Robert W. Service interview (recalling Yukon) Monaco, 1958

In May 1958, Pierre Berton interviewed Robert W. Service at his home Monaco, bv d'Italie for the documentary series 'Close-up' for CBC Canada. Pierre Berton was not just a journalist but a real Yukoner who grew up just in front of Robert's cabin in Dawson. In this extract, Robert W. Service explains why he left Scotland for Canada, then what inspired him to write the famous rimes of The Shooting of Dan McGrew in Whitehorse. As often described, Robert W. Service's tone was a mix of an English inflection, an American drawl and Scottish overtones.