Baptism of Fire
Heroes Remember
Baptism of Fire
Transcript
Description
Mr. Cole describes his first encounter with the enemy and the effect on the rest of the squadron. They were still positive and naive, but convinced that they were not invincible after all.
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:
- 02:02
- 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
Related Videos
Training to Become an Air Gunner
Mr. Cole describes the different places he went to train to eventually become an air gunner. He describes basic training, specific training, #1 AGGTS, and #9 Bombing and Gunnery School.
Receiving Wings
Mr. Cole describes what the wing represents on the left breast of his uniform and tells a humourous story on what the "AG" means.
The Voyage Overseas
Mr. Cole describes what it was like to prepare for and to go overseas. He describes the morale of his comrades.
Morale
Mr. Cole explains that they had high morale even though they were aware of the high morality rate of air crew. They just thought that it would be the other guy instead of themselves.
The Conversion to a Heavier Aircraft
Mr. Cole describes the conversion from twin engine aircraft to the four engine Halifax at 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU)
The Lancaster Bomber
Mr. Cole describes the accuracy of the Lancaster Bomber, its payload and the Pathfinder Force (PFF) that was used to mark its target.
Bombing Operations
The bombing operations that were flown were mostly heavy concentrations of bombers and targeted heavily industrial areas in the Ruhr Valley.
The Night Raid
Mr. Cole describes what it was like on a night raid with the incredible amount of exploding anti-aircraft fire and search lights. He describes the total destruction and how it seemed virtually impossible to get through.
A Foe in the Darkness
Mr. Cole describes the night in which he caught a glimpse of a ME-109 in the darkness and how they were trained to defend against fighter aircraft at night.
Memorable Operations
Mr. Cole describes the bombing of an oil refinery and his 20th operation in which a Lancaster bomber was directly overhead and started to drop its bombs.
Final Operations
Mr. Cole describes some of the final operations in which there were fewer interceptors, probably due to lack of fuel and maintenance.
Memorable Moments with the English People
Mr. Cole recollects some of the memorable moments he had with the people of England.
Lack of Morale Fibre
Mr. Cole describes one situation in which he was on a raid with many casualties and many of the aircrew were demoralized. He describes what happens to one of his friends after the raid.
Mail From Home
Mr. Cole explains the importance of mail from home. Throughout the war he received regular packages from friends he had made during his travels.
Faith
Mr. Cole describes how the destruction, raids, and casualties affected his faith.
Final Operation
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.
VE Day
Mr. Cole describes the events for VE Day including going to London to celebrate.
Speaking to Young People
Mr. Cole describes what he tells young people about duty and patriotism.
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