IslandVoices

Audio

Recording Details: Bill Bruce:

SIDE A 00:00:00 -- 00:9:58 When he was born, his ancestors, his first memories of cars, growing up in Sydney and the street cars they used to have, working in a steel plant as a kid, making rails, learning to fly, and sea landings; 1914, flying, pilots, ancestors, cars, Sydney, street cars, steel plants, rails, flying. 

SIDE A 00:9:58 -- 00:23:40 Transporting cargo and passengers with his plane, getting shot through the arm in Halifax while teaching, flying, getting a job on PEI, his favorite plane, and where he worked and taught; Fleet Finch, pilots, flying, airplanes, teaching, planes. 

SIDE A 00:23:40 -- 00:33:54 Landing at the Upton Airield, planes he flew, flying around Cape Breton, the Spanish Flu, hearing Churchill's announcement about the end of the war, and getting shot down by drunken Australians after the war; WWII, Spanish Flu, Churchill, Upton Airfield, airplanes, planes, pilots. 

SIDE A 00:33:54 -- 00:43:25 The great WWI flying aces Eddie Rickenbacker and Buzz Burling, his father's work as Alexander Graham Bell’s doctor and building boats for the Bells, Elton “the Flying Farmer” Woodside, types of planes, and landing on Sable Island; Sable Island, Elton Woodside, Flying Farmer, shipbuilding, Alexander Graham Bell, doctors, Buzz Burling, Eddie Rickenbacker, pilots, fighter pilots, WWI. 

SIDE A 00:43:25 -- 00:47:35 Planning to go back to Sydney, flying up North, guys he flew with, having problems with the landing gear, and then Bruce phones an old friend; Sydney, flying, pilots. 

SIDE A ends at 00:47:35.

SIDE B 00:47:48 -- 00:59:20 Bill talks about getting shot in the arm, St. Pierre, smuggling kegs from St. Pierre to Cape Breton, his father’s work, a photo of trainees at flying school, working in a gold mine, Billy McKritchy Day in Sydney, smuggling, steamers, convoys, and getting shipped out to the war; St. Pierre, bootlegging, flying school, pilots, flying, gold mines, Billy McKritchy, Billy McKritchy Day, Sydney, convoys, WWII. 

SIDE B 00:59:20 -- 01:05:19 Retiring, moving up the ranks in the army, and his father’s military involvement; army, WWII, pilots. 

SIDE B 01:05:19 -- 01:17:49 John Bruce talks about meeting John Belliveau, getting his autograph, his dad’s flying career, the old railway bridge, farms that were in his neighborhood, and gifts from St. Pierre gifts; John Bruce, John Belliveau, pilots, raulway bridge, St. Pierre. 
 Tape ends at 01:17:49.

Overview:

Interviewee(s):
Bruce, Bill and John

Playing Time:
01:17:49

Interview Date(s):
0000-00-00

Interview Summary:
This is an interview with Bill Bruce. In this interview Bill talks about his ancestors, cars, Sydney, flying, airplanes, WWII, Upton Airfield, Buzz Burling, pilots, Elton Woodside, bootleggers, St. Pierre, and various other topics.

Place(s) Discussed:
St. Pierre, France; Sydney, NS; Upton, PE

Time(s) Discussed:
WWII, WWI

Rights Information:
All content on this site is made available for personal research and private study only. Any other reuse, reproduction, or re-purposing may require the permission of the rightsholder(s); please contact the UPEI Library for more information on permissions/clearances.

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