He fought to save the world
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:05 pm
-------
At 19, James escaped the turmoil at home by joining the Canadian army, becoming a lieutenant in artillery. He was among the Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. "The sea was rough," he recalled. "We were more afraid of drowning than the Germans."
The Canadians crossed a minefield laid for tanks; the soldiers weren't heavy enough to detonate the bombs. At 11:30 that night, he was machine-gunned, taking six hits: one that took off his middle right finger (he managed to hide the missing finger on screen), four in his leg and one in the chest. The chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case.
--------
He later went on to play a scotsman on a TV show.
I met him in real life (at a convention, of course) and got his autograph. He was very down to earth (ironic, given what he was known for) and was very friendly, unlike Shatner who was a tool. He was a great guy and he will be missed.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/2 ... index.html
At 19, James escaped the turmoil at home by joining the Canadian army, becoming a lieutenant in artillery. He was among the Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. "The sea was rough," he recalled. "We were more afraid of drowning than the Germans."
The Canadians crossed a minefield laid for tanks; the soldiers weren't heavy enough to detonate the bombs. At 11:30 that night, he was machine-gunned, taking six hits: one that took off his middle right finger (he managed to hide the missing finger on screen), four in his leg and one in the chest. The chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case.
--------
He later went on to play a scotsman on a TV show.
I met him in real life (at a convention, of course) and got his autograph. He was very down to earth (ironic, given what he was known for) and was very friendly, unlike Shatner who was a tool. He was a great guy and he will be missed.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/2 ... index.html