During the Second World War nearly 250,000 Canadians served in the RCAF, including about 17,000 in the Women’s Division. About 94,000 served overseas. To hear some of their stories, listen to a collection of the clips noted below.

Note: You may want students to use headphones if they are doing these activities independently.  Alternatively, simply play the brief clips from war veterans over a pair of speakers.

ACTIVITY #1

Learning Outcomes:

1.    To appreciate the roles played by pilots in the air war
2.    To learn about another theatre of war, the Pacific

Listen and Learn

Listen to the experiences of RCAF pilot Bob Farquharson as he recounts conducting air drops in the Pacific theatre of war.

Questions

Ask students to answer the following questions after listening to the war veteran’s clip.

1.    What was the Burma Road and who controlled it?
2.    What did the Allies do to get supplies to the army fighting the Japanese in Burma?

Making A Drop

1.    What sorts of things were dropped in air drops (Mr. Farquharson mentions items on two separate occasions)?
2.    How were items such as eggs and rice packaged for drops?
3.    What did “Slack packed, double sacked” mean?
4.    What danger did Mr. Farquharson mention about flying?

Geography Meets History

Ask students to note where Burma is on a map What strategic importance would it have for the war in the Pacific for the Allies?

Further Resources

British Commonwealth Air Training Program (The Canadian Encyclopedia)