Keeping Mother Safe

Heroes Remember

Keeping Mother Safe

Transcript

I was going to work the afternoon shift one day. This is Glace Bay, Nova Scotia mining town, and I was walking up the hill. I saw people looking out over the ocean and I turned and looked and for an arc of about 170 degrees the horizon was

Convoy of ships.

filled with ships, all sorts of ships. I think I counted over 70 ships. I came home that night and turned on the radio to hear the midnight news and over half of those ships were on the bottom

Ship sinking.

of the Atlantic. Now from our house the ocean was less than a quarter of a mile and realizing that the enemy out there would be more than likely shooting at the mines and collieries. My mother would be in between and I felt, why in the heck wait ‘til my mother get killed, enemy shots. Let’s go over to Europe and fight them over there. And that was the only reason... I mean, I was in cadets school anyway and I would have been in the military but I wasn’t in a hurry, just happened to have a new job, but when I thought that my mother is going to be in danger. Let’s go and fight them over there. That’s why I decided to get in. They were advertising, looking for fighter pilots and

Aircrew.

they wanted people who were small and muscular. I’d been boxing. I’d been in pretty good shape and I felt I’m small enough to fit in the cockpit of a fighter and let’s go and hit them where it’s going to hurt.

Description

Mr. Estwick discusses how he felt his mother’s safety was directly threatened by the German threat in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and as a result joining the Royal Canadian Air Force to fight the enemy on his own soil.

Sam Estwick

Sam Estwick was a native of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. His memory of convoys passing the Cape Breton coast after the outbreak of war are vivid. Mr. Estwick aspired to become a pilot, but served overseas with the ground crew servicing Allied aircraft. Following the war, Mr. Estwick rejoined the regular force, working as a radar technician, and later as an instructor. He retired after 23 years, having attained the rank of Flight Lieutenant.

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