New Search
Photo Search
Audiovisual Search
Harold Kates - 14 Jun. 2010
- Name
- Harold Kates
- Material Format
- moving images
- Interview Date
- 14 Jun. 2010
- Source
- Oral Histories
- Name
- Harold Kates
- Number
- OH 391
- Subject
- Canada--Armed Forces
- World War, 1939-1945
- Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
- Interview Date
- 14 Jun. 2010
- Quantity
- 1 reference DVD (WAV file)
- 1 archival DVD (WAV file
- Interviewer
- Marie Eve Deleris
- Total Running Time
- 24:30 seconds
- Notes
- This interview was part of the Memory Project event held at Lipa Green on 13 May 2010 in partnership with the Historica Dominion Institute.
- http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/1647:herald-katz/
- Biography
- Herald was born in Toronto in 1921. He served as a test flight mechanic with the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1939 to 1945. Herald was stationed in North Africa, Scotland, Ireland, and England and was involved in various bombing campaigns throughout Europe, including the bombing of Berlin. In 1948, Herald volunteered and fought in Israel’s War of Independence with the 101 Fighter Squadron assembling aircraft in Herzlia. Today, he goes by the name Harold Kates.
- Material Format
- moving images
- Name Access
- Jewish Defense League
- Geographic Access
- Africa, North
- England
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Original Format
- DVD
- Transcript
- 00:00: Herald was born in Toronto. His parents emigrated in 1904 from Poland. He grew up in the Spadina/College area. 1:32: Herald was not affiliated with a synagogue. 1:50: Herald explains that he initially enlisted with the Queen’s Rangers in 1939 but that he learned they were not going overseas, so he enlisted with the RCAF, because he had taken a course in aeronautics at technical school. 3:30: Herald reports that there were few Jews in his regiment. There was no observance of kashrut and minimal opportunity to observe kashrut. 4:49: Herald discusses chaplains. He recalls that Rabbi Monson was active in the army but not in the air force. 6:15: Herald did not receive assistance, packages, etc. from any Jewish organizations. 7:03: Herald explains that he went overseas in 1942, landing in Liverpool, but that he was stationed in Hastings. He shares an anecdote about the hotel where he lodged. 8:53: Herald describes his role as a test flight mechanic. He lists the aircrafts that he flew in and checked out. 10:43: Herald explains that his squadron, sent to North Africa in 1943, was involved in the bombing of Italy before the invasion of Italy. 11:18: Herald contracted malaria while in North Africa. He recalls that the doctor he saw also had malaria and did not record the illness. 12:28: Herald shares an anecdote about meeting a Jewish girl while on leave in a small town in North Africa. 14:16: Herald’s squadron returned to England in 1944, where he remained until the war ended. 14:48: Herald recalls the disbelief at his station at the end of the war. 15:57: Herald returned to Canada on the Samaria steamship. 16:10: Herald recalls the danger from U-boats while crossing the English Channel en route to England. 17:37: Herald shares memories from his time serving in North Africa. 19:43: Following the war, Herald studied and was licensed in auto-mechanics. 21:04: Herald joined the Jewish Legion after the war to stay in touch with other Jews. 21:23: Herald reports that he did not encounter any antisemitism during his service. 21:55: Herald explains that he was proud to be Jewish. He discusses that he volunteered in 1948 to fight in Israel’s War of Independence. Initially, he volunteered with the army, but he was shifted to 101 Fighter Squadron assembling aircraft in Herzlia. 23:30: Herald discusses his post-war affiliation with Jewish War Veterans, the Jewish Legion, and the Jewish Defense League.
- Source
- Oral Histories