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 Issued on the authority of
THE CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF
Royal Canadian Air Force

VOL. 2, No. 7 MAY 1950

* * * CONTENTS * * {

EDITORIAL
page
Sgt. Shatterproof is not Immune . 1 This Month's Cover

ARTICLES

Stalag Luft III: Part 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

An Idyll of the South Atlantic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Roundel" Visits
R.C.A.F. Station Goose Bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Canada's Radar Outposts... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The Future of Air Bombardment. . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

REGULAR FEATURES

R.C.A.F. Association. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Flt. Lt. D, R. Cuthbertson, Search &

What's the Score?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ·. 34 Rescue Officer at R.C.A.F. Station

Goose Bay, explains route of mercy
Royal Canadian Air Cadets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
flight to Mary's Harbour to crew,
The Dimmer View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 47 (left to right) Flt. Lt. G. J. Williams,
Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 D.FE.C., Flying Officer J. M. Coates, and
Flying Officer S. W. Nichols.
MISCELLANY

Editorial Confidences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Backward Glances.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . g
Stations are What You Make Them..... . . . . . . 16

EDITORIAL OFFICES:
Room 3130, D.N.D. Bldg. "B,"
Ottawa, Ont.
 John Griffin Library

Sgt. Shatterproof is Not Immune

Sir:
I write as one who has been dragged back from I have often mentioned to you my custom of
the brink of a precipice. But for the intervention dining at least twice a week with my old friend
of Fate (in the unlikely shape of young Cudgel Farmer Fetlock, who owns the property adjoining
Fetlock), I might at this very moment be plunging our aerodrome. I have spoken, too, of Miss
headlong into the frightful abyss of matrimony. Clasper, his unmarried sister-in-law, and I
Even Shatterproof is not immune to the menace of have touched lightly upon the esteem in which
Spring. this lady holds me-an esteem, I must add, that
As I sit here in my room silently contemplating the questionable quality of her pies has hitherto
the bust of Napoleon that stands upon my table, prevented me from returning.
I reflect how apparently insignificant are the During the past winter, however, there has
circumstances that sometimes alter the course of been a marked improvement in Miss Clasper's
history. Had St. Simon de Roquefort not burnt a cooking. So noticeable was it that even before the
batch of cookies, King Alfred might never have snow had disappeared I caught myself once or
signed the Habeas Corpus Act. If Madame Curie twice wondering whether she might not be closer
had not mislaid her key in a drawer full of X-ray to forty than fifty. But I quickly dismissed such
plates, we would not have radar to-day. Similarly, tender speculation as being unworthy of a carefree
but for a boyish prank of young Cudgel Fetlock, bachelor. I contented myself with complimenting
I would no longer be free to give my undivided her on her work, and ate doggedly on.
attention to guiding the destiny of our Service. It All might have been well had not the arrival of
makes one think. Spring coincided with Miss Clasper's mastery of
Even you, Sir, must have felt the influence of

,91
this dread season. Love's magic spell is everywhere.
LAC Bladder spends his noon-hours prancing to
and fro inside the fence that separates the barrack
blocks from the highway, uttering flute-like
I
1,/
mating-cries at the passing village maidens. Flt. I y

Lt. Oglebody has tuned up his M.G. convertible

and may be seen almost any evening conveying
young ladies at high speed about the countryside.
Cpl. Aperture, of the Photographic Section,
occupies most of his leisure by prowling around
the Station swimming-pool with his camera, in
search of what he calls "nature subjects"; and
Flying Officer Backflip has resumed his annual
task of teaching the C.O.'s daughter the crawl. In
such an atmosphere, it is not hard to lose one's
grip on reality. \
 the secret of making my favourite chocolate Is it any wonder that after a few such experiences
meringue filling. I weakened? Can you blame me if eventually I
Picture the situation to yourself, Sir. An N.C.0. began to succumb to the combined blandishments
in the prime of life, striding vigorously towards his of nature and art? Demoralized by pie, bewitched
dinner on a golden Spring evening ... his soul by the season, I rushed heedlessly on to my doom.
Then suddenly, at the eleventh hour, Fate
stepped in.
I had bitten deeply into my third piece of pie,
and had actually reached the point of returning
Miss Clasper's ardent glances, when something
squirmed convulsively between my teeth. Abruptly
I dropped the pie on to my plate, just in time to
see the front half of a heavily-muscled cockroach
thrashing its way into the thickest part of the
filling ...
I doubt if young Cudgel will ever know why I
interceded for him as his father was leading him
by the ear to the woodshed. He is only a boy. He
is still too young to realize that there is no swifter
soothed by the song of newly-wedded birds, by the antidote to love's magic spell than half a cockroach
bleating of sheep, by the tinkling of cow-bells ... in a piece of chocolate meringue pie.
dreaming of the forthcoming pleasures of the table,
cares of State temporarily forgotten then the
welcome at the farmhouse door the festive
board, the noble roast ... and finally, an admiring
lady plying him with chocolate meringue pie ...

Editorial Confidences

The Editor of the "De Havilland Gazette" Consul to get some stratosphere pictures of the
admits his failure to satisfy three recent simple Comet?"
requests from the Press: • "We want to get a photo of the coastline from
40,000 ft. Of course, we should need a window
• "Can you provide an air-to-air photograph of out."
the altitude-record Vampire at the top of its He also confides that people often ask
climb? Or could you do it again so that we him how he puts the "Gazette" together. It
could take one? is, he says, merely a matter of sizing up an
item: if it's too short he just writes some-
• "Could you lend us a Dove or that blue thing and if it's a bit too long he just
2
 Stalag Luft Ill» Part 7
BY FLT. LT. JOHN E. MAHONEY

CHAPTER NINE "I'm leaving them," I said. "Just taking a few

snapshots."
On the March
Then Ivan: "How many cigarettes are you
FoM THE BEGINNING Of 1945, speculation ran taking, John?"
high as to whether or not the Germans would "About three thousand," I replied, adding
move us from Sagan. The rapid Russian advance gloomily: "I'll have to leave about five thousand."
had finally reached a point only forty-five miles "I'd like some, if you don't mind."
away. Many of us were hoping that we would be
"Help yourself."
liberated by the Russians. Most agreed that if
they advanced that far into Germany, the war Ivan took about a thousand, and, after offering
would be as good as over. Everyone was in a state them around, I followed a sort of scorched earth
of suspense, and rumours ran wild. On the advice policy by dumping the remainder in a tub of water.
of the Senior British Officer, we began to make Ivan got to work on the food problem, making
preparations for a march. Foodacco prices went paste of oats, margarine, sugar, milk and honey.
crazy. Chocolate bars rose from eighty to two The food cupboard was raided indiscriminately
hundred points. Clothing, except for thick socks, there was no time to portion it out equally. We
fetched practically nothing. would just have to try to stick together.
At ten o'clock on
the night of January 27th, we Presently word came that we had another hour's
were sitting quietly in our room when the dreaded grace. We breathed more easily: this would give
news arrived. us time to pack our kits properly. None the less,
"Listen!" said Goerge suddenly. "What's going. when I had finished, I had to bend nearly double
on in the corridor? to carry my pack on my back. It must have
From outside the room there came the sound of weighed about ninety pounds. Besides food and
many trampling feet. People were running up and cigarettes, I had nearly all my clothes and three
down. Doors were slamming, and above it all blankets as well. I was pondering the matter when
rose an excited chatter of voices.. . one of the boys came into the room very enthusi-
Just then the Adjutant poked his head around astic over a new idea. Apparently most of the fellows
the door. were making sleighs. It was a happy thought.
"Be ready to move in one hour's time." \ We worked furiously for the next hour, ripping
We began frantically to pack. In five minutes slats off the walls, breaking up the tables, beds, and
the room was a shambles. At such times it's pretty anything else that would yield suitable pieces of
hard to know what to take and what to leave lumber. At the end of it all we had three fine-
behind. looking sleighs, and were all ready to go.
Frank looked at my suitcase (made from eight There was another delay, of which we took
Red Cross boxes) and exclaimed: "Say, you'll advantage by resting on our bunks and enjoying a
never carry that load! well-earned cigarette. As we relaxed on our old
"I'm going to try, anyway." straw mattresses and white sheets (actually
"Are you taking your log book?" George asked. provided for us by the Germans and laundered
"I sure am," I replied. "That's the last thing every month), we couldn't help wondering how
I'd leave." long it would be before we would sleep so com-
"What about your letters?" fortably again.

