LEST WE FORGET 279 PILLER, Roderick “Rod” WWII Roderick Piller, or Roddie, as he was affectionately known by family and friends was born on the family farm near Grayson, Saskatchewan in 1924. In an interview, he mentioned that he went to ‘the cow barns’ in Regina where he enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1943. Rod said, “They had nice showers instead of the small tub on the farm and they had flush toilets. It was quite a change and quite strange to strip with fifty other guys to go for a medical or shower with ten other guys but didn’t take long to get over the shyness though.” After completing basic training in Prince Albert, he went to Camp Borden in Ontario for advanced training in the tank corps. Roddie found the tanks a little too confining and asked to become a dispatch rider. After a while at that, he wasn’t sure which was worse or more dangerous. After advanced training, he shipped out to England landing at the Firth and Forth in Scotland. Eventually, he was sent to Italy with the Nova Scotia Regiment, as infantry outfit. There, they trained under the shadow of Mount Etna at Avalino near Naples. As part of the Canadian Army 1st Division, he went to the front lines at Ortona, and their division saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Italian Campaign. The battle, that lasted 21 days, was fought between the battalions of elite German Fallschirmjager (paratroops) from the German 1st Parachute Division and the Canadian troops from the 1st Infantry Division, among others. Roddie said, “I remember the stone houses. We had to go through them rather than up the streets of the town because of the snipers. And a bad thing was the booby traps. Another bad thing was going out on night patrol not knowing if you were going into a mine field. It was fierce fighting. The Germans didn’t want to give up Italy because it kept the allies tied up.” By January 1945, the Italian Campaign was over, and his regiment sailed to Calais where they began the long march to Arnhem. There they engaged the German forces occupying the Netherlands. In Holland, at a place called Apeldoorn, along with his regiment the W.N.S.R., they liberated the people at a place called Woudhuis (Forest House). A family that he helped, at that time, reached out to him after the war to thank him for his gallantry. As the letter was written in Dutch, it was several years before he could have it translated, after which they corresponded for many years. The regiment was at Scheveningen on the North Sea when VE Day dawned. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Holland, he and his wife went to Amsterdam along with many other servicemen.While there, Rod participated in ceremonies and parades and was able to explore the country in a relaxed setting. Rod volunteered to be part of the occupational force in Europe after the war ended. He joined the Provost Corps and spent one year in Germany as part of a force that was trying to control the black market that tried to sell everything from boots to trucks to ships. In December 1946, he returned to Canada and received his discharge in February 1947. Another quote from his interview, “I wouldn’t have missed it, but I wouldn’t do it again for all the money in the world. I shouldn’t say that because maybe I would if it was needed. Again, maybe I say that, because I came home all in one piece, including my mind.” Roddie felt that serving in World War II was one of the most important things he did in his life. Roddie married in 1950 and raised five children. He worked all over western Canada and the Northwest Territories. He had been born and raised on the farm and if he could have made a decent living at it, he would rather farm than anything else. His roots were in the land, and he never strayed too far from it. While living in Calgary, he served in the Provost Corps active reserve. Roddie was active in The Royal Canadian Legion from 1957 until his death on June 25, 1999. He was on the Board of Directors in Camrose, Alberta serving as 2nd VicePresident and Vice-President. He was also in the colour party. Roddie shared his gift of music by playing the fiddle, that he learned at the age of twelve. He played by ear and even made up his own compositions. After retirement, Roddie served his community by volunteering and helping others. He was a man of honour and integrity. At his death, he left to cherish his memory his wife Agnes, four children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild, being predeceased by his oldest son and one daughter.
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