Browse "Air Force"

Displaying 46-60 of 119 results

Memory Project Archive

George Knowles (Primary Source)

George Knowles served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Read and listen to his veteran's testimony below.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Gilbert "Gilles" Boulanger (Primary Source)

In 2010, The Memory Project interviewed Gilbert “Gilles” Boulanger, a veteran of the Second World War. The following recording (and transcript) is an excerpt from that interview. Boulanger was born in Montmagny, Quebec, on 3 June 1922 to Emile Boulanger and Dauray Lepage. He was one of 10 children. His mother died when he was eight years old, after which he was raised by his father. In 1940, Boulanger quit college and enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He trained as flight staff and as a machine gunner in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, and Mont-Joli, Quebec. In December 1942, he was sent to England for further training. The following year he served in Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, before returning to England. While there, he met Marie Eileen Rees, a RAF Wire Services Operator; they married in May 1944 in London. Boulanger participated in various missions during the war, including D-Day. He returned to Canada in May 1945, followed by his wife (see War Brides). After the war, he had a long, successful career in civil aviation. Boulanger died on 31 December 2013. For more information about his life, please see his book, L’Alouette affolée – Un adolescent à la guerre (1939-45), published in 2006 (re-printed in 2010).Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Gordon Roy (Primary Source)

Gordon Roy served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Gordon Webb (Primary Source)

Gordon Webb served with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a bomber pilot in the Second World War. He flew in 72 missions over the enemy territory, including the raid against the German city of Nuremberg, 30-31 March 1944. Webb also served with No. 405 Squadron, RCAF on Pathfinder Lancaster bombers.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Gordon Wilson (Primary Source)

Gordon Wilson was born on 5 December 1917 in Limerick, Saskatchewan, and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940. He was sent overseas in 1941, where his squadron was moved to the Royal Air Force (RAF). Wilson served as a fighter pilot with the RAF, flying Spitfires with No. 134, No. 213, and No. 92 Squadrons, in the North Africa and Mediterranean theatres. In this testimony, he recalls fighter sweeps over El Alamein, Egypt, and Cape Bon, Tunisia, actions that helped the Allies declare victory in the North Africa campaign on 13 May 1943. He also recounts an emergency landing in Sicily in 1944. Wilson returned to Canada after the war and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. He served as Executive Director of the Western Development Museum of Saskatchewan and was a founder of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame. Gordon Wilson died on 31 May 2015 in Saskatoon. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Harold Bronson (Primary Source)

"I ended up flying a Tiger Moth, which is a small training plane. And I flew it and I landed it right by my house, in northwest of Edmonton, got out and showed my folks" See below for Mr. Bronson's entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Harry Schmuck (Primary Source)

Harry Schmuck served as an air gunner with a Royal Canadian Air Force bomber crew during the Second World War.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Hugh Bartley (Primary Source)

"Mainly you’re so busy you don’t have time to get scared. You’re trying to get out of whatever kind of a problem you got into, and in this case the airplane made it simple for us."Hugh Bartley served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. See his full testimony below.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Irene Jennie Miller nee Girard (Primary Source)

In 2010, The Memory Project interviewed Irene Miller, a veteran of the Second World War. The following recording (and transcript) is an excerpt from this interview. Miller joined the Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division and completed basic training at the RCAF Station Rockcliffe in Ottawa. She was then sent to Halifax, where she eventually married her husband, a member of the Royal Canadian Navy. In this testimony, Miller describes her role in the signals branch, where she would log and transfer messages. She also discusses the appearance of U-boats (German submarines) in Halifax harbour and the high cost of accommodations in the city. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Ivor Williams (Primary Source)

Ivor Williams joined the RCAF and served with 443 Squadron as a Spitfire pilot. Prior to D-Day he flew various operations, bombing and strafing enemy positions to hinder any German reinforcements travelling to the Normandy beaches. On D-Day he assisted in patrolling Juno Beach, warding off enemy fighters and providing cover for ships.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

Jack Henry Hilton (Primary Source)

"We landed in France on a metal strip. I had a sniper bullet go across my head as I landed as I was taxing in and we slept in slit trenches and tents, ate bully beef and did our, we attacked the Germans." See below for Mr. Hilton's entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

James Annett (Primary Source)

James Annett served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. See his full testimony below.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

James Eddy (Primary Source)

"They went very well, until we got shot down on January the 15th, I think it was. Our target was Merseburg." See below for Mr. Eddy's entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

James Finnie (Primary Source)

Jim Finnie joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1942. He began training as an air gunner in early 1943. He ultimately trained in gunnery on Fairey Battle, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, and Handley Page Halifax aircraft. Shot down over France on his sixth air mission in-theatre, Finnie and another crew member hid in a barn until the French farmer turned them over to the Germans. He subsequently remained a prisoner of war until his escape from a camp in 1945.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Memory Project Archive

James Stickles (Primary Source)

James Stickles joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained as an aero-electrician. He landed in France on D+19 (19 days after D-day, 6 June 1944) and was stationed at an airfield outside of Caen, France. He was then transferred to No. 6 Photographic Squadron, 39 Reconnaissance Wing. The squadron was stationed at Eindhoven, Holland during the Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Forest), and he witnessed the atrocities committed at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The squadron was also one of the first to cross the Rhine River into Germany, following Operation VARSITY in March 1945.Please be advised that some of this veteran's photographs are of a graphic nature and may not be suitable for younger viewers. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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