Description
Mr. Ireland reflects on Canada’s contribution to the air war in Europe, the loss of a friend, and the meaning of November 11th.
Elgin Gerald Ireland
Elgin Gerald Ireland was born in Shelbourne, Ontario, on January 12, 1921. He was the eldest in a family of seven. Because his father was a farmer, his family survived the depression in relative comfort. Mr. Ireland lived close to an airfield, and was fascinated by the thought of flying. When the family farm was sold, Mr. Ireland felt no obligation to stay home, and in April, 1941, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was groomed as a pilot, and did his elementary training at St. Eugene, flying the Fleet Finch. He moved on to St. Hubert, learned to fly the Harvard aircraft, and then moved on to Trenton where he was a flight instructor for one and a half years. Mr. Ireland reached England as a member of a Hurricane squadron, but soon transferred to 411 Spitfire Squadron. He flew air to ground combat at Falaise Gap and Nijmegen, while at the same time engaging the Luftwaffe in air to air warfare. For his efforts, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Netherlands Flying Cross. After the liberation of Europe, Mr. Ireland volunteered for the Tiger Force, an air group which was to aid in the war against Japan. Mr. Ireland remained in the air force, returning to the Trenton Flying School. He was one Canada’s first pilots to fly the Vampire, F-86 Sabre, and CF-100 jet fighters. After spending four years as Canada’s CF-100 Squadron Commander in France, he returned to 409 Squadron at Comox, British Columbia, where he was promoted to Camp Commander. It was at that point that British Columbia became his family home.
Transcript
We came from a minuscule operation of 1500 men or 2000 men in ‘39, in ‘40 and we’re the fourth largest air force in the western world - of the allied world. I would say that our contribution had to be significant. Not only in the theatre of operations, but again you must think that we had the whole six group. There was 400 some squadrons from fifty, from four hundred to 4, 4,4, triple 4. There were 44 squardons overseas of fighters alone, fighters and bombers and that was significant. The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, I don’t think the war would have been over nearly as quickly if it hadn’t had the air crew provided by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Which, it wasn’t conceived in Canada. It was certainly spawned here and developed here and brought to head here. So I would say significant.I really only had one close buddy I guess. Many then, many friends but I had only one close buddy from back in my school days, high school days and he is about the only one that I have any deep feeling about and he was on his first operation I believe and he was in on the air drop at Arnhem in a tug Dakato towing a glider and he never made it. Billy Padget and he’s, if I had any hate I guess about the enemy that was, be as a result of him. Other the people in the service, I got lots of good friends, but I don’t feel deeply, you know, about the loss and it’s just, it was part of the game I suppose you might say. It was to be expected. Cold feet and sometimes rain. Well it gives you a time to reflect on the sacrifices that people other than yourself have made for you and on your behalf and rather than thinking that you’re the people or you should be receiving the thoughts and sympathy, I think of the other people that made the, paid the supreme sacrifice and aren’t around here to enjoy themselves in this over taxed land of ours but it is a time of reflection for those that are not with us.