Bonus: Tiffy Boys with Wally Ward, Doug Gordon & Harry Hardy
Editor’s note: This episode is part two of an episode titled The Typhoon Project. It can be listened to as a stand-alone, but those unfamiliar with Typhoons and their pilots will find the previous episode provides useful context.
This bonus episode is called Tiffy Boys. The Tiffy was the common nickname given to the Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber during the Second World War.
Following on our last episode, Tiffy Boys features interviews with three Typhoon pilots who flew during the Battle of Normandy with 440 Squadron RCAF.
We’ve organized this episode into three parts. In part one, we have a brief conversation with Walter (Wally) Ward. Our second interview is with Doug Gordon, who, along with Wally, shares his experience as a Typhoon pilot on D-Day. Part three features bonus audio from our conversation with Harry Hardy in the previous episode.
Special thanks go to Anne Gafiuk and The Typhoon Project for introducing us to these veterans.
Tiffy Boys is dedicated to the memory of Walter (Wally) Edward Ward. These interviews took place in early 2019 and Wally passed away on May 30th 2019. Per Ardua Ad Astra.
Time Stamps
2:12 Part I: Walter Ward
10:15 Part II: Doug Gordon
31:45 Part III: Harry Hardy
Guest Biography
Walter Ward was a Second World War Typhoon pilot. He served with 440 Squadron RCAF and flew more than 100 operations (ops), including D-Day. After the war, he pursued a degree in English literature and became a high school teacher. He passed away on May 30th 2019, at 96 years of age.
Doug Gordon, 96, is a Second World War Typhoon pilot. He served with 440 Squadron RCAF from March to November 1944, flying two missions on D-Day. He flew 99 ops in total. After the war, Doug worked for a GM car dealership, first as a Service Advisor and later as Leasing Manager.
Harry Hardy is a Second World War Typhoon pilot. After a tour that spanned the Battle of the Falaise Pocket to beyond the Battle of the Bulge, Flight Lieutenant Hardy received the Distinguished Flying Cross. At 97 years old, Harry has worked since his retirement to raise awareness of the Typhoon — giving his beloved plane its due.
Notes
The following links offer more information on the topics discussed in this episode:
Podcasts
Voices of Juno with Desaree Rosskopf
Juno75: Above & Beyond with Neil Orford
7 Days in Normandy with Scott Entwistle
The Roseland Spitfire with Tom Hennessy
Aerodrome of Democracy – A Visit to the CH2A Hangar
Events
Weapons & Formations
RCAF Fighter Squadrons Overseas
Credits
Juno Beach & Beyond is hosted and edited by Alex Fitzgerald-Black, the centre’s Digital Projects Coordinator.
Garth Webb’s quote about D-Day from the Testaments of Honour Historical Archive and the Defining Moments Canada website: https://definingmomentscanada.ca/jbc75/dday/webb/
Mackenzie King’s speech to British Parliament from the British Pathé YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SlEvclY5LE&t=48s
Artillery firing sounds from the CBC News: The National YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsCSQ4uWR1Y
Winston Churchill’s “Finest Hour” speech from Jonathan Thomas’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB5wZtV1MWM
Spitfire sound effect from Jason Kirby’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgZI4tAoMN0
Dramatic Interlude by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Dispatches from Juno shares all the news, events, and stories from the Juno Beach Centre in France and Canada. Interested in contributing a story to the blog? Email the editor at jbca@junobeach.org.
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