Guerillas

Heroes Remember

Guerillas

Transcript

Interviewer: Let's pick it up with your discussion about dropping these guerillas, these fellas. Did you ever, what's, what was your impression of these people? What were they like? I saw them getting into the air craft and I didn't want to see them again because, you, you had to be awful careful about, about friendships, or it'd tear you apart and, so they would, a Liberator opens up, the bomb-bay opens up and there's a catwalk and I was up on the flight deck and, you know, getting ready and all the rest of this sort of thing for takeoff and they would come in, get on the flight deck and walk to the back of the aircraft. And, what we had on, on the Lib was a pothole, and we had one chap, that would be our air gunner too, God, when I think of it, we had a lot of protection, he would, he'd get them ready and he'd have the canisters there and so on, all set, you know, to drop them first and he'd have these fellas, and there was usually an English chap with them and in some cases it was a plantation owner or what not and he'd dialogue with them and say, "Ok, it'll be maybe ten hours and then they'll, they'll let us know." So, they wouldn't leave that part of the air craft, now if you had to go to the john, then you'd have to go back, but other than that, they would be in the back of the air craft so, so you wouldn't, you wouldn't see them. And when they, when they went in, I don't remember, it was just an operation, and, and it, there wasn't, there wasn't that feeling. The only trip that first feeling was, "Look at those poor sons-of-guns, you know. I'm going back to, to something sane and they're going into a bloody jungle." But after that, it was just a milk run type of thing, you didn't, it, you, you get hardened to it, and they tell me that, these people that were in the First World War, fighting in trenches that you get hardened to it, you shoot them and that's it, you know. We weren't shooting anyone, but who they were and anything personal, and what not, it, it was nothing. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't see them, other than just getting into the aircraft.

Description

Mr. Fitzmaurice talks about the guerillas that they were dropping in to the jungles of Burma.

Anthony Fitzmaurice

Mr. Fitzmaurice was born on a farm in Mount Carmel, Ontario. He grew up in London, Ontario, where he attended school. After graduating from college in 1943 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and received his training in Mitchells and then Liberators in Calgary, Alberta. After training he flew from Dorval, Quebec, to Algiers. Mr. Fitzmaurice flew in a Liberator with 357 squadron flying guerillas in to Burma, China and Thailand. He returned to Canada on the Aquitania in March of 1946.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:55
Person Interviewed:: Anthony Fitzmaurice
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Southeast Asia
Battle/Campaign:: Burma
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: 357 Squadron
Occupation:: Wireless Navigator

Related Videos

Seeing The World

Mr. Fitzmaurice talks about his trip from Canada to Southeast Asia and getting a chance to see the world.

Runway Accident

Shortly after reaching Southeast Asia Mr. Fitzmaurice was involved in an accident on the runway. A couple of airmen lost their lives in the accident. Mr. Fitzmaurice speaks about the impact this had on him.

Feeling Naked

The Liberator that Mr. Fitzmaurice was flying in had been stripped of all it guns except one. Mr. Fitzmaurice talks about how vulnerable this made them feel.

Good Luck Charm

Mr. Fitzmaurice had a good luck charm with him during the war. He tells us what it was and how he felt it got him home safely.

Shoot Yourself!

Mr. Fitzmaurice talks about the instructions they were given if they were ever shot down over enemy territory.

VJ Day

Mr. Fitzmaurice talks about why VJ Day didn’t have much of an effect on them.

Proud of His Service

Mr. Fitzmaurice explains why he was proud of his service to Canada.

Date modified:: 2019-04-03