First Enlistment

Heroes Remember

First Enlistment

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Transcript

There was no work. One of the things now that we don't tell the children was that I can remember where we lived and you'd look up the street and all the young people were sitting on their first stoop. When the war broke out that's where they got their first dib. After the war broke out and they started recruiting, we didn't see anybody sitting out front they were all in the Arm. I wanted to fly. My cousin and I decided we were going to join the Army for the Kings visit, that was in 1939. And what a beautiful day it was. We got drowned standing up it rained so hard. Anyway, I came home with an Army uniform with the medical core. Poor mother started to cry. I was sixteen. So we went to, just out the road here, out the street here and that was the Drill Shed. And this regimental sergeant major came out and says, "Who is the Doiron around here?" "I am sir." "Go home, you're to young." Mind you he put an adjective in front of that. I didn't know it till I came back from overseas in 1945 how I got out. My dad and the colonel, Colonel Andrews, a doctor, were good friends. That's how I got out. My cousin stayed in. He was in D-day, he got killed at Caen.You start off as a teenager and all of a sudden you're an old man. Didn't take very long.

Description

Mr. Doiron and his cousin enlisted even though they were not old enough. It was discovered that Mr. Doiron was too young and he therefore had to wait to sign on again. His cousin remained in the forces.

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:: 02:04
Person Interviewed:: Leonard Doiron
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Canada

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First Enlistment

Heroes Remember