From Training in Mossbank to Being Bombed in Bournemouth

Heroes Remember

From Training in Mossbank to Being Bombed in Bournemouth

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Transcript

They picked so many who were good at morse code, to go to Dorval, to join RAFFC. I knew what FC stood for, was Ferry Command. They were taking aircraft from Montreal, to Gander, to Prestwick, Scotland, delivering the aircraft engine. I forgot what RAF stood for. It was Royal Air Force. I got out of the Royal Air Force when I got back to Summerside about four years later. It, we made the one trip one way. It was costing the British an awful lot of money see. The Ferry Command was all civilians. And the chap that I went over with, was a chap by the name of Henry R. Carlyle. He had the OBE and he was an American. He had an office about the size of this room in Dorval. He was the head of the organization in Dorval. He didn't use a navigator, he did his own navigation. So we had a second pilot. I was the radio operator. The second pilot he was a British type, an RAF type and all he had to do was eat the sandwiches and drink the juice while we were on the way over. But from Scotland then we went to Bournemouth, in southern England. That was a holding unit for Canadians. That was in Bournemouth. That was the first place I ever seen the largest black (inaudible) in my life. I had been in the hospital with blood clots on the shins and there was another young fella, he was a radar tech. This time of course I'd gotten my wings and we were flying. Anyway the, this young fella said, "Beautiful day for a raid." And that's the expression we used to use, you know. A day like this, sun shining, a nice day, "Beautiful day for a raid." I said, "Wait till the pubs open first." This was early afternoon. We had just got out of the hospital on a few hour's break. All of a sudden this aircraft went over just rooftop high. We were walking down the street and I said, "My, my that Spit." I kept looking and it was a 109, it was a German aircraft. He had come in and dropped a couple bombs. But that was the start of my tour in England.

Description

Mr. Doiron explains how his talent for morse code got him recruited by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and sent off to England.

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:: 02:49
Person Interviewed:: Leonard Doiron
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: Royal Air Force Ferry Command (RAFFC)
Rank:: Sergeant
Occupation:: Radio Operator

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From Training in Mossbank to Being Bombed in Bournemouth

Heroes Remember