Sproule, Frederick Howard: my Air Force recollections (March 7, 2012)

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ABSTRACT: Fred Sproule was born in Vancouver, but spent the first nine years of his life in Winnipeg. Mr. Sproule took public schooling in Winnipeg and graduated from King Edward High School in Vancouver in 1936. Initially, he went to work for the Royal Bank of Canada until the war broke out, and left the bank in the fall of 1939. Previously, Fred Sproule had been with the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders, but when he moved back to Vancouver he had to leave them. Initially, Mr. Sproule could not get into airforce because they required university training. He moved to Toronto to train and became an instructor for the British Commonwealth Air Training plan after graduating from Uplands in Ottawa. After some time as an instructor; Mr. Sproule was transferred to Calgary and on to Boundary Bay, eventually going overseas to Bournemouth. Here, he was sent to an RAF fighter squadron in Scotland instead of partaking in additional training, due to his previous experience as an instructor. While in Tain, Scotland, he was posted back to England and sent to a typhoon squadron before being transferred to the Fareast. After taking a specialized jungle-training course, Mr. Sproule was transferred to the Imphal Valley with the 42nd Squadron. Typical missions included dropping supplies to the army and dive-bombing the Japanese. Near Mandalay, the army wanted an aircraft to scare and push back the Japanese, and Mr. Sproule was assigned to this mission. Because he could not drop bombs, he instead chose to drop glass bottles from the plane, in order to scare the Japanese. In an early morning mission near Wandin, Burma, the Japanese fired at his plane, but he managed to land despite having no useable brakes. Mr. Sproule sustained an injury to his thigh at this time, and he was flown to a casualty clearing station near the Imphal Valley. After Mr. Sproule succumbed to jaundice and his squadron was withdrawn from the Imphal Valley near the end of the war, he returned to Vancouver and went back to work for the bank before later moving on to work for an oil company. Time Log: 0:00-0:40: introduction and opening statements 0:40-3:46: life before the war 3:46-5:04: experiences as an instructor in Toronto 5:04-6:50: reaction to going overseas and arrival in England 6:50-9:20: flying typhoons in Tain and journey to East-Asia 9:20-11:48: transition from flying instructor to engaging in combat 11:48-13:18: initial arrival in Bombay and jungle training course in Whirly 13:18-16:40: Japanese strategy and arrival in the Imphal Valley 16:40-18:55: typical missions carried out in the Imphal Valley 18:55-19:50: dive-bombing experiences 19:50-22:13: weather conditions and targeting Japanese in the Imphal Valley 22:12-24:15: specialized missions and bombs used 24:15-27:50: "Glass-Bottle" mission 27:50-32:52: experience of plane being shot near Wand in and casualty clearing station 32:52-33:56: squadron pulled• out from Imphal Valley and experience of getting Jaundice 33:56-36:49: discussion of friend's experience and re-unification with him 36:49-38:20: return home and life after the war 38:20-41:00: general reflections on time as an instructor and experience in East-Asia 41:00-42:30: conclusion

An interview/narrative of Fred Sproule's experiences during World War II. Flight Lieutenant Sproule served with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Interview took place on March 7, 2012.

Interviewer: Maher, Ceilidhe

Rank: Flight Lieutenant. Medals and Honours: Distinguished Flying Cross; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Burma Star; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal; War Medal 1939-1945, Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal; Canadian Forces Decoration

Interviewee: Sproule, Frederick Howard, b. 1918

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Keyword Date created Relation
  • Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews.
  • Title of paper: "Oral History and the Trivialized Aspects of the Second World War".
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
  • 54.75844, -2.69531
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • SF_721
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • March 7, 2012
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 192 kbps and 44 kHz. 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 2012. 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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