Name of interviewee: Joseph Crilly
Date of birth/age at interview: January 8, 1920/87
Interviewer: Colleen Crilly
Interview date: 2007
Interview location: Crilley home in Carversville
Interview length: 7 minutes
Time span discussed: February 1942 to December 1945
Summary: Joseph is interviewed by his granddaughter Colleen in this charming, well edited and informative video that focuses on his World War II experiences and the drawings he made from photographs he took and saved for reference while serving with the 101st Airborne. According to his wife, Suzanne Crilly, “Joe took a camera everywhere he went in the war including on all of his jumps.”
[youtube]
Time markers:
00:00 – title pages, photos of the artist during World War II, some of Joe’s drawings from the war (Color painting is of Basildon Manor where Joe and other officers stayed for 8 months during the run up to D-Day while enlisted men stayed in Quonset huts on the grounds. It is now part of the National Trust.)
00:42 – introduction by Colleen Crilly
00:54 – reason for enlistment
01:06 – artist shows list of dates during war important to him; served almost 4 years; 101st Airborne all volunteers; jumped into major battles, shows photos and drawings
01:55 – only enlisted men allowed in 101st Airborne; shows photos taken during war
02:48 – describes a drawing of a German tank; separated into platoons according to height
03:06 – countries he was in during his tour—Holland, England, France
03:32 – drawing of a German tank, description of German tank tactics
04:10 – war years seem short
04:35 – war did not change him, “same old guy”
05:07 – more war-time drawings (Includes one of Goebbels’ Mercedes that the 101st “liberated”; this car is now in the USA and fully restored.)
