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Final Operation

Heroes Remember

Final Operation

Transcript
Jimmy James, my rear-gunner, my fellow gunner, I should say, had been ill on one occasion, so that meant that when we had 30 trips he only had 29. And we were not prepared to let him fly with another crew to get his 30, so we did that extra trip so he got his 30. Yes, we, we could have been, we could have accepted the fact that we were screened at 30, the balance of the crew, but of course Jimmy would have to do an extra trip with, we didn't know, it could be a sprog crew just coming on squadron with no experience whatsoever. And I guess the, again, the comradery and the fellowship was so tight, so intense, that we felt that we couldn't let him down like that. So we volunteered the, so it was a sacrificial trip, let's put it that way. This is what I often say when I'm talking to people about air crew. The affinity and, and the relationship is such and so intense that we were prepared to do that. There were evidence of that, of course, in every service, I'm quite sure. But naturally, the one with which we were most familiar is our own. We knew, for instance, that as soon as we finished our tour the group, the 7-man team would just disintegrate. We'd go our own way. So, there was that sense of thankfulness that we had gotten through our tour, there was the sense of pride that now we're semi-heroes, you know. But there was also the feeling that this is a break and it's going to be a complete break because for some of us, we'll just never see each other again. And the parting parties were usually pretty solemn and yet the bravado was there that we were making it look as if we were having a real ball, but deep inside, of course, there was that consciousness that this was the end of an era. For us at least. I don't think there was much of a feeling of the parting of the ways when we were actually involved in it because, of course, we had to be conscious of our task at the time. But I know that there had to be some sentiments of feeling that either, "Thank God we're doing this for the last time." and this was my 31st because we were doing this for Jimmy, but as a crew, we were doing this for the last time and yet again, there was that feeling, "We will maintain contact. We will write to each other," and all that sort of thing, which you say when you're usually separating, you know. But it, it doesn't always turn out that way. But the hand shakes and the partying and, and the tears, sometimes I feel it takes a big person to cry, but on occasions like that, it comes very easily. I think my log book has a notation "good trip." You know, some, some of them are noted "plenty of flack, couple of fighters." There was only one where the attack, of course, took place. The actual attack. Some sightings. Number 20, the momentous cooking one, I've got the annotation there. But I think that the comment on the last one was "good trip."
Description

Mr. Cole shows an example of camaraderie for his final operation before being screened. He took an unnecessary risk for a member of his crew so they would not have to fly with a different group.

Raymond Boyd Cole

Raymond Boyd Cole was born in Elliston on July 14, 1924. His father worked in the United States and then at a papermill in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, when Raymond Cole was one month old. Mr. Cole grew up in Newfoundland.

In 1941, Mr. Cole finished grade 11 and was 17 years old in July of that year. He wanted to be a fighter pilot so in 1942 he signed up for the air force by altering his birth certificate. He received his wings on November 12, 1943. He found out later that he was not to become a pilot, but he did become an air gunner.

Mr. Cole spent three weeks at #1 Air Gunners Ground Training School (AGGTS). He then spent six weeks at #9 Bombing and Gunnery School (BGS). Following #9 BGS he went overseas. Further training includes #30 Operation Training Unit (OTU) and then 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) where he made the conversion from twin engine aircraft to heavier, four engine aircraft with seven crew members.

Mr. Cole flew as an air gunner in over twenty operations with as much as one thousand aircraft in some. He was involved in the Normandy Campaign and many of the missions were heavy concentration bombings of the Ruhr Valley, which was a heavy industrial area.

Mr. Cole completed his flying tour (thirty operations) and went on to do three more operations afterwards. One to help his crew finish up their tour and then volunteered for another two. He worked as an orderly and as a truck driver for a while before returning to Grand Falls, after three and a half years overseas. Afterwards, he became a minister.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
04:07
Person Interviewed:
Raymond Boyd Cole
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
Europe
Branch:
Air Force
Units/Ship:
166th Airborne
Rank:
Corporal
Occupation:
Air Gunner

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