Duty to Defend, and Youth Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Heroes Remember

Duty to Defend, and Youth Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Transcript

Interviewer: Mr. Sproule, when you or if you were given the opportunity to speak to young people of this generation or future generations and you had the opportunity to speak to them about honour, duty, patriotism, volunteerism, what would you say to those young people? Well I think it would be their duty, if they are good Canadians, that would be their duty and we elect our leaders. Our leaders are supposed to know what's right for the country and under the same circumstances I would, I I would recommend that they do it. There's an awful lot of young fellows gone though. We have a book that was put out by two fellows from Brandon and it is everybody in the air force that was killed during the war. Where ever in the world, in flying accidents, operations, what have you. We also trained a lot of RAF and we trained New Zealanders and Australians and they are all listed in the back of that book. If they were killed in a flying accident in Canada, they'd be in that book. And our part in the program was to augment the RAF, it was never intended that all the Canadians would just go into Canadian Squadrons, we were to augment the RAF. So if those fellows went in to bomber squadrons and they were shot down or crashed and were killed, they would be listed in that book as would the crew, whether they were RAF, or New Zealand or Australian, or whatever, they'd be in that book. If you go through that book you will see the ages, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and all in that, in that area. I was actually 22 when I got my wings so I was a little older then some of them. But I think it's, that it would be your duty to do it.

Description

Mr. Sproule expresses his opinions on one's duty to defend one's Country, and the young ages of Allied Airmen who paid the ultimate price.

Frederick Howard Sproule

Mr. Sproule was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on September 22, 1918. He first served as a cadet with the Seaforth Highlanders before joining the regular service. He switched to the air force as soon as he was able, first being accepted as a gunner, and then into pilot training. After serving as a flight instructor on Harvards, Mr Sproule was shipped to Great Britain where he trained on a Hurricane. Eventually, he piloted a Typhoon as a bomber in the Burma Campaign, helping to drive back the Japanese. His tour finished as the Japanese were completely driven out of Burma.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:31
Person Interviewed:: Frederick Howard Sproule
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Branch:: Air Force
Rank:: Supernumerary Flight Lieutenant
Occupation:: Pilot

Language selection

Duty to Defend, and Youth Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Heroes Remember