3
 (All along the roadside were articles thrown away
Finally we were ordered to line up outside. We
by fellows who found they had more than they
stood by our sleighs on the gleaming white snow
while the Germans counted us prior to going
could carry.) The sledding seemed slightly better
after- this, but it was still by no means an easy task.
through the gate. Outside the camp we stopped
at the parcels store, where each of us was given a We had reached the main road by now, where
Red Cross food parcel. The sleigh was now loaded the going improved considerably. I managed to
to the brim. It must have carried over two keep moving with difficulty for about three-
hundred pounds. quarters of an hour, till I obtained my second
The first part of our journey took us along a wind. From then on it didn't seem so bad, but I
country lane, where the ground was very rough, still could not understand why I should be taking
with hidden tree stumps and holes beneath the it so much harder than Jim. I knew he had always
surface of the snow. We had not gone very far been a great one for exercise, but I didn't think
when we had the misfortune to break a runner in it made all that difference. I had played quite a
one of the ruts, which made our sleigh doubly hard bit of softball myself.
to pull. "Maybe that broken runner makes it harder
I had started out by pushing, the pulling being pulling on this side," I said to Jim. "How about
done by Jim. (I shall call my partner "Jim," changing over?
though that is not his real name.) Before more This we did, but things seemed no better.
than ten minutes had passed, I was nearly on my We kept the march up all that night, stopping
knees with fatigue. for a few minutes' rest after each mile at first, then,
"Hell, this is going to be terrible, Jim," I said. as we grew accustomed to the effort, after each
"I'm nearly worn out already." two or three miles. Each time we halted, most of
He looked surprised. "Are you? I'm all right. the fellows just flopped on to the ground where
Here, you come and pull and I'll push for awhile." they stood. It would have been easy to escape
Eventually we both pulled, which seemed easier during the hours of darkness, but the S.B.0.
than pushing. Even so, after about a mile I was (doubtless having the massacre in mind) had
completely exhausted. I couldn't understand it, ordered that no attempts were to be made.
as Jim seemed quite fit. Then we were given a Shortly after daybreak, during one of the halts,
brief rest. a pal of mine walked up, looking rather dejected.
We were soon off again. In no time at all the He was carrying his kit on his back.
strain began to tell on me. I had a terrific pain in "How are you doing, Ray?" I asked.
my side, my lungs were nearly bursting, and I was "I'm just about all in," he answered.
wringing wet with perspiration from head to toe. "What about putting your stuff on top of our
"I can't stand this much longer." "I'm going to sleigh," I suggested, "and pushing while we pull?
have to quit," I told Jim. I suggested.
"Nonsense. You'll be all right. I guess you're That's swell," he said. "Is it O.K. with Jim?"
just not in condition, Jim said. "It'll be easier Jim agreed, and Ray put his kit on our sleigh.
after awhile." From then on pulling was much easier. For the
"It's no use," I said. "I'm afraid the sleigh is first time since we started I really felt that I could
too heavy. We'll have to ditch some of the stuff." keep on till the end.
I felt like a heel, as Jim didn't seem to mind the I began to take notice of the others around me.
weight.
We certainly were a motley crowd, dressed in the
·O.K. If you feel you have to," he said reluc- oddest assortment of clothes one could imagine
tantly.
greatcoats with the bottoms cut off scarves wound
At the next rest period we ditched about thirty
round our heads, homemade hats of all descrip-
pounds of kit, which included one thousand cigar-
tions • • . We trudged along mostly in groups of
ettes, a pair of skates, and a pair of flying boots.
twos, threes, and fours, strung out along the road
4
 *On the march. A halt for supper

as far as the eye could see. The whole ten thousand At one o'clock in the afternoon we had a four-
of us must have stretched many miles, but we hour rest in the town of Friewalde. This was a
were kept in groups of about two thousand, as we Godsend, as it gave us our first chance to get a
were handled more or less by Compounds. decent bite of food since we had started the march
The vast assortment of sleighs was a sight to eleven hours before. Up till then we had subsisted
behold. They were made of anything from a frying on snacks hurriedly eaten during the various few-
pan to a complete bed. One bright lad had sawn minute halts throughout the day.
the bedposts off his bed, turned it upside down, and We stopped right in the centre of the town, and
was using the whole bed as a sleigh. It took five the whole population turned out to see us. The
people to pull it, but it worked. There were boxes, German civilians were, on the whole, very friendly.
tables, chairs, practically anything that could be They dished out hot water to us, with which we
rearranged to slide over the snow. Someone had
even screwed two pairs of skates to the top of a (The photographs published with this chapter were taken during the
second march, from Tarmstedt to Trenthorst, which is described in our
table. next issue.- Editor)

