Jack Aldred was born and raised by his father, a war veteran, and his mother, in downtown Toronto. Mr. Aldred always looked up to his older brother, so when his brother went off to fight in the navy, so did Mr. Aldred. Mr. Aldred says that it was “just the thing to do” at the time [go off and fight]. After training, Mr. Aldred was assigned to the Prince Robert ship. One night, the Prince Robert was engaged in a battle with German aircraft. The ship suffered no damages, and everyone was unharmed. The battle was short; their enemy was only 3 German aircraft. Later they were heralded as heroes in a Toronto newspaper. Mr. Aldred worked as the communications officer, this means he would relay information from the navigator to the people shooting the weapons.
Jack Aldred was interviewed for this project in October 2011 by Crestwood students Robert McKay and Victor Lantos.
Videos
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- 1. Prewar Memories of Jack Aldred
- 2. More Prewar Memories; Enlistment
- 3. Travelling to England
- 4. Joining up; the Uniform
- 5. The Prince Robert Sea Battle
- 6. Mr. Aldred's Role on the Prince Robert
- 7. Training
- 8. The VE Day Riots; Reactions to the News
- 9. Photos and Stories
- 10. Meeting other soldiers
- 11. Salary, Advice, and Remembrance Day
