Interviews with Airmen

About the Interviews

The following clips were digitized and excerpted from audio cassettes tapes in the Huron County Museum collection. In some cases, former airmen were interviewed on tape, in other cases they recorded their own reminiscences for posterity. In all cases, access to the full interviews may be requested by contacting the Archives at the Huron County Museum.

Most of the clips below are from interviews conducted by Jeanne Muldoon. In the early 1990s, Jeanne conducted interviews with air force veterans around Southwestern Ontario and is best known for leading the initiative to produce Wings of Valour, a response video to CBC’s controversial documentary about Bomber Command, The Valour and the Horror.

Donald Bruce’s recording is courtesy of the Eugene McGee Collection. Eugene McGee donated his extensive collection of material relating to No. 31 Air Navigation School in Port Albert, Ontario to the Huron County Museum in 2010.

Interviews with Training School Attendees

Doug Case

Jeanne Muldoon interviews Doug Case who came to No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School in December 1940. Undated cassette, likely recorded around 1992. Click Here to View Transcript

01- Crash Landing

Herb Davidson

Jeanne Muldoon interviews Herb Davidson who was one of the first instructors at No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School. Click Here to View Transcript

01 - Training could no longer happen

02 - Arriving in Goderich

03 - Testing the students

04 - Talking about flying

Donald Bruce

Donald Bruce from Rye, Sussex, England joined the RAF at the start of WWII and took his navigation training at No. 31 Air Navigation School, Port Albert. During the war, he was shot down and spent three years in a German POW camp. To document his experiences, he recorded a series of thirteen audio cassette tapes between 1977 and 1995. These tapes were given to Eugene McGee and later donated to the Huron County Museum. The following excerpts are from an undated cassette about his time at No. 31 ANS Port Albert. From the Eugene McGee Collection, 2010.0037.157 Click Here to View Transcript

01 - Arriving at Pt. Albert

02 - Flying for the first time

03 - Airplane crash that killed two people

04 - Surviving a crash landing

05 - Losing an airplane over the lake

06 - Purchasing an old 1930 Essex

Don Fink

Jeanne Muldoon interviews Don Fink, a graduate from the first class at No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School. Undated cassette, likely recorded around 1992. Click Here to View Transcript

01 - Civilian Instructors

02 - Talking about Air Navigation

03 - Going into town

04 - Landing in a field

05 - Inviting Airmen for dinner

Jeff Mellon

Jeff Mellon recalls his time as a former instructor at No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School during the spring of 1944, including one memorable trip to Kitchener. Before coming to Goderich, Jeff was also an instructor at No. 6 S.F.T.S. Dunnville, No. 9 S.F.T.S. Centralia, and No. 9 S.F.T.S. St. Catherines. His reminisces were recorded on a cassette in 1992 and sent to Jeanne Muldoon. Click Here to View Transcript

transcript

01 - EFTS Hockey Team

02 - Instructor liquor run

Bud Stevenson

Jeanne Muldoon interviews Bud Stevenson about his time at No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School, which started in 1942. Undated cassette, likely recorded around 1992. Click Here to View Transcript

01 - Talking about the bus

Bill Walkom

Jeanne Muldoon interviews Bill Walkom around 1991. Bill Walkom was at No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School as a student from September 1942 until November 1942. He later became a fighter pilot. Click Here to View Transcript

transcript

01 - Flying a Tiger Moth

Roy Wheeler

Jeanne Muldoon interviews Roy Wheeler who came from England to work at No. 5 Royal Air Force Radio School. Undated cassette, likely recorded around 1992.

Click here to view Transcript. 01 - Clinton arriving with Equip

02 - Toilets (latrines)

03 - RAF cooks and food

04 - Worked in Technical HQ

05 - The US

06 - Who was trained

07 - Fire in the barracks

08 - Training Canadians

09 - Americans

10 - Traveling to other towns

11 - Dances and movies

12 - Bought an old Essex

13 - How he met his wife