5
 We arrived that evening in the city of Muskau,
made coffee. Cigarettes were handed out lavishly worn and tired, having marched nearly forty miles
by our boys in return an ample repayment, in two days. We were overjoyed at our new
since a good cigarette cost about thirty cents on t rs a brick-factory. There were about
the German black market. An amusing feature ~uar :undred of us installed there. Others had
was the way each and every one of us, both single wo .
been sent, respectively, to a cinema, a glass-
and married, eyed the pretty German girls. N 0 d F h k
factory, a riding-stable, an a renc wor ers'
doubt any woman would have seemed pretty to us h N
then, as this was our first close-up view o f t h e Camp. The brick-factory was · eaven. umerous
ovens beneath the floor provided more than ample
female sex for quite some time. · f ili
We moved to a village about four miles farther warmth, and excellent cooking facilities were
on where arrangements had been made for our Offered by the brick-ovens. The only disadvantage
accommodation. This turned out. to be a huge was the dirt and dusty atmosphere. However, the
country barn. About five hundred of us were availability of showers
\ compensated for this.
packed into it like sardines. It was cold, dirty and The following day we were met by some fellows
lightless, but to us it was a haven of rest, for we rrom the American Compound who were quartered
had walked more than twenty miles that day, in another part of the building.. They had had a
carrying our burdens~. -
or pulling
-- our sleighs.
Here we were issued with bread and margarine.
. much worse time than we,with no accommodation
whatsoever during the first night. They had to
Food was eaten in a rough and ready manner, ,as sleep in the snow in ditches, and were given
the most we could do was to spread meat, cheese practically no rest apart from this. Officers fell
or jam on bread. In spite of the cold and our exhausted by the wayside and some had hands and
soaking feet and frozen boots, we slept soundly. feet frozen. Over one hundred prisoners and sixty
At eight o'clock in the morning, stiff and aching, percent of the Goon guards deserted the column.
we started forth once more to face another day of Four men died of exposure. On one occasion a
nightmare tugging and straining. During the. stampeding horse caused some of the prisoners to
first rest period, Ray drew me to one side. jump for the ditches. The guards, thinking it was
Say, John, I don't think Jim is pulling hard a mass break, opened fire, wounding two men.
enough. His line is slack half the time. Take it a
bit easier . . . " ' We spent three nights and two days in the brick
We carried on till Jim had to stop to tie his factory, and were sorry to leave it on the third
shoe-lace. Ray and I kept on so that we would morning. We marched only a mile or so to the
not drop behind. To our amazement there was no riding-stable, where we joined some other members
increase in the effort of pulling. We looked at each· of the Compound. Here, in a large, bare, dung-
other. Our suspicions were confirmed. When Jim smelling barn, we were told that we were to spend
caught up, I said to him: "It seems just as easy the night. Half the fellows who had been there
with two as with three. Shall we take turns giving when we arrived had been sick from the smell of it.
one man a rest?" He muttered something about Just as we were settled in (I had wangled a lovely
"not thinking it was a good idea," and we carried bed of straw or a bed), we received marching
on. He'd had his hint. orders for half-past ten that night.
Many of the men who found the marching too The next stage of the journey was really tough.
tough as well, I'm sure, as some malingerers Nature decided to take a hand and deal out deuces.
were dropping out all along the way, to be picked The weather suddenly became very mild and the
up later by transport. The German guards, too, snow began to melt fast. During the day I found a
found it hard. Although they did not have as beautiful big smooth-running sleigh in someone's
much to carry as we did, they were nearly all old back yard, but I doubted if there would be even
men long past their days of fitness for front-line enough surface to carry even this. I therefore
service.
discarded much of my kit. My load now consisted
6
 Resting on the march

of one shirt, one pair of trousers, one set of under-

wear, my log book, toilet accessories, one pair of
socks (I was wearing two), two food parcels, and
two thousand cigarettes.
We started off. The sledding was fairly easy at
first, except in the centre of the city, where we had
a long hill of half-melted ice to climb. It was an
absolute back-breaker, and we would have ditched
our sleigh there and then, as many others were
doing, but for our hope that there would be more
snow outside the city.
When we came to the outskirts, we were dis-
mayed to find that the thaw had melted all but a
thin strip along the edge of the road, barely wide
enough for the runners. The little snow there was

7
 last we arrived at an army barracks, where we
kept melting away, and the pulling became harder
were given some hot soup and four more hours'
and harder.
At last Louie and Bill, two members of our room rest before our final march to the train.
who were right behind us, decided to ditch their Then once more we took up our packs. The
sleigh. I suggested that they dump their kits on Germans made us do the remaining three miles
ours, and off we went again, pulling five kits with without a halt. I still don't know how we did it.
no more trouble than before. I think it was only the thought of reaching the
During one of the halts, Bill remarked that long-looked-for train that spurred us on to a last
Jim's line was slack all the time. In fact, he desperate effort. We arrived completely exhausted,
expressed the thought in no undecided terms. too tired to care that our future means of con-
"There's no need to pull hard," Jim said. "The veyance was nothing more than the old "Hemmes
sleigh's riding easily enough." 40 Chevaux 8". (Yes, the cattle cars again.)
Ray flared up at this. "You'd better pull like the In our car we were not as lucky as some. When
rest of us, damn it! You've been lying down on the we were in, the guards locked both doors, leaving
job all along." us with no light or ventilation except that which
At this Jim went berserk, yanked the sleigh seeped in through the cracks of the doors. Some
forward madly, broke Bill's rope, and ended up of the cars had doors that could be opened, as the
in the ditch. We managed to control our tempers, locks were broken. However, this made no
preferring silent contempt; but we had had just difference to the Goons. If a door had a lock, it
about enough. must be locked. If it had no lock, it must be open.
We held out with our sleigh for about six more
It was typical of the Goon mentality.
miles much longer than most but finally had
to abandon it when we came to a long stretch of This time there was no straw provided. To
completely bare road. As we loaded our kits on to make ourselves comfortable, we spread three
our backs, the German guards hovered around us thicknesses of blankets on the floor and everyone
like buzzards around carrion, hoping we would took off their shoes. It was pitch dark inside and
ditch something valuable. But we didn't leave we had to get organized entirely by feel and by
much. To the sleigh we pinned a note: "Please lighting matches. We hammered nails in the walls
return this sled to the owner, Herr Franz Hoffman, to hang up as much of our kit as possible, then
Muskau. Compliments of the Royal Air Force." stacked the remainder all around the sides of the
It was much harder carrying our kits on our car. This left very little room to lie down. When
backs. Before long our feet were sore and tired we were settled for the night, we were lying tight
and our backs and shoulders were aching terribly; against each other on our sides.
but we carried on, knowing that we were to have a The journey to the train seemed to have finished
long rest after four more miles. Jim. He completely broke down under the stress,
Our next stop was at another ordinary barn, losing control of his temper when anyone jostled
every inch of which had been covered with fresh or stepped on him, and yelling like a baby each
straw. After a quick bite to eat we threw ourselves time it occurred notwithstanding the fact that
down on the straw and fell asleep. Four hours it was happening to everyone in the car. He
later we were awakened with the news that we finally became so selfish, argumentative and in-
had only five more miles to go. Our destination sulting, that we could stand it no longer, and told
was Spremburg, where we were to entrain for a him that from then on he was on his own.
camp near Bremen, in north-western Germany.
We were on the train two days. Our destination
This stage of the journey was real torture. We
was a camp near Tarmstedt, about twenty miles
were all just about ready to drop dead while we
north-east of Bremen. Up till that time it had
slowly formed into single file in order to march
been known as "Milag und Marlag Nord", a camp
through a narrow pathway in a soggy field. At
for naval and marine prisoners. We arrived there
8
just at dusk on the eighth day after leaving Sagan. Once inside we were taken to our rooms, where
We were then only about two thousand strong, as we were given straw to spread on the floor. We
the other groups had been sent elsewhere. looked around at the bare, dingy rooms. They
When we arrived at the gates of our new camp, were in a shambles, having been practically torn
there was the inevitable search. It was a dirty apart by the previous occupants, some naval
night. It had been raining intermittently, and we ratings, who wouldn't believe that they were being
had to stand on the wet road with our packs on evacuated to make room for their own compat-
our backs for two hours before they let us in. riots.
Some poor devils, whose turn was last, must have "Never mind," said the dauntless Louie, "in a
stood for at least six hours before they were week we'll have the place looking like a brand
admitted. And believe it or not, we were yearning new home · .,
with all our hearts to get inside that barbed wire. (To be continued)

Backward Glances

"Three Bleriot monoplanes were brought out to be photographed, and on lining up were joined by the
Windham monoplane . . . Then, at the moment when shutters clicked, Mr. Windham was gently
precipitated to the ground, the main frame of his machine snapping about midway of its length.' From
"Flight" of October 23rd, 1909.

