Fiddick, Lew: my Bomber Command experience (March 28, 2015)
An interview/narrative of Lew Fiddick's experiences with Bomber Command during World War II. Interview took place on March 26, 2015.
Interviewee: Fiddick, Lew
ABSTRACT: Military Oral History Project Interview Summary Narrator: Mr. Lew Fiddick Title: My Bomber Command Experience Interviewer: Interviewed by Isobelle Carey Extent 1 sound recording (MP3) Interview Date and Location 26 March 2015 Synopsis: Mr. Lew Fiddick grew up in Victoria, BC and joined the RCAF because living on the island would not have otherwise given him the opportunity to pilot a plane. He trained in British Columbia before going to England and taking part in further training on the Isle of Man, including target training. He feels that he was given sufficient training for his time in Bomber Command but the wash-out rate was close to 40% within his training program. The training for finding targets was sufficiently difficult but the atmosphere was obviously different to the operations that he took part in over Germany. Although he was unaware of how affected the other crews were after missions, he more recently read that the loss rate was 10% and find this is understandable due to the environment they were flying in. They flew every day to keep the engines in check but their recreation time was spent with British officers and would often include being invited as a guest for dinner by families living close to the RAF base. During an operation to Stuttgart, his plane was shot down over France and he parachuted into a small village. He stayed there for several days before talking to anyone, and then moved onto another village to prevent being caught. He eventually met up with the French Underground and the SAS through the French Underground. He met Major Henry Druce, who was also Canadian, and stayed with the SAS for 6 months. The SAS were all British, and his aircrews were mixed nationalities however he found that he had an equal relationship with all of them. After six months with the SAS, he returned to England, then Canada, as it was deemed too dangerous for him to return to flying incase he was shot down again. His Canadian identity made no exceptional difference to attitudes towards him when in France. Closing Statement. 00:00 – Growing up in Victoria, BC 02:20 – Reason for joining and training 03:31 – Reaction to potential for losses and washing out 05:38 – Training on the Isle of Man 07:40 – Preparation for losses and debriefing on other operations 09:40 – Training for finding targets Flying at night – losses Recreational time – flew everyday Contact with British Civilians - dinners etc. Operation to Stuttgart – shot down over France Parachute landing Meeting first French family Going to the second French village Getting in contact with the French Underground Meeting Henry Druce and the SAS Comparison of dynamic between SAS and aircrew Nationalities of crewmembers and SAS Returning from France and retuning to Canada LMFs Identity as a Canadian in France Subject Key Words RCAF; RAF; WWII; Lancaster Bomber; France; Parachute drop; SAS, Special Air Services; French Underground; Bomber Command; Canadianization
Interviewer: Carey, Isobelle
- In Collection:
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 51.5, 10.5
- 48.4359, -123.35155
- Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- FL_811
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- March 26, 2015
- Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 192 kbps. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2015. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- 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
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