his friend, Reg Cochrane, volunteer to be dispatch riders, when in basic training they come across some soldiers cleaning their motorcycles.
Mr. Watts gave an atmosphere to the war that reminded me that young people were experiencing new things during this period of history. That fear was present, but it was not the only emotion that existed at the time. He does leave out details in many places, but gives so much in others:
“I remember going through the centre of town by a large movie theatre and riding through the movie films the Germans had pulled apart and thrown into the street. The Germans did many senseless things like this as they retreated from Holland. Anything they could not take with them they tried to destroy. Bicycles they could not carry they laid on the street and drove over them. “
Page 72
Mr. Watts in not a professional writer, but I enjoyed that about the book. It was not polished, it was real. The memories were real and unfiltered. It was funny in places, and light in others. The best part about the book though, was when I started talking about it with my dad; a retired Signaller with the Canadian military. As I talked about the book, he talked about his own experiences in charge of his dispatch riders. It was fun to hear his stories, and learn a little bit more about his experiences.
I have no idea what drew me to this book. I have no idea why out of all the books at the sale I picked up a self-printed, personal story, that was clearly written for the man’s family. I also have NO IDEA, how this book ended up at a library book sale. But I am happy it did, and I am happy my instincts drew me to it. It was a light fun read, and opened up a new conversation with my father.
I can’t recommend the book to you guys, because I have no idea where you could pick it up for yourself. And my copy is promptly going to my parents, who have both been bugging me to finish it so they can read it themselves.
I can however recommend that if you see a little white, self-printed book that was clearly not professionally done; maybe you can buy it and find your own hidden literary treasure.