"It was on Saturday last that Mr. J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon succeeded in fulfilling the conditions of
the Daily Mail £1,000 prize for the first circular mile flown on a British machine, and his mount was
the Short biplane with which he has been experimenting for some time at the flying ground af the Aero
Club at Shellbeach ... He understands the tuning-up and adjustment of the motor as well as any
mechanician ... he is fearless, with just that dash of recklessness that one admires while still deploring
it that touch of recklessness which alone can make a pioneer aviator.' From''Flight'' of November
6th, 1909.

·"M. Quinton, President of the Ligue Nationale, predicts a useful future for aeroplanes for the purpose
of crossing desert country. He instances the journey from Timbuctoo to Colomb Beshar, the terminus
of the Oran Railway. The distance is 1,000 miles and at present three months are occupied in the journey.
M. Quinton maintains that with an aeroplane capable of going 40 m.p.h., three days would be sufficient
and suggests that a fare of L3 7s 6d should be charged.' From'Flight" of November 13th, 1909.

9
 An Idyll of the South Atlantic
by CORPORAL J. H. BELANGER, No. 426 (T) Squadron
:. he ds, describes a training flight made
(This article, which has only recently come into our .an5» [ t; ±lled ' the % 4F
iast summer by one of No. 426 Squadron's North stars. The author trav®!'®© ,,,'T
as a maintenance crewman, and his impressions of the trip seem to us wet wori pur l1siting
> . ¢ 'English is an acqu ·d
here. He writes in the letter that accompanied the manuscrip., '6 ·are
language with me"; but we feel that this is an advantage rather than a disadvantage, as his
:.:. lc
occasional Gallicisms add much to the colour an d life
a'e of the narrative.--EDITOR)

wE LIFT SMOOTHLY into the night air above of Dante's Inferno. Yet the roaring power-plants
drown out the thunderclaps and somehow seem to
Montreal. For several minutes the engines labour.
Then the power is cut, the warning lights go out, dominate the storm ...
belts are released, cigarettes are lit and nerves By mid-morning we reach our destination.
relaxed. We are on our way. Simmering under the tropical sun, the rectangular
Inside the spacious cabin of the North Star, island of Puerto Rico is leaping into sight on the
several litters have been put up. These, together eastern fringes of the Caribbean.
with the standard seats, provide adequate sleeping- It has been a long flight, and the members of the
space, and blankets are available for padding crew are congratulating each other on "hitting"
rough edges. Even before the climb is completed, the island right on time. It is, apparently, a habit
the lights are switched off and we go about our with flyers to "hit" their destination everywhere
business of catching a little sleep. they go. In point of fact, we do not hit Puerto
This is not an easy matter. Some chaps tell you Rico. We make a perfect landing on the hard
that their most refreshing naps were taken in runways of Ramey Air Base near the westernmost
aircraft. The catch is, of course, that the aircraft tip of the island.
to which they refer were still in the hangar. We are greeted by the American Base Com-
Examples of deep slumber during flight, however, mander, and after we have eaten, we embark in a
are considerably more rare. Except in the case of station wagon for the town of Aguadilla, a city of
those few happy souls for whom noise acts as a some fifteen thousand souls six miles from the
soporific, a state of semi-somnolence is the closest Base.
approach to unconsciousness obtainable in the Although I have read somewhere that Latin
North Star. Americans have notions of their own on how to
After two or three hours of quiet flight, we enter drive cars, I am not prepared for the ride that
the vicinity of an electric storm. Natural pheno- follows. Without ever slowing down noticeably,
mena have never failed to impress my imagination. the driver manages to clear the way by means of a
People who have had the good fortune to be born
dozen or more musical horns on which he plays
on a farm can recall the fascination of the thunder-
entertaining little tunes. It also seems to be the
storm that rends the sky on a hot summer night.
custom to increase one's speed when driving
But here something new is added to magic of the through a village. Possibly the inhabitants reason
ordinary. Gigantic sparks light up the sky above
that by cutting down on the time it takes to go
and around, and at precipitous depths below. through a village they reduce the accident hazards
Awesome designs flash upon the dark screen of the proportionally.
night, and I am reminded of the Satanic splendours
In Aguadilla, the driver lets us off at the Plaza.
10
Here, W.O. II Cates asks a policeman how to get
downtown. This dignitary appears somewhat
puzzled, and when at last he gathers our meaning,
he gives us to understand that downtown is the
exact spot where we are standing.
As we walk, kids keep tugging at our sleeves,
asking for pennies. LAC Brown (the cheat) is
giving away Canadian nickels which seem to
arouse more curiosity than confidence. One gets
the impression that American pennies are worth
more. None the less, the children thank us with
wide grins. Pointing to our shoulder badges, they
ask "You Canada?" Upon being informed that it
is so indeed, they break into condescending smiles. Dakar. Left to right: LACC.E.Brown, Cpl. E.F.Chabot,
Sgt. H. E. Smith, Sgt. A.A. Drackley, Cpl. P. Zimmer.
"We Americanos!" They have it all over us.
We are, naturally, somewhat at a loss to know
where we should go. Luckily, our Instrument living "through the whole range of one's faculties
Technician has brought his pocket compass with and sensibilities." These people, with their small
him. The needle of it is found to be pointing needs and within their small means probably
straight at Tony's Bar. Though we do not, of lead just as happy lives as many of their richer
course, wish to go to Tony's Bar, we have been so and more sophisticated American fellow-citizens.
emphatically warned against drinking unchlor- The next morning sees us up early. The camp
inated water that we are more or less compelled to. is already alive with activity, taking advantage of
Tony, we are pleased to find, is an ex-G.I. As the cool part of the day. By about nine o'clock we
can be expected, he speaks fluent English. Casual are waving good-bye to our American friends, and
bar-room acquaintances, all very proud of their are once more winging our way above the opales-
recently acquired American citizenship, talk cent Caribbean. Presently a woolly fleece mate-
willingly about their colourful island, and from rializes below, and the exotically-named islands
them it is learned that there is a circus in town. beneath us are hidden from view. Our traffic man
By now, our party is beginning to break up. turns on his stove and soon passes hot soup
Some wish to go dancing, arguing that a great deal around. A bridge game gets under way. We are
of fun can be had at dances. Though not ques- alone in the sky.
tioning the soundness of their viewpoint, I prefer Atkinson Field in British Guiana, where we land
to stay with the group who have elected to visit early in the afternoon, is an American Air Force
the circus. Base located about twenty miles upstream from
For the benefit of the curious, let me say that a Georgetown on one of the many nondescript rivers
Puerto Rican circus is a great deal like a small-time of the Colony. After being driven to camp, tenta-
circus anywhere else. It has jugglers, tight-rope tive plans are made to visit Georgetown; but a
dancers, trained elephants, etc. Indeed the only U.S.A.F. corporal talks us out of it. It seems that
essential difference is that the elephants must there is only one dirt road going there, and that a
understand Spanish instead of English. So, of rainstorm during the night could make the return
course, must the audience. Consequently we feel a impossible. "It's the rainy season," explains our
little left out of the many jokes which, to judge friend, "and it rains every day - just the same as
from the general laughter and applause, are of it does in the dry season." So, instead, we take in a
high quality. The gusto of both audience and "B" movie at the Base cinema.
performers brings to my mind a quotation from Such pictures as a rule lack substance, but this
Hawthorne to the effect that happiness consists in film has something outstanding. It evidences a

