Second Enlistment

Heroes Remember

Second Enlistment

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Transcript

The 15 of February 1941, I signed on the dotted line. Dad didn't say anything. Mother wasn't too happy, but I think they knew that I was gonna go at sometime anyway you know because I wanted to fly. And of course everybody wanted to be a pilot. I started off as one but I wasn't good enough, I didn't make it. I was with nine other chaps from PEI. Some of them got killed, and a lot of them now are deceased. But, I only waited a week before I was on a train Toronto to basic training. They wanted to know I was and how come, because they were waiting months some of them. But we were all only eighteen, nineteen. And I went to Toronto. I went there in February. Left there in May. That was your, the training. Then I went to Camp Borden as what we called a Grease Monkey. We would grease and oil the aircraft in Borden and strap in the student pilots, which were no older than us, and away they went. That lasted until June. Then I went to what they called an initial training school and what that was, was you had a map and you had this, and it was in Victoriaville, Quebec. That lasted two months I think, believe eight weeks, ten weeks, something like that. And the top ten in going through this course they picked as pilots and the rest went as navigators. I was picked as a pilot and we went to Chatham, New Brunswick. And I got twelve hours in. Normally you had to solo in eight hours. They gave you eight hours of dual flying, then you're on your own. They gave me an extra four, I don't know why. I suppose because one time I'd land the airplane a hundred feet up and let it drop, the next time I turn and grind it right into the ground. They called it inconsistent flying, and it was a little inconsistent flying, and it was a little inconsistent. So my 19 year old instructor told the 18 year old student, he said, "I'll save your neck, I'll wash you out." I think he did. I think he did. Then we went to what was called a wash out school that was in Trenton. And, oh, they were all ages and they were navigators, they were pilots and with my education, they wanted me to be a navigator. I said "No." The bottom had fallen out of my world when I couldn't be a pilot, naturally. And so I said, "I want to be a straight air gunner." "You can't, you have too much education." So I ended up being a radio operator, a gunner and a radar operator in the aircraft.

Description

Mr. Doiron turns 18 and enlists again wanting to become a pilot. He explains why he became a radio operator instead.

Leonard Doiron

Mr. Doiron was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on January 21st 1923. His father worked in wholesale and retail until he was injured and opened his own shoe repair shop. Mr. Doiron joined the Air Force on February 15th 1941 where he began his training in Chatham, New Brunswick. In June 1941 he was sent to Initial Training School in Victoriaville, Québec. Mr. Doiron was part of the top 10 aspiring pilots and was picked to become one. He was later sent back to Chatham where he was washed out for inconsistent flying. The RAFFC (Royal Air Force Ferry Command) noticed his Morse code abilities and had him transferred to Dorval, Québec. He was then stationed in Bournemouth, England. He did his Operational Training in Northern Ireland where he was assigned to a Wellington air plane crew. He flew many missions over the Gulf of Toranto (Italy) - about 300 hours of Operational Flying Time and was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 1. He then went to Cairo, Egypt and to Palestine for a short time before being sent back home on the Louis Pasteur. Mr. Doiron retired from the service in the 1970's.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 03:23
Person Interviewed:: Leonard Doiron
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Canada
Branch:: Air Force

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Second Enlistment

Heroes Remember