Venn Williams interviewed by Rob Willis in the Rob and Olya Willis folklore collection [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 3546683
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Williams, Venn, 1921-, interviewee
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2005
- 1 digital audio tape (ca. 65 min.)
- Series:
- Rob and Olya Willis folklore collection.
- Summary:
-
Folkloric recording. Venn Williams, born 1921 in Miles, Qld. talks about his family background; his siblings; his education; moving to Bourke while young because the family needed to find a town with a school; his early work, mustering; volunteering for the Airforce in 1942; training on Tiger Moths and Wirraways,he describes the experience; becoming a trainer; training terms; how the RAAF was poor in comparison to the RAF; Tiger Moth DH82, training at Temora and Uranquinty; going to the UK in 1944 and being posted to 625 Squadron, a Lancaster squadron; Scampton airfield; flying missions into Europe; describes the feeling of first mission to Plauen marshalling yards; the crew of a Lancaster; his first mission as pilot being to Burchesgarten with 150-200 planes; how the Lancaster flew like a big Tiger Moth; completing seven missions in all; how the crew was a team.
Williams speaks about returning to Australia in 1945; staying in the RAAF until 1948; being part of the occupation forces in Japan flying Mustangs; describes flying a Wirraway compared with a Mustang; being based near Hiroshima while in Japan; how nobody had any idea about the effects of radiation; tells a story about an Australian POW at Nagasaki; his observation about the use of the atomic bomb; comments on the co-operation of the Japanese during the occupation; the unauthorised fraternising with the population; compares POW treatment by the Germans and Japanese; comments on the Russian and German near alliance; comments on Churchill's WW1 experience and how it lead him to use airpower as a rapier in WWII; after being discharged from the airforce, doing odd jobs and helping father on his block.
- Notes:
-
- Recorded with Bruce Cameron.
- Recorded on June 8, 2005 at Bourke, N.S.W.
- Digital master available National Library of Australia;
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary available.
- Subject:
- Other authors/contributors:
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Rob and Olya Willis folklore collection.
This collection contains 1,003 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2075 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2005
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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