1
 new trend in movie-making. The hero is a gun- him and was in full regalia, but he did not bring
toting individualist with a lot of poise and per- his good Queen Amphitrite. Though she always
sonality. After many vicissitudes, he is faced with shows up with him on shipboard, it probably
the ordeal of choosing between a bird-brained would not have been a very good idea for her to
ingenue and a relatively old night-club dancer. make an appearance among twenty airmen so far
In less enlightened days, the sweet young thing from home.
j k k
would have won hands down; but not any more.
Our cowboy realizes that young girls are liable to It was quite late when we landed at Natal last
have too many inhibitions. He therefore settles night, and all work was postponed until this
down on a ranch with the riper lady, to a life of morning. By mid-afternoon to-day we had com-
steer-wrangling and chicken-raising. pleted our meticulous checking and servicing, and
After the show, a few of us proceed to a N.C.O.'s had made arrangements to drive into town.
club where two kinds of entertainment are prof- In Brazil, as is well known, there are more
fered: drinking beer and playing the slot-machines. Brazilians than in any other country in the world.
Being Canadians of canny breed, we stick mainly At a street cafe near the Grand Hotel we met a pair
to the former pastime. From our conversation with of young Brazilians who said they were attending
American acquaintances, we perceive that the a college in this city. As their knowledge of English
Base personnel have a tendency to feel themselves exactly matched our ignorance of Portuguese,
"bushed." The dense jungle offers little relief from we got along splendidly. Since President Dutra
boredom. Georgetown, besides being difficult of is now visiting the U.S.A., we were provided with
access, is not very rewarding when you do get an excellent subject for breaking the ice. Every
there. Besides, though the climate is not as hot as time the name of President Dutra or President
one might expect, the humidity is something Truman was uttered we all jumped up in unison
pretty terrific. and drank a toast. At the present time the hopes
j k
* of Brazilians seem to be focused upon the United
To-day we shall cross the Equator. States; but when I insisted that Canada is really a
Up we go quickly to our prescribed altitude, part of the American continent, our friends'
through low rain-clouds into the realm where the enthusiasm knew no bounds. They said they had
sun is shining between occasional patches of cirrus. lots of cruzeiros, and that the next round was
For several hours we fly along while gleaming going to be on them ...
cumuli parade past, towering high above and far We are scheduled to take off again at midnight.
below multitudinous bundles of fluff dissemin- k k k

ated throughout the vast expanse of space. Leaving Natal, we headed north-east along the
Exhilarated, it may be, by a mild anoxia, I feel shortest route which bridges the Atlantic; and now
caught up in a web of romance. at sunrise, we have covered half the distance to
It is now mid-afternoon and we are flying over Dakar, the French outpost in West Africa. Once
the Atlantic off the mouth of the mammoth again the dripping sun rises from the ocean. For a
Amazon. The Equator is drawing near, and we few moments it hovers close to the horizon and it
gather that an initiation ceremony has been appears that we are headed straight for its flaming
planned ... globe. But it quickly starts edging up, out of the
... and carried out! Although, owing to the way. The space around presents the appearance
circumstances, none of us has been fed to the of a vacuum. There is not a cloud in sight any-
bears," as Navy polliwogs are, I now consider where, and the perfect limpidity of the atmosphere
myself a full-fledged shellback and a life-member affords a deeper insight into the vastness of the
of whatever Order a cupful of cold water across the
universe. For several hours nothing whatever
face makes one a member. King Neptune was musters enough substance to catch the eye. We
here to administer the rite. He had his trident with
seem to be floating idly, half-way between the
12
 the landscape, their limbs bare as though they
were dead, grow the boababs. When the rains
come, they are said to sprout leaves overnight,
meanwhile storing water in their jar-shaped
trunks. This reserve tides them over the next dry
period, during which they shed their leaves in
order to reduce evaporation to a minimum. What
function these trees are fulfilling in Nature's
overall design, I have been unable to discover.
The pedlars, unfortunately, have no off-season.
They are always active. Since most of the shops
A Dakar belle were closed during the Saturday afternoon we
spent in Dakar, we had ample opportunity of
sky-blue water and the sea-blue sky. We are the studying their business practices. At first, it is
atom in the void. fairly difficult to make a dealer set a price to an
By mid-morning, everyone goes through a series item. He is interested in finding out whether you
of facial distortions that would suggest to an have any money. After he is satisfied that you
unaffected observer that there is something very have, he must make sure that it is not counterfeit.
much wrong with this group of people. But it is Next, he must type his customer, who may or may
not necessarily so. The pilot has started to descend not belong to that class of tourist who can always
and our facial gymnastics are meant to relieve the afford to pay the asking-price. An enterprising
pressure on our ear-drums. We are in Africa. fellow has to recognize his opportunities.
The client who does not have enough cash to
j k
* subscribe to this principle is classified as a low-
lifer who goes around chasing valuable mer-
The city of Dakar is only a few degrees north of chandize and then has the gall to haggle over the
the Equator, and it gets quite warm in the day- price. (It was overwhelmingly obvious that my
time. It did not rain during our brief stay there, friends and I belonged to this category). The fact
and for the first time since we entered the Tropics is quickly noted, and five-dollar items are liable
the night sky was free from overcast. I was allowed to be priced anywhere between twenty-five and
my first glimpse of the southern sky. fifty dollars. It is up to those who have the moral
Mark Twain once remarked about the Southern grit to work the price down from there.
Cross that "it looks more like a cross than any- If the dealer has a lot of time on his hands (as he
thing else I have ever seen that does not look like a generally has), the bargaining is liable to be a
cross." Actually, he was exaggerating. Shining long-drawn affair. He will start by praising you,
brightly in the clear African night, the Southern and if that does not work, he will insult you.
Cross can easily be made out by the least imagina- Should no good come from that either, he will turn
tive. Many familiar stars are visible, too. Arcturus conciliatory and beg you to help him carry on his
still sheds his benign and yellow light, and the trade without losing money at it. This is a pretty
Big Dipper is in full view, though inverted. powerful argument and it was only thanks to
Polaris blinks dimly near the horizon. the natural endowments of Corporal Chabot and
The two aspects of Dakar that struck me as LAC Brown that we were let off as easily as we
most noteworthy were the baobab trees and the were.
native pedlars. Both have evolved their own k k j

methods of survival.
The Dakar climate is dry and little vegetation We are headed for Gibraltar over the western-
adorns the land. Squatting here and there about most fringes of the Sahara. Here and there a few

13
 ~
~I============-=
bushes can be seen amidst the ridges and the
gullies, but the prevailing barrenness of the land
is gloomy and forbidding. The sky is clear and the
flying very smooth. After a few hours the ground
below grows a bit less dreary, but we must swerve
out to sea so as to skirt Spanish territory, and we
catch only glimpses of such romantic places as
Casablanca, Tangier, and Rabat. Presently the
Rock of Ceuta is seen, squatting limply on this
side of the Strait, while across the water Gibraltar
stands watch. After a careful approach, we are set
down smoothly on the single landing-strip of the
Base, and for the first time in my life, I am setting
foot upon the ancient soil of Continental Europe.

