Atomic Bomb

Well we were there until 1943 to 1945. After the war was over, well we were right there when, when that plane took off carrying the atomic bomb. Yeah. Interviewer: Were you aware of what was going on? We knew something big was going on, we didn't know just what it was, but we knew it was something big. Well, see, Japanese have, I don't know how many characters in their language, but there's only one Morse Code, and so they have to take three or four of our letters to make one of their symbols. So they can send very fast cause all they do is one squiggly little mark and it'd cover four or five figures, you know. So we had to copy it fast because we had to copy off five, or four or five or whatever it was. And then we would code it again, and we'd send it via radio, taped. It would go back to San Francisco and then to Washington to all of the Intelligence people, and they would break as much, we, we would do a certain amount of that breaking, you get to know a person by their wrist. The wrist is just the same as a voice, you know. Interviewer: I've heard that. Oh yeah, you, you can tell. And we'd, we'd name them after you got working. Your name Harry or who, whoever, and then we would make notes of when they moved, when they move from one station to another station we would know that.

Mr. McVicar talks about being near the take off of the Enola Gay on her flight to drop the first atomic bomb, and the difficulty in decoding Japanese Morse code.

Carl McVicar

Carl McVicar was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, on August 23, 1925. His father was a coal miner, who developed tuberculosis during the 1930s, so times were tough. Mr. McVicar left Glace Bay in 1941, at the age of 16. He learned how to work as a wireless operator at a young age. His father was friends with a gentleman who was in charge of Marconi Towers in Glace Bay and Mr. McVicar learned how to work in the radio room during their frequent visits to Marconi Towers. At the young age of 16, Mr. McVicar enlisted with the Merchant Marine and was taken right away, because they were in need of Wirless Operators. He trained with the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and was sent to Labrador to build stations. After receiving an overseas medal, Mr. McVicar was shipped to Victoria, B.C., for specialized wireless training, then he was sent to Australia and New Guinea, where he witnessed such amazing things as the Enola Gay taking off to drop the first atomic bomb on Japan. He remained in the South Pacific until coming home to Canada after the War was declared over. After returning to Canada, he lived and worked in Toronto, until he returned to the East Coast after one year.