Ujimoto, Ken: my Air Force recollections (May 23, 2008)

An interview/narrative of Ken Ujimoto's experiences during World War II. Interview took place on May 23, 2008.

Interviewee: Ujimoto, Ken, b. 1937

Interviewer: Pratt, Will

ABSTRACT: Ken Ujimoto Inouye_Y_0592_01.mp3 - born in 1937 - grew up in Shuswap - moved up in 1941 - Magna Bay - older brother Victor high school so moved to Salmon Arm - strawberry farm - Haney, BC, maple ridge area - he had a small grocery store - father came as young student - worked for trading company - dad in Fargo panel truck loaded what he could - mother and four kids had to take CPR train to interior - recalls the conductor calling Mission - recalls seeing the RCMP - his dad knew Japanese friend my Myasaki, Mr. Mrs. Noulkes, she a teacher in one- room house - they had loghouse on lakehouse - dad started chicken farm - 500 chickens - didn't like hoeing the farm - brother did the same - he became a telecomm officer - continued - started as radio operator - ended as navigator - 1957 finished high school - went to royal roads - summer training RCAF - was a pilot for a couple - Penhold Alberta - RCAF Station Penhold - legs were short - navigator - at that time - most of career - maritime warfare aircraft - based in greenwood NS for 15years - Neptune aircraft before Argus - finished career in Argus - ended up in Comox with defence research establishment - was also instructor - maritime long range patrol squadron - navigation instruction - 15 years in maritime - Summerside, PEI as well - posted to Winnipeg instructor - came to Victoria recruiting - Ottawa - navigator - one crew - each sqdrn had 3- 5 aircraft - 3- 5 years on posting - earlier days - lots of patrols - 1000 flying hours per year - weekly one long range, many short training flights - retired 1993 he is 71. 35years service - always looking for soviet submarines on east coast - used to fly to Norway - north Atlantic - defence research - he was liaison officer to army - represented air side - to support defence scientists - he was attached to arctic research - flying in march - April - may - looked after requirements of scientists - organized Hercules - air lifts etc. - setting up monitoring for subs - Lomonsov Ledge

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Ujimoto, Ken, b. 1937
• Pratt, Will

Subject

• Military history
• Canada. Canadian Armed Forces
• Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force

Language

• eng

Keyword

• Canada--Dept. of Defence Production
• Flight training
• Hercules (Turboprop transports)
• Chicken industry--British Columbia
• Neptune (Antisubmarine aircraft)
• Japanese Canadians--History--20th century.
• Night and all-weather operations (Military aeronautics)
• Canada--Dept. of National Defence--Research and Development Branch
• Navigation (Aeronautics)
• Ujimoto, Ken, 1937- --Interviews
• Canada--RCAF Station (Comox, B.C.)
• Strawberry industry--British Columbia
• Canada--Canadian Forces Base (Summerside, P.E.I.)
• Lomonsov Ridge (Submarine ridge, Arctic Ocean)
• Canada--Canadian Armed Forces--Organization
• Canada--RCAF Station (Summerside, P.E.I.)
• Truck farming--British Columbia
• Royal Roads Military College
• Aerial reconnaissance, Canadian
• Arctic regions--Research
• Japanese--Canada--History.
• Canada--Canadian Armed Forces
• Canada--Canadian Forces Base (Penhold, Alta.)
• Airborne operations (Military science)
• Canada--Canadian Forces Base (Comox, B.C.)
• Canada--Dept. of National Defence
• Canada--Royal Canadian Air Force
• Military reconnaissance
• Japanese--Canada--Personal narratives
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Canada--RCAF Station (Greenwood, N.S.)
• Japanese Canadians--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945.
• Canada--RCAF Station (Penhold, Alta.)
• Japanese Canadians--Personal narratives
• Japanese--Canada--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945.
• Military research
• Canada--Canadian Forces Base (Greenwood, N.S.)
• Airlift, Military
• Canada--Canadian Armed Forces--Personal narratives
• Canada--Royal Canadian Air Force--Personal narratives
• Neptune (Reconnaissance aircraft)
• Argus (Reconnaissance aircraft)
• Submarines (Ships)--Soviet Union
• Military Liaison Officer

Date created

• May 23, 2008

Relation

• Part of the Will Pratt collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 1 sound recording (MP3)

Geographic coverage

• Canada

Coordinates

• 60.10867, -113.64258

Additional physical characteristics

• Original sound recording (MP3) also available.

Physical repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• reminiscences
• interviews
• oral histories (literary genre)
• sound recordings

Archival item identifier

• UK_597

Fonds title

• Military oral history collection

Fonds identifier

• SC141

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection

Date digitized

• September 24, 2009

Technical note

• Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 24 kHz. Digitized by JF, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2009. 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

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/97gn-3f65

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Visibility	Actions
	SC141_MilitaryOralHistory_GenericThumbnail		Public	Press to Select an action Download
	Ujimoto_K_0597_01.mp3		Public	Press to Select an action Download