Summary James Doohan had a brief but notable military career before becoming the beloved Scotty in Star Trek. Doohan transitioned from the Royal Canadian Artillery to pilot training during WWII. His wartime experiences influenced the creation of his iconic Star Trek character, including Scotty's accent and resilience.
"I'm giving her al! she's got, Keptin [Captain]!" "I dannae is she can take any more, Keptin!" " It will be blown ta bits with as many of you as we can take with us." "And they'll be no tribble at all! "I know what time it is, I don't need a bloomin' cuckoo clock!" "Laddie, don't you think you should..
. rephrase that??" "You mind your place, or you'll be wearin' concrete galoshes." Old-school science fiction buffs will almost certainly recognize at least some of the above quotes as belonging to dear ol' Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Chief Engineer of the starship USS Enterprise in the enduringly popular Star Trek television and movie franchise.
The late great James Doohan played Scotty in the original TV and film series, and Simon Pegg in the reboot. What is not as well known is that long before he embarked on ambitious outer space adventures "boldly go[ing] where no man has gone before," the original Scotty, James Doohan, had a somewhat brief but nonetheless noteworthy real-life military aerospace career during the Second World War. Simple Flying now examines Mr Doohan's military career in general and his flying career in particular.
James Doohan's early life and initial military career James Montgomery Doohan was born on March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia , Canada, the youngest of four children of William Patrick Doohan and Sarah Frances (née Montgomery), who both emigrated from Bangor, Northern Ireland , Yes, Doohan himself chose the Scotty character's first name, not only because it was his own real-life middle name, but also to honor his maternal grandfather, James Montgomery. The Air Force primarily operates two types of fighters. The Doohans relocated from Vancouver to Sarnia, Ontario .
Young James attended high school at Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School, where he excelled in math and science. James got his first taste of military life when he enrolled in the 102nd Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps in 1938. The following year, he enlisted as a gunner in the Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) .
In other words, Mr Doohan started his military career as a ground-pounding Canadian Army type, not a high-flying Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aviator. Field artillery has long been affectionately known as the "King of Battle," while the infantry has been dubbed "Queen of Battle." Artillerymen are also jokingly called "cannon cockers.
" Doohan quickly became a high achiever with the 22nd Field Battery, 13th Field Regiment RCA of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division. After rising through the ranks to sergeant, he won a place at an Officer Training School and earned a commission as a lieutenant in 1940. From there, he went off to England for additional training.
In the US Armed Forces, an enlisted troop transitioning to the commissioned officer ranks is known as a "Mustang" (not to be confused with the P-51D Mustang ). I'm proud to note that I was a Mustang myself. Doohan at D-Day Perhaps fittingly, Lt.
Doohan was first "blooded" (both literally and figuratively, as it would turn out) during D-Day, more specifically as part of the Canadian landing force at Normandy's Juno Beach on June 6, 1944. This would set the stage for his transition to the aviation phase of his military career. Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, with airpower having played a crucial role in the success of this Allied effort.
The FamilyPhile Celebrity Veterans page picks up the story from there: "'The sea was rough," he recalled. 'We were more afraid of drowning than of the Germans.'" The C-47 Skytrain that led the D-Day invasion's paradrop has returned to the US after another visit to Europe.
"Shooting two snipers, Doohan led his men to higher ground through a field of anti-tank mines, where they took defensive positions for the night. Crossing between command posts at 11:30 that night, Doohan was hit by six rounds of friendly fire courtesy of a Bren gun and an overzealous Canadian gunman. He took four shots in his leg, one in the chest, and one through his right middle finger.
His right middle finger had to be amputated, something he kept hidden during his career as an actor. Miraculously, the bullet to his chest was stopped by a silver cigarette case, a gift from his brother he kept in his breast pocket. He would later give up smoking, but unlike almost every other ex-smoker, he could say that smoking actually saved his life once.
" Scotty takes to the air After recovering from his wounds (not to mention the near-death experience), Lt. Doohan decided to shift gears on his military career path. FamilyPhile resumes the story: "It took a while, but Doohan recovered from his injuries and received his new orders.
He trained as a pilot graduating from Air Observation Pilot Course 40, and flew Taylorcraft Auster Mark V aircraft for 666 (AOP) Squadron, RCAF, in support of 1st Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery. All three Canadian (AOP) RCAF Squadrons were manned by Artillery Officer-pilots and accompanied by non-commissioned RCA and RCAF personnel serving as observers." "Although never actually a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Doohan was once labeled the 'craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Force.
' As the story goes, Doohan was boasting of his piloting prowess and in the late spring of 1945, he dared to slalom a plane between mountainside telegraph poles to prove it could be done. The stunt, performed in a Mark IV Auster on the Salisbury Plain north of RAF Andover, earned him a serious reprimand." That serious reprimand probably explains why Mr.
Doohan never got promoted past the rank of Lieutenant by the time he mustered out of the service in 1945! The plane that "Scotty" flew Lt. Doohan flew a Taylorcraft Auster, either the Mk IV or Mk V variant (depending upon which source you consult and choose to believe). The Auster was a British military liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited company, making its operational debut in 1942.
Alas, I haven't been able to ascertain the date of the Auster's maiden flight. Taylorcraft Aeroplanes was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Rearsby, Leicestershire, UK. It later changed its name to Auster Aircraft Limited and merged with Beagle Aircraft Limited, which went defunct in 1969.
The Auster V had the following specifications: Crew : 3 Fuselage Length: 22 ft 5 in (6.83 m) Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m) Height: 8 ft 0 in (2.
44 m) Wing Area: 167 sq ft (15.51 m2) Empty Weight: 1,100 lb (499 kg) Max Takeoff Weight: 1,850 lb (839 kg) Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-290-3 flat-four piston, 130 hp (97 kW) Max Airspeed: 130 mph (209 km/h, 113 kn) Stall Speed: 32 mph (51 km/h, 28 kn) Range: 250 mi (402 km, 220 NM) or 460 mi (740 km; 400 NM) with long-range tank fitted. Takeoff Run: 91 ft (28 m) Out of 1,630 Austers built, three survive today: Serial No.
NJ695, the only airworthy specimen, an Mk IV at The Historic Aircraft Hangar, " Bellman 4 ", Solent Airport Daedalus (EGHF) (a former Royal Naval Air Station), Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire, England, UK; Serial No. TW384, a Mk V at Rakovnik Airport (LKRK) , Rakovnik, Czechia; Serial No. MS980, a Mk V at Niederöblarn Airport (LOGO) , Niederöblarn, Styria, Austria.
Learn about a post-WWII civilian variant of the Auster . The influence of military service on Doohan's acting career Though James Doohan obviously didn't make the military a permanent career, his wartime experiences nonetheless influenced the development of his Star Trek character. Jordan Strate of Juno Beach Centre elaborates: "During his service, Doohan often fraternized with Scottish troops.
He became particularly friendly with some from Aberdeen, and later said this is what inspired Montgomery Scott’s accent. He recalled, 'I decided to give Scotty an Aberdeen accent, which was something I had learned [..
.] when I was sent over to England during the war. While I was there, I met this fellow from Aberdeen; and I couldn’t understand one word he said! But I did learn that accent from him and that was the one I used for Scotty.
'” ALBA GU BRATH , Mr Doohan/LCDR Scott!.