j k
*

The brevity of our stay did not allow us to see

as much of The Rock's defences as we would have
liked, but somehow the city's cosmopolitan
population and the British troops garrisoning the
citadel seem to have about them a consciousness of
"immediacy." They like to tell anecdotes asso-
ciated with the defence of the outpost. We were --=st2a
told, among other things, of the occasion when the
gibbons which are kept on The Rock warned the
guards of the approach of naval attackers.
Beneath the functional appearance of the place,
normal life carries on. The shops are full of tapes-
tries, fans, and silverware. Posters advertise a
·-· - -~-'- --~--~~:~·=.1
The Rock
bull-fight which is to take place in the border town
of La Linea. Spanish music from the many bars
and cafes reaches the ears of the promenaders.
Many such establishments are well equipped for down through the low overcast and proceed at a
the entertainment of the tourist. They have both low altitude. All the details of the British country-
bands and competent staffs of dusky Latin side come plainly into sight ... copses and groves,
beauties who are well drilled in the art of helping castles and towns, the beautiful city of Bath.
clients part with their money without letting it Unfolding rapidly, they drop behind as fast
hurt too much. reminding me somehow of an Offenbach melody.
At Lyneham we touch down for a Customs
j k k
check, but we are soon up again on our way to the
De Havilland airport near London. A British jet
Leaving Gibraltar for Great Britain, we head has located us by now, dips its wings in recogni-
west after take-off so as to avoid flying over the tion, and idly escorts us to our destination.
Spanish peninsula. After a few hours' flying, I
The next morning is spent by the ground crews
can see through the clouds a group of craggy islets 1n servicing the aircraft usually referred to as
which I wager with myself are the Isles of Scilly
"the old bird" or "the old girl," or some other such
near the Cornish coast. Shortly afterwards, we let endearing term and after lunch everyone ge ·t s
14
 terror than any previous such period, and it is not
impossible that the worst is yet to come. Bearing
!>
, ea ./ Fp
these facts in mind, you can come out of the
Tower with a much milder opinion of the Mediae-
val fellows that lived there .
3F • 'A', I, however, am still inside, following my friend
the Beef-Eater. He is now telling our party a
''At 4g
story about the crows of the Tower, and presently
we are shown a place in Rudolf Hess' jail where the
latter carved his initials while a prisoner. "A
'
detail of no historical importance whatever,' we
'
1, are told.
Later on, we are taken to a stone in the yard
where they used to cut people's heads off. But
"'°'----"--·-J
Gibraltar. Left to right: Cpl. Zimmer, Sgt. Drackley,
this guide of ours is quite jolly about it all. One of
the victims, he explains, was an old Queen who at
Sgt. Smith, and W.0.2 J. S. Cates.
the last minute refused to co-operate with the
executioneer. "I am no traitor,'' she said, "and
I will not lay my head on a traitor's block."
ready to head for London, about fifteen miles Thereupon, she ran off across the common while
away. the sympathetic fellow with the axe ran after her
We are made to feel at home everywhere we go. and swung a couple of times, causing the head to
"After seeing so many of you boys in the War, be severed from the body and roll upon the
confides an expansive pub patron, "you can be ground. "A ghastly mess it was, you know,"
sure we remember you." Several of those who comments our guide in a detached sort of manner.
have been here previously make for the nearest My stomach attempts a couple of somersaults,
telephone in order to get in touch with war-time which I somehow manage to check. After all, one
acquaintances. For the rest of us there is a great must consider a man's position. A mortician, for
deal to do, and we have very little time. instance, must develop an outlook compatible
Piccadilly, of course, comes first. Buckingham with his occupation. A Beef-Eater's business being
Palace, Madame Tussaud's, the galleries, and the mostly with tourists, his manner must be cal-
museums, are all "musts" for tourists, but we have culated to impress; and this our guide does most
to omit many places of interest. Sufficient- time is capably. "These things sound shocking to-day,'
found to drop in at the "Windmill," however, he continues, "but at the time they happened,
where a pleasant array of British charm is always people thought differently. Conspirators plotted,
on parade. Another place we cannot afford to miss fully aware that their lives were at stake. If they
is the Tower of London. I find that this fabulous succeeded, they liquidated their enemies, and if
tower, so closely associated with the whole of they failed, they expected to have their own heads
British history, is not a mere tower but a large chopped off. It was all part of the game, really."
fortress on the bank of the Thames. k k j

When you visit the Tower of London, you come

out of it with a funny feeling in your stomach and After so brief a stay in England, I do not propose
pretty strong convictions about the Middle Ages. to expound on the British character although,
But if you reflect that the horrors related by the of course, I formed several impressions. Like most
guides were distributed over several centuries, you western Europeans, the Britishers are the product
realize that things were not so bad as they seemed. of a high culture. In America, the schools produce
Our own half-century has certainly contained more a citizen who is pretty much like any other citizen,

15
 ourselves, is far behind, and so is Goose Bay.
just as any one nut from an American production
Strong headwinds have prolonged our flight. It is
line looks a great deal like any other nut put out
the hour of sunset, and we are droning through the
by it. But the English are not so stereotyped.
They are intent upon the acquisition of character daffodil sky on our last homeward lap.
and the development of individuality. Therefore None of us is trying to sleep. For my own part,
they can be more interesting. Other British traits I am busy sorting out my impressions. I have
are shown in their sober ways of advertising and in probably seen as much of life and of the world
their sporting spirit. Preposterous though it seems, as can be crowded into so short a time. It is
English sportsmen actually play sports for the possible that most of my hurriedly formed conclu-
sake of sportsmanship. sions about countries and people may be false,
Over and above any ties that Canadians may but this flight has been one the landmarks of my
have with the British, I must say that I personally life. Surely I shall long remember its many
feel a certain kinship with these people. Their incidents ... the experiences, the surprises, and the
land, their ways, and their outlook, come closer to frivolities. But, of this voyage, as of any other,
the spirit of the story-books of my childhood than the finest part is the return home ...
anything I have seen in my own country. The And now we are going down, and the lights of
English still respond to the grand old values. It the metropolis shine up at us. Suddenly the drag
would seem that ambition and self-interest have increases, and our speed drops sharply. The
not gone so far in destroying their faith, and that landing gear is lowered, the powerful landing
cynicism has not made such deep inroads. lights are switched on. A slight bounce, then a
k k k series of smaller ones: we are taxying to the tarmac.
England is now only a memory. Keflavik, in Out of the chests of everyone on board rises a
Iceland, where we refuelled both the aircraft and deep, deep sigh of satisfaction.

