Interview with John Allott
Narrator: Allott, John., 1953- Interviewer: Shelby Andrews Interview Date and Location: 07/03/2025/ Victoria, over zoom. Synopsis: John knew from an early age that he wanted to be a pilot in the Armed Forces, and to help support his dream in his youth, he joined Air Cadets at age 12. At the time of his recruitment, the Air Force required him to go to college, so he spent two years at Royal Roads Military College and a further two years at the Royal Military College. After that, he was sent to do his pilot training immediately. He recalls this period with fondness, yet he admitted it was very difficult. He specifically remembers a lock box with everyone’s wings inside, and every time there was a failure, a set of wings was removed. But he was successful, and was posted to 424 Squadron in Trenton to fly the Buffalo. According to John, there is no such thing as a “normal day”. It was filled with training, studying, or searching. He moved up to Search Master quickly, and found the job to be arduous. He had an especially difficult mission of discovering the bodies of 4 Royal Roads students in a crashed aircraft. John continued to serve as an Aircraft Commander and a Search Master in an exceptional manner, and was an asset to his country until retirement. 00:20 -04:10 - John’s childhood and how he got into the Air Force 04:10- 06:45 - John’s experiences in flight school 06:45 -11:25 - 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron and John’s relationship with the Buffalo 11:25 - 14:15- Was a typical SAR operation would be in the Trenton area 14:15 -17:00 - Certifications and training needed for the position, and normal procedures for a distress signal 1700 -21:05 - John’s experience as a Search Master 21:05 -26:00 - One of John’s missions as a Search Master to assist a search for a missing aircraft with 4 young men on board. While the search was successful, the pilot of the missing aircraft and all 3 passengers were deceased. 27:40 -31:00 - Supporting ground operations in Egypt 31:00 -37:50 - Handling the mental and physical consequences of the job, and stress management. 39:10 -48:00 - John’s time as an Aircraft Commander and his position at 442 Squadron 48:00 - 54:20 The technology John had available to him and if he felt the pressure of Canada’s faulty procurement strategy. 54:20 - Conclusion - Leftover experiences that did not come out previously in the interview
- In Collection:
- Interview #SC141_AJ_931
- Search and Rescue
- Transport and Rescue
- CH113-Labrador
- Pilots
- Canadian Coast Guard
- Royal Military College of Canada
- CFB Moose Jaw
- CFB Trenton
- yellow paint
- Aircraft
- CBC
- CC-295
- SARTECHs
- CFB Summerside
- DHC-5 Buffalo
- C130-Hercules
- Bases
- survival training
- Royal Canadian Air Force
- CFB Greenwood
- Royal Roads University
- United Nations
- CFB Comox
- CFB Gander
- mental health
- Kingfisher On the job
- 00:59:00
- "That Others May Live": The History, Technology and Challenges of Search and Rescue in the Canadian Armed Forces
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- Accession Number: 2026-0008; Series: I; Item: 931
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://search.archives.uvic.ca/military-oral-history-collection
- 2025
- Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2025. Recorded in digital format by interviewer. Keywords supplied by interviewer. Metadata by KD.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI