TRANSCRIPT

Berwick Hyland: So I was the first intake. Here I was - 16 years of age, out in Manitoba - out in Shilo, doing basic training and it was a good, severe, strict training of military - you know, basic training. And even though I was sent to the Artillery we all had to take Infantry training. Because, as you know, sometimes troops get over run, you know. And, anyway, we learned the rifles and Bren guns but then came the time for the hand-grenades. We were in this controlled environment and then we had to learn how to prime the number 36 hand grenade and it was made of cast. It was a cast and it almost looked like a pineapple.
It was designed that way so that when it exploded it would go in many fragments - shrapnel.

Kara Fraser: Oh, I didn't know that -

Berwick Hyland: So it would do as much damage as possible. If it just broke in half, it would only be two pieces. It was shaped with grooves in it so it would explode into many places.