Lake, Peter: my Second World War Air Force experience (March 12, 2014)
PublicInterviewee: Lake, Peter
An interview/narrative of Warrant Officer Peter Lake's experiences with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Interview took place on March 12, 2014.
Rank: Warrant Officer.
Interviewer: Fast, Benjamin
ABSTRACT: Narrator: Lake, Peter, 1920- Warrant Officer (RAF) Title: My Second World War Air Force Experience Interviewer: Interviewed by Benjamin Fast. Extent: 1 sound recording (MP3 format) 1:33:22, 61.3 MB (file size) Interview Date and Location: 12 March 2014, Victoria, BC. Synopsis: The interview begins with the standard interview narratives and background information about WO Lake’s family. He discusses a wide range of topics* including having a well-travelled and difficult upbringing and life. The interview then moves on to his early RAF experiences and surviving a bombing raid. He then talks about his childhood experiences with military personnel in Borneo and England before discussing how his lack of education caused him to fail his pilot training. He then explains the training process for wireless operators and air gunners with anecdotes of both training and active service experiences interspersed. It is during this part of the interview that WO Lake theorizes about the treatment of non-commissioned personnel and the effectiveness of unequally ranked aircrew. WO Lake then moves on to recounting accidents he was part of or that he witnessed, what life was like while in training, and more anecdotes about active service in Benghazi. The interview ends with a discussion about the effectiveness of training and additional comments about the inequality of aircrews. 0:00 – standard interview narratives 0:46 – background on education and family financial difficulties 1:33 – biographical information and early childhood life 2:13 – learning the family history 4:05 – talking about the family’s history in the 18th Century 6:10 – discussion of difficult life 6:42 – survived being killed many times during the war, beginning of anecdote about the final near-death experience 7:43 – reasons for enlisting in September 1940 8:42 – acceptance and early aircrew training with the RAF 9:25 – anecdote about surviving a bombing raid in London and seeing the effects of war 12:35 – enlistment at Uxbridge in the RAF Volunteer Reserve 12:54 – discusses lack of interest in the military as a young man and childhood interactions with military personnel 15:03 – discusses lack of education and the difficulties of not having school qualifications 15:53 – mother’s reaction to his enlisting 16:42 – family experience in the First World War 19:32 – reasons for enlisting, feeling like a family protector 20:15 – anecdote about attempted German takeover of British North Borneo 21:34 – experience as a child interacting with an Australian sailor and other people who went on to military service. 24:32 – childhood experience visiting the HMS Hermes and how that affected his interest in aviation 25:20 – acceptance into pilot/navigator training, discusses first military training 26:18 – discusses how early training was learning mathematics required for flying and how he failed 26:53 – anecdote about interview with an officer which led to a change in training 28:10 – discusses training as a wireless operator 29:05 – theorizes that many wireless operators were failed pilot candidates 29:45 – anecdote about failing a Morse Code test 30:45 – discusses early radio training at RAF Yatesbury 31:42 – discusses gunnery training and theorizes that Canadian training was more comprehensive 32:25 – anecdotes about gunnery and wireless training experiences on the ground in the air 33:40 – discusses training at Felixstowe outstation and the effectiveness of ground training in combat situations 36:05 – description of operational flying in the Mediterranean 37:26 – encountering friends from past training while on active service 38:15 – return to Yatesbury for further flight training as a wireless operator, the start of keeping a log book 40:15 – further explanation of gunnery training 42:40 – comparing wireless and gunnery training experiences 43:27 – discusses choosing which aircraft to serve on at Turnberry, reasons for choosing Beauforts 44:44 – discusses casualty rates on Beauforts 45:10 – discusses only seeing accidents at Turnberry where final flight training took place, with anecdotes 46:56 – anecdote about avoiding accidents and finding a crew 47:54 – discussion of training at Turnberry 49:15 – anecdote of training flights with different pilots 51:50 – anecdote about accident on night solo flight 56:32 – anecdote about meeting a friend at Turnberry from his first pilot’s course and avoiding another accident 59:34 – anecdote about another near miss on active service 1:05:00 – Discussion about commissioned and non-commissioned aircrew 1:06:30 – anecdote about life outside of training and not having any money or holidays 1:08:10 – discussion about life at Felixstowe during the winter and contracting bronchitis 1:09:25 – anecdote about guard duty, chores and living conditions at Felixstowe 1:11:17 – anecdote about service in Benghazi 1:13:40 – anecdote about a near miss and saving aircrew in Benghazi accident 1:15:27 – Talks about how he is still affected by the noise of a Halifax bomber over his tent in Benghazi 1:19:10 – recounts that training as an air gunner did not adequately prepare him for the realities of war, and theorizes that training for Bomber Command was more effective and intensive 1:20:05 – discusses the importance of communication in aircrew and how commissioned personnel were treated better than him 1:24:30 – additional comments: discussion about inequality in aircrews with commissioned and non-commissioned personnel and the comparison to modern flight duties; additional family history and anecdote from time in Northern Rhodesia; strategy for air gunners in combat 1:32:07 – interview conclusion and standard interview narratives 1:33:22 – interview ends Suggested Clips for Archive: 32:25-33:17 – anecdote about training experiences in airplanes that smelled of airsickness 33:40-36:04 – discusses training at Felixstowe outstation and the effectiveness of ground training in combat situations 45:10-47:54 – discusses only seeing accidents at Turnberry where final flight training took place 51:50-56:32 – anecdote about accident on night solo flight 1:15:27-1:18:05 – Talks about how he is still affected by the noise of a Halifax bomber over his tent in Benghazi Subject Key Words: Royal Air Force, RAF, Benghazi, Bristol Beauforts, Bombers, Training, Aircrew, England, Casualties, Accidents, Near Misses, Enlistment Experiences, Mediterranean, Turnberry, Yatesbury, Felixstowe, Commissioned Officers, Aircrew Dynamics, Wireless Operator.
- In Collection:
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 52.16045, -0.70312
- 48.4359, -123.35155
- Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- LP_801
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- March 12, 2014
- Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 91 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 2014. 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
This page supports the Zotero and Mendeley browser extensions simply click on the extension widget in your browser to save the objects citation.
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SC141_MilitaryOralHistory_GenericThumbnail | Public |
|
|
|
Lake_P_0801_01.mp3 | Public |
|