Walton Smart

Born and raised in Coalmont, Walton W. Smart worked about half a dozen different jobs before he enlisted in 1942. "I wanted to learn to fly and the option came up," Smart says.

He went through his Basic Training in Edmonton, Initial Training in Saskatoon, Elementary Flying Training in Virden, Manitoba and Service Flying Training in McLeod, Alberta. "It was a thrill flying the first time," Smart says. "There were 29 airplanes flying in that field at one time. It was a bit of a madhouse."

On one occasion, Smart was ready to take off and a plane flew right over his head and landed. With the old planes they used in training, it was hard to see straight ahead, so the plane zig-zagged a bit to get a view of the runway, but the pilot didn't see Smart. Smart ducked down as the plane got closer and closer to him, but after a couple of minutes nothing happened. His propeller was right next to Smart's however.

"There was a plane burning up ahead, and I guess the control tower was looking at them instead," Smart says. "Those things were happening every day."

Smart shipped off to England, and was stationed at the Canadian Air Force base in Bournmouth, on the south shore. "We used to be raided by the German bombers almost every night," Smart says. "They hit a theatre once and killed a few people I guess, but (the Allies) never publicized that sort of stuff." When D-day took place and the Allies invaded France, Smart was at the Advanced Flying Unit, doing more training.

"There was a tremendous buildup in those days," Smart says. "Some of the convoys heading past us would go for two or three days, including nights. Those were just the ones going past us." Smart was sent to Scotland for Flying Instructor School, and spent the rest of the war teaching pilots to fly.

He remembers the Thousand Bomber Raids, where every day 1000 American bombers took off and in the evening, 1000 British and Canadian bombers took off. "Now just imagine 1000 four-engine aircraft taking off, "Smart says. "Every direction you looked there were planes taking off, and the ground would vibrate."

When the war ended in Europe Smart volunteered for the Pacific but the war with Japan ended before he could be shipped off. "I lost a lot of good friends I trained with," Smart says. "That's the sad part of a war you know, it takes the best." He adds, "I think we should be able to solve our differences without killing each other."