Sam Gojanovich
A Story Worth Turning Off the TV for…
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One of the real pleasures of working for The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War has been the opportunity to interact with veterans. These men and women experienced first-hand an event in our history that has always captivated me on a personal level. In the past, I, like most Canadians, took to books and television to feed my curiosity. After conducting my first few interviews, however, I quickly realized the very real connection to our past that I’d been missing.
I had the pleasure of speaking with a Spitfire pilot from Saskatoon, Gordon Wilson, who had flown sorties in North Africa and Italy. He spoke to me of tense flights, close calls, and even a crash landing. Mr. Wilson described his wartime experiences with a certain tone of pragmatism that although not without emotion, wasn’t wistful either, with one small exception...
During our conversation the aviation buff in me had to ask; “What is it like to fly a Spitfire?” I could hear Mr. Wilson smile over the phone as he gave in to his one wistful moment of the interview and describe the experience as a “dream come true” and that he “fell in love right away.” He quickly recovered and let me know; “If you have the best of that airplane, you’ll enjoy it, but if the plane gets the best of you, you’re in trouble.” I’ll never be able to apply that advice, but I’m glad to know it.
At the close of our interview I had to wonder if his neighbours knew these things about him - That the elderly gentleman raking his leaves next door once crashed-landed a Spitfire in Italy behind enemy lines, and then evaded capture.
It’s a story worth turning off the TV for…
I had the pleasure of speaking with a Spitfire pilot from Saskatoon, Gordon Wilson, who had flown sorties in North Africa and Italy. He spoke to me of tense flights, close calls, and even a crash landing. Mr. Wilson described his wartime experiences with a certain tone of pragmatism that although not without emotion, wasn’t wistful either, with one small exception...
During our conversation the aviation buff in me had to ask; “What is it like to fly a Spitfire?” I could hear Mr. Wilson smile over the phone as he gave in to his one wistful moment of the interview and describe the experience as a “dream come true” and that he “fell in love right away.” He quickly recovered and let me know; “If you have the best of that airplane, you’ll enjoy it, but if the plane gets the best of you, you’re in trouble.” I’ll never be able to apply that advice, but I’m glad to know it.
At the close of our interview I had to wonder if his neighbours knew these things about him - That the elderly gentleman raking his leaves next door once crashed-landed a Spitfire in Italy behind enemy lines, and then evaded capture.
It’s a story worth turning off the TV for…
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