ABSTRACT: Cdr. Vincent Henry Royal Canadian Navy Henry_V_0176_01.mp3 (Reel 1, Side 1, Track 1) Born on June 8, 1922 and educated in Victoria, B.C. No previous military experience except for cadet corps in grades seven and eight which he describes. Upon graduation from Victoria High School in 1940 he applied to the R.C.A.F. as potential air crew. In the meantime he wrote civil service examinations and was employed in H.M.C. Dockyard as a stores clerk. In 1941 he joined the Royal Canadian Navy as an ordinary seaman. Received air force acceptance, but was refused his transfer on the grounds that the R.C.N. was the senior service and, besides, he was not R.C.N.V.R.! (30:00) (Side 2, Track 1) Explains new entry naval training. Became a writer which involved clerical and administrative work. Considerable emphasis on defense of Dockyard when Japan entered the war. Fisherman's Reserve. Promoted to leading seaman (writer). Offered the opportunity to become an officer. Required to pass exams in four academic subjects, at approximately the senior matriculation level, qualifying as a petty officer or chief petty officer, and serve two years in capital ships of the Royal Navy. (24:00) Henry_V_0176_02.mp3 (Side 1, Track 2) Comments again on the educational requirements for a commission. In 1943 sent to H.M.C.S. Stadacona (shore base) in Halifax where he took petty officer courses while waiting to proceed to the R.N. Promoted to that rank and sailed for the U.K. in Jan. 1944 on the Ile de France. Posted to the manning pool, part of H.M.C.S. Niobe (shore establishment). Experiences of living in wartime England. (31:00) (Side 2, Track 2) In May 1944 drafted to the Royal Naval Barracks at Portsmouth, then to H.M.S. Formidable (fleet carrier) just coming out of refit at Belfast. Sailed for Scapa Flow. Commenced operations off the Norwegian coast. Later acted as a floating air reserve for the D-Day landing. General remarks on aircraft carrier operations. (24:00) Henry_V_0176_03.mp3 (Reel 2, Side 1) Returns to remarks about H.M.S. Formidable, with some corrections. Experienced "culture shock" in a very large ship as his first seagoing appointment. Worked strictly on administrative duties in the captain's office. Partially describes the process of bringing the ship to operational readiness, including flying-on of the aircraft. Emphasizes that crews and ships very dependent upon one another. Discusses flying operations, including casualties. High element of risk flying off a carrier; lives were lost accidentally. Damage control and safety in a carrier were probably more important than in other kinds of ships. Operational patrols for ten days or two weeks. (47:00)

Rank: Commander.

An interview/narrative of Vincent Henry's experiences during World War II. Commander Henry served with the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on December 12, 1985 and January 24, 1986.

Interviewer: Cafferky, Shawn

Interviewee: Henry, Vincent, b. 1922

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Henry, Vincent, b. 1922
• Cafferky, Shawn

Subject

• World War (1939-1945)
• Canada. Royal Canadian Navy
• Naval history
• Operation Overlord
• Military history
• World War (1914-1918)

Language

• eng

Date created

• December 12, 1985 to January 24, 1986

Relation

• No other interviews were undertaken.
• Part of the Reginald H. Roy collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 3 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic Coverage

• British Columbia--Victoria
• England

Coordinates

• 52.16045, -0.70312
• 48.4359, -123.35155

Additional physical characteristics

• Two original sound tape reels (ca. 165 min.) : 3 3/4 ips, 4 track, mono. ; 2 sound cassette copies : 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

• HV_176

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

• April 1, 2009

Technical note

• Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 44 kHz. In .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 32 kHz. Digitized by KG and JF, 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 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/h824-yr56

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