Stations are What You Make Them

[r HAS BEEN my experience in the Service that a good deeds to draw the same attention as one bad
Station is very much what you are ready to make one.
it yourself. It is so simple to sit down and criticize If the Station lacks something that you consider
the efforts of others, whether the efforts be those of would make it a better place in which to live,
Ottawa, the commandant, your boss or your equal. suggest it, push it, even if it takes months and co-
We have all been in company with the habitual operation seems to be lacking. If your idea is good
'beefer' whom nothing can please, also of the type and warranted you will win out in the end.
who is full of ideas but does nothing about putting Unfortunately most of us get discouraged too
them into action. Then, of course, there is the early in the fight and give up, hoping that someone
type who takes advantage of everything offered, else will do it for us. We wind up muttering some-
says nothing, and offers nothing ... not even a thing about not having sufficient authority to get
word of thanks. These types are in the minority, such and such done and wander off feeling that no
but so are the members of the Communist Party one has recognized our genius. The best things are
and look at the effect they are having in the world. always the most difficult to get.
Nothing is truer than the fact that it takes ten
(FIt. Lt. J. D. Coupland, in "The Link")
16
 R.C.A.F. Station Goose Bay
BY FLT. LT. W. M. LEE

TH CORPORAL'S WIFE tugged her little girl's

scarf into place and settled back into the North
Star's canvas seat with a worried frown on her
face. Beside her, her husband shifted their elder
daughter on to his other knee and glanced at his
watch. Then he gave his wife a reassuring grin.
"Ten minutes more," he said into her ear. "Cheer
up, darling. You're going to love it." She smiled
back at him and gave a little nod which quite
failed to express any conviction. The Merlins
droned monotonously on.
Presently a crewman appeared and gestured
with his thumbs that they were going down ...
When the Corporal's wife, her legs uncertain
from long inactivity, stood on the Goose Bay
aerodrome beside the aircraft, she saw a stretch of Station working-buildings
hangars, an agglomeration of motor vehicles, and
scores of parka-clad figures, some of them bustling pletness and taste with which mere males had
busily about their work, others obviously come to equipped the place. Everything was there, from a
meet friends or simply drawn by curiosity. A few refrigerator to a fly-swatter, from chesterfields to
minutes later she was in a large bus, the family sink-plungers, from chintz curtains to pot-holders.
luggage stacked around her, rumbling over the This was to be her home for the next two years.
snow-covered road. Over to the right she could Within an hour of her arrival, her forebodings had
see a labyrinth of runways. To the left, beyond a begun to evaporate, and as the hours lengthened
foreground of sparse spruce trees, a range of into days, and the days into weeks ...
white-capped mountains gleamed in the distance Well, let's see what she found out.
beneath scattered fluffy cumuli. While she was j

still gazing at this lovely sight, the bus turned off *

into a pretty residential area, with rows of spick The uninitiated are amazed at the popularity of
and span, bright-looking houses. Outside one of this remote station of the R.C.A.F. Ninety-eight
them a large two-storey affair painted white percent of married men in Maintenance Section
with green trimmings the bus stopped, and the and a large majority of the single men too ask
Corporal and his family disembarked and entered. to have their tour of duty extended. However,
Inside, his wife flitted wide-eyed through the there's nothing surprising about it when one
rooms, astonished at their size and at the com- considers their reasons.

17
 teachers
h on hl·s staff when he throws open the doors
o f t h e new Al·r Marshal Leckie school in Spruce
Park next fall.
~ -, .. The recreation programme at Goose, although
' rif a, hampered by lack of space since the sports hangar
burned down last year, still manages to fill many
"-
End 3 idle hours. A lively softball league operates during
! ewesgas®WP" the summer and is matched by a five-team hockey
« a
league in winter.

Mrs. R. S. Clements, with Diane and Bruce in tow, stops

for a chat with neighbours.

Although the housing problem is not completely

solved, it is certainly better than at most stations.
No more living in one-room-with-a-hot-plate for
married personnel posted to Goose. In Spruce
Park, a beautiful wooded area a mile from the
Station, are ninety permanent houses having two
to four bedrooms, hardwood floors, inlaid linoleum,
continuous hot water, modern baths, and individ-
ual oil furnaces. With the addition of 52 tem-
porary apartments and 43 emergency dwellings
(the former type comparing favourably with
$80-a-month apartments back in civilization'),
a married airman or officer can normally expect
to have his family join him within a few weeks of
his arrival at the Station. Kiddies are especially
pleased to come to Goose. It's closer to the North
Pole and their good friend Mr. Claus.
FIt. Lt. Stibbards puts on his pads for a bout on the ice
The isolation of the Station has no effect on the
education of children. On the base is a school,
staffed by five qualified teachers, which can take
The recreation director, Mr. Bill Gordon,
care of children from Kindergarten to Grade XII.
recently set up badminton courts in one of the
Buses pick the children up practically at their
hangars, and Flt. Sgt. Vezina of Sports Stores has
doorsteps, deliver them to school, and return them
a rugged body-building school in full swing. The
to their homes after classes. With 112 students
outdoor sportsman (or sportswoman) is in his or
now enrolled and expectations of upwards of 150
her glory at Goose. While ski lodges in Ontario
for next year, the present school is to be replaced
and Quebec were going bankrupt this winter for
by a modern six-room school-house completely
lack of snow, skiers at Goose Bay were slaloming
equipped down to the last laboratory test tube.
and downhilling to their heart's content. Skis are
The school principal will have two additional
supplied by sports stores and a special beginners'
18
hill has been established close to the camp. A ski
chalet, perched three-quarters of the way up a
nearby mountain, is the focal point for experts who
include in their ranks a surprising number of the
Station's younger fry.
gr7.,ii
Snow-shoeing, hunting and fishing are other a

open-air sports rating high in popularity. Nearby

woods abound in ptarmigan and arctic hare.
Hunting parties, organized by various Station
groups, usually return with a full bag and dimin-
ished waistlines. Lakes and rivers in the area
teem with trout, salmon and rock cod. One N.C.O.,
::~-·r;::·._~;..
>·l''
-~:-i/-.-. :
k
Cpl. J. E. Pitre, of the Supply Section, recently Ml
.-° 3
spent 23 out of 26 days' leave fishing through an .» ·- atdklas
ice-hole in the bay in temperatures that dipped !± ",, gsay e,,
Lg» a
to 33° below zero and in winds of up to 40 m.p.h.
The Station Library. Mrs. Margaret Hamilton,
Librarian, in background.

chief projectionist, has received several offers from

civilian companies but has turned them all down.
"Despite the higher pay, I wouldn't think of
leaving my friends and career in the Air Force,"
he says.
The Station boasts the normal messes, clubs
and hobby-shops. But the airmen feel that in the
"Copa Cannibal Club" they have the best of its
kind in the Air Force. "I've been in a lot of Service
clubs in Canada and overseas," proclaims LAC
E. D. Wiebe of Flying Control, "but our Copa is
the tops."
Fresh bread is made daily for the entire camp by
a large Army Service Corps bakery. Laundry is
W.0.2 A. E. Dellaire displays his catch to Sgt. G. A. Noble no problem, for in addition to home washing-
machines there is a large modern laundry where in
an emergency you can get a shirt laundered in two
The Station library, although (since the big fire) hours, although 48-hour service is normal. A
it is not up to the standard that the librarian, Mrs. cleaning and pressing establishment provides
Margaret Hamilton, an ex-W.D., could wish for it, three-day dry cleaning. Sgt. R. H. Backman,
nevertheless contains a fair selection of books of N.C.O. in charge of the laundry, employs 21 civil-
all kinds as well as periodicals. ians, mostly native Newfoundlanders, and three
Goose Bay residents see the latest movies, often Servicemen, turning out an average of 20,000
before they are shown generally in Canada, at clothing articles per week. Sgt. Backman is one
reasonable prices in the "Astra Theatre" situated of the few people in the Air Force certain of his
in the heart of the camp. The programme changes next posting. It must be Whitehorse, since that
daily, with a special Saturday afternoon show for is the only other R.C.A.F. Station boasting a
children. Cpl. W. R. Pearson, theatre manager and laundry. However, he and his family have been

