Jim Plant oral interview

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2021-09-24

The Jim Plant oral interview is a small collection consisting of an audio recording and related document of an oral interview conducted by Fred Parkinson with his uncle Jim Plant in August 1996 about Plant's experience as a prisoner of war during World War II.

James Plant was a bomber pilot for the Royal Air Force during World War II who was shot down in July 1940 over Germany. He was detained as a prisoner of war for five wars until he was released on May 2, 1945 by the Allies. In the interview he discusses his history with the RAF, the Whitley aircraft that he flew, the bombing raids he participated in, parachuting out of his aircraft, being taken prisoner, conditions of camps, and attempts at tunneling out of the camps.

Dates

1996 August

Creator

Parkinson, Fred (Interviewer, Person)

Language of Materials

All materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The cassette in this collection may not be used, but a digitized version is available. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Extent

.02 Cubic Feet (1 cassette, 1 document)

Additional Description

Biographical Note: Jim Plant

James Plant was a bomber pilot for the Royal Air Force during World War II. He was shot down and detained as a prisoner of war for five wars until his liberation on May 2, 1945 by Allied forces.

Plant was born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1914 to English parents. When World War II was imminent, Plant wanted to enlist with the Canadian Royal Air Force, but as there were no openings, he decided to enlist in the Royal Air Force. He went to England in 1937, completed his training, and received his commission; the war broke out shortly thereafter. During his service, Plant flew bombing missions over Europe in a Whitley aircraft. On June 20, 1940, Plant and copilot George Walker had completed a bombing run on the Kurtz Marshalling Yard but had one live bomb left on board. Returning to the target to drop the remaining bomb, they were hit and forced to bail out of their aircraft. Both men were captured by German forces. During his five-year internment, Plant was held at several different prisoner-of-war camps, including Stalag Luft I and Stalag Luft III. He participated in tunneling efforts in attempts to escape. Plant, who had become known as "Pappy" to his fellow POWs, was liberated on May 2, 1945 by Allied forces.

Returning to England, Plant transferred to the RCAF in order to return to Canada. He returned home in June 1945. Mildred, a nurse whom Plant had met prior to the war and who had been working in Africa, also returned to Canada around this time. They were married on October 9, 1945 and settled in Calgary. The couple had two children. Plant died in 2007.