Zombies, Awake!

For conscripts who exercise their right to serve in the Americas instead of overseas, the Canadian Army has an ugly name: zombies (living dead men). Last week Canada's Pacific Coast commander, ruddy-faced Major General G. R. Pearkes (rhymes with quirks), who won the Victoria Cross in World War I, called in a World War II V.C. to help arouse a spark of fighting fervor in his zombies.

Major Paul Triquet, who won his decoration before Ortona (TIME, March 20), spoke to 15,000 fellow French Canadians in le regiment de Hull. They had participated in the bloodless occupation of Kiska with the U.S. forces. Now, he said, it was their duty to stand by fellow Canadians overseas. General Pearkes followed up: "The work you did at Kiska made your names honored. Your experience makes you invaluable as invasion forces. Play the man's part. . . . Volunteer now [for overseas service]."

Only a few heeded the appeal. Unofficially it was said that no more than 500, or less than 3%, had volunteered this month. The incident irritated British Columbians, who are impatient with Ottawa's dilatory manpower policies. Mayor David Howrie of Vernon called Triquet's speech a "prostitution of the Victoria Cross"; Pearkes's plea a "humiliating duty imposed on an old soldier." Snorted Brigadier General Sutherland Brown, D.S.O. (retired) : "The Government hasn't guts enough to come out in the open. . . ."

Forthright General Pearkes promptly shouldered full responsibility. Said he: "I asked Triquet to come. ... I see nothing humiliating in trying to do my duty in encouraging others to do theirs. I did not win the Victoria Cross by keeping my boots clean at Passchendaele nor has any other officer won that decoration by leaving things to the sergeant major."

The Army has announced that it needs 48,000 more men for overseas service. The Government already has the power to change the regulations and send all men in uniform overseas, but has not done so, out of deference to bitterly anti-conscriptionist Quebec. Many Canadians suspected that a last effort was being made to avoid compulsion for zombies.

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