19
 The Laundry Station Grocery Store

at Goose for six years and have no desire to leave. millions of gallons of diesel, aircraft and vehicle
Once a year Goose Bay families are allowed free fuel, thousands of tons of living-necessities and
air transportation to Montreal or the Maritimes building material, plus the myriad bits-and-pieces
for leave. A surprising number elect to spend their required to operate a Station of this size.
leave period right at Goose Bay or on camping Two large root cellars have been dug to store
expeditions in the area. "Why should we spend root vegetables for winter use. Green vegetables
money in some crowded summer resort when we are brought in twice monthly by the Sked run, and
have this in our own backyards?" asks Sgt. R. V. large refrigerators keep meat fresh for the grocery
Eisenhauer, of the Signals Section, indicating the store and the various messes. About the only
beautiful rolling hills in the distance. things that housewives lack are such delicacies
There are no roads or railways into Goose Bay. as stuffed olives and imported cheese.
Cut off from surface contact with the outside world The general store sells everything from tooth-
at freeze-up in November, the camp depends paste to toys and girdles. Run by Flying Officer
entirely on the scheduled transport runs of No. 426 L. E. Fallis, the Supply Officer, the store is con-
Transport Squadron, Montreal, for additional stantly adding to its stock.
supplies and mail. Thrice weekly, residents cock There is very little sickness at Goose Bay, colds
their ears skyward, hear the familiar drone of the being virtually non-existent in the crisp Labrador
North Star, and mutter contentedly, "Ah, the air. The 20-bed hospital, commanded by Wing
Sked's in." Cdr. E. 0. Campbell, houses expectant mothers
Just as in small towns the arrival of the 5 o'clock more often than ailing Servicemen. The few male
local promotes a gathering, so the landing of the patients are usually victims of sports accidents,
Sked brings the non-working population of Goose with skiing and hockey rating as top man-killers.
down to the A.T.H.U. terminal. The North Stars One recent patient was the Station Warrant
carry an average of 25,000 lbs. of freight and 100 Officer, Flt. Sgt. W. M. Jessiman, who was pruned
passengers into Goose Bay each week.
of a recalcitrant appendix. Patients, waiting
But most operating supplies for the Station are
glumly in the dental office, range from grizzled
brought in during summer by water. Last year N.C.O.'s to cherubic school children.
between May and November, 73 ships dropped
Establishment of the hospital was a Godsend
anchor at the Goose Bay marine dock to unload
to the native Labradorians, who previously had
20
 ...i.~

7-+
»

Medical Assistant LAC J. K. Page takes temperature of

Eskimo brought in by Search and Rescue.
if < Spruce Park housing area

to rely on a few widely scattered mission hospitals of the locality from Labrador inhabitants while
or fend for themselves. Mobile medical and dental scouring the Eastern Arctic in a Stranraer flying
facilities are available for emergency cases among boat. He visited the Hamilton River area by boat,
the native Newfoundlanders. Medical Assistants, and after checking the terrain and soil carefully,
such as LAC E. E. Foreman and LAC D. C. Foley, lost no time in signalling Ottawa of his discovery.
are periodically called upon to fly into remote areas It had everything an airport needed lots of
with Medical Officers and Nursing Sisters to room for runways, good year-round weather,
render aid to wounded trappers or sick Eskimo sandy soil for easy excavation and drainage, and
children. proximity to coastal waterways for supply.
k
* 4 Discovered by a Canadian, Goose Bay was
built, developed and operated by Canadians. The
Situated on a sand plateau towering 80 feet story of the development of this base is one of the
above the surrounding muskeg and swamp, Goose most fascinating in Canadian military annals, and
Bay airport has been described as the gateway to to the men who planned and toiled to carve this
the Eastern Arctic. Less than 900 miles from great aerodrome out of the Labrador wilderness,
Montreal, the Station is slightly north of the Canada and the Allied Nations owe a debt of
great circle route between Montreal and Prestwick, gratitude. The construction of Goose Bay broke
Scotland. But possibly it is in the light of present all records for speed and ingenuity. The first planes
global-war strategy that Goose Bay acquires its landed only a few months after the site was
greatest prominence. Some experts claim that one selected, and a year later the airport was practically
of the most likely aerial routes for an attack from finished.
Europe on the economic heart of North America Virtually two camps were created, one to be
is over Greenland. This theory throws the spot- occupied by Canadian military personnel and one
light on Goose as a potential interceptor base, by Americans, although both camps were, and
employing radar and fighter planes. still are, under the jurisdiction of the Canadian
The site for this giant aerodrome was discovered Government, with the R.C.A.F. acting as local
by Mr. Eric S. Fry, of the Department of Mines landlords. During the war, bombing and recon-
and Resources, in July 1941. Mr. Fry first heard naissance squadrons flew out of Goose Bay on

21
 anti-submarine and convoy patrols, and air-sea
rescue service was maintained throughout the war.
But the main role of the base was that of a giant
service station for aircraft of the British, American
and Canadian transport commands. The thousands
of aircraft that poured through Goose later flooded
the skies over Germany.
To-day Goose Bay is basically a strategically
located air transit point. Two concrete runways,
recently extended to more than 8,000 and 9,500
feet respectively, are long enough to accommodate
the largest modern air giants. A third, of 6,000
feet, is not maintained during winter. R.C.A.F.
photographic squadrons, heading for summer-long
excursions into the Arctic, refuel at the Station, and
civilian airliners of many nations are familiar
sights at Goose Bay. Trans-Canada Airlines has a Left to right: Ranger Cpl. T. Morris, Sgt. R. J. Jordan,
Cpl. C. A. Vickers.
regularly scheduled stop at Goose, while the others
use it as a "weather alternate". Despite its
northerly location, the Station is blessed with
excellent year-round weather, icing and fog con-
ditions being much less severe than on the coast.
When weather does clamp in, an efficient Ground
Controlled Approach system (operated by the
U.S.A.F. and tied-in with the R.C.A.F. Flying
Control) effectively guides aircraft to earth.
T.C.A., in conjunction with the other airlines,
operates a sumptuous hotel to accommodate
passengers during stop-overs.
The American base on the opposite side of the
field is completely self-sustained with the excep-
tion of certain services such as flying control, run-
way maintenance, and laundry and bakery
facilities. Relations between Canadians and
Americans could not be more cordial. Exchange
visits for social and athletic events are common. Unloading the Sked
The Department of Transport has established
another camp to provide meteorological data and the case. There is never any friction over who has
radio service. jurisdiction."
Civil Law in the area is administered by a
The R.C.A.F. Station itself is equipped with
Newfoundland Provincial Government magistrate
two aircraft, (a Dakota and a Norseman) for
and two Rangers. The Rangers, who expect to be
Search and Rescue operations. Both aircraft can
absorbed into the R.C.M.P. soon, work closely
be fitted with skis and the Norseman is particularly
with R.C.A.F. Service Police. "Law-breaking is
useful for getting in and out of small lakes on floats.
rare at Goose Bay," says Sgt. R. J. Jordan, head
The main purpose of the S. & R. Section, of course,
of the S.P. section, "but when it does occur, we
is to be prepared to search for missing aircraft.
pool our resources with the Rangers to dispose of
A detailed search plan, worked out with the
22
 Labrador, Goose Bay receives numerous calls from
missionairies, isolated doctors and Service detach-
ments to evacuate patients to properly equipped
hospitals. Sometimes, however, the mercy flights
are of a different nature. Recently Flt. Lt.
Cuthbertson flew the Dakota up to Cape Dorset on
Baffin Island for "Operation Horsemeat".
Eskimoes in that area had reported that their
dