Higgins, Richard Davidson: my Air Force recollections (April 27, 1978)

Interviewer: Main, Chris D.

An interview/narrative of Richard Davidson Higgins's experiences during World War II. Flying Officer Higgins served with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Interview took place on April 27, 1978.

Rank: Flying Officer.

ABSTRACT: Flying Officer Richard Davidson Higgins Royal Canadian Air Force Higgins_R_0075_01.mp3 Born on Apr. 23, 1922 in Victoria. After graduating from high school he worked for a few months for the Provincial Government before joining the R.C.A.F. in June 1940. Was called up and sent to Brandon, Man. in Feb. 1941. Barrack conditions were barely adequate. The mess hall was two miles away. Enlisted as air crew, but they were trained for specific air crew positions as service needs developed. Training very basic. (10:00) Guard duty at Calgary (No. 3 Service Flying Training School). Was chosen to train as a wireless air gunner. Nearly all wireless theory and practice with a little gunnery thrown in, almost as an afterthought. Thinks that the selection of pilots depended on the availability of aircraft types. Anecdotes. (25:00) Bombing and Gunnery School at Lethbridge: was awarded wings after a month. Was posted as a wireless operator in Ferry Command at Dorval Que. With a civilian pilot delivered a Consolidated Catalina (flying boat) to Scotland, then travelled to the reception centre at Bournemouth. (35:00) Was sent to Prestwick for training on early radar equipment. He was "crewed-up" at the Operational Training Unit at Cranwell where they trained on the obsolescent Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley (bomber). (45:00) The crew opted to go to a Vickers Wellington (bomber) squadron. No. 172 Squadron, R.A.F. in North Devon (Aug. 1942). This was the first squadron to be fitted with the Leigh Light which retracted into the belly of the aircraft. After a U-boat was picked up on the surface by radar, the Leigh Light illuminated the boat during the bomb-run. (10:00) Describes a theoretical attack: light on at one-quarter mile distance from the boat, aircraft at two hundred feet altitude. Moved to Gibraltar in 1943 and flew from there on operations for about six weeks. In company with No. 173 Squadron moved to the Azores for three months, then returned to North Devon with a full load of liquor and bananas! (30:00) By D-Day he was an instructor at an operational training unit in Scotland. Returned to Canada for a month's leave in Nov. 1944. Did not again go overseas. (36:00)

Interviewee: Higgins, Richard Davidson, b. 1922

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Higgins, Richard Davidson, b. 1922
• Main, Chris D.

Subject

• Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force
• Military history
• World War (1939-1945)
• Great Britain. Royal Air Force

Language

• eng

Keyword

• Great Britain--Royal Air Force--Coastal Command
• Vickers aircraft
• Antisubmarine aircraft--Searchlights
• Great Britain--Royal Air Force--Squadron, 173
• RAF Gibralter
• World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Canadian
• Submarine warfare
• Higgins, Richard Davidson, 1922-2007--Interviews
• Canada--Royal Canadian Air Force
• Bombers
• Gunners, Aerial
• Canada--RCAF Station (Calgary, Alta.)--Service Flying Training School, 3
• Wellington (Bomber)
• Canada--Royal Canadian Air Force--Ariel gunners
• Canada--RCAF Station (Brandon, Man.)--Manning Depot, 2
• Catalina (Seaplane)
• Seaplanes
• RAF Lagens (Azores)
• Fighter planes
• Lajes (Azores)
• Canada--Royal Canadian Air Force--Ferry Command
• Great Britain--Royal Air Force--Squadron, 172
• Flight radio operators
• Armstrong Whitworth aircraft
• Whitley (Bomber)

Date created

• April 27, 1978

Relation

• Part of the Reginald H. Roy collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 1 sound recording (MP3)

Geographic coverage

• Canada
• Great Britain

Coordinates

• 60.10867, -113.64258
• 54.75844, -2.69531

Additional physical characteristics

• One original sound tape reel (ca. 80 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 1 sound cassette copy : standard, mono. in Special Collections.

Physical repository

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

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

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

Genre

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

Archival item identifier

• HRD_075

Fonds title

• Reginald Herbert Roy fonds

Fonds identifier

• SC104

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds

Date digitized

• June 11, 2007

Technical note

• Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 22 kHz. In .mp3 format at 64 kbps and 22 kHz. Digitized by AN, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Transferred from audio reel to audio cassette between 1987-1997. Interview migrated to digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2007. 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/10.58066/3d7s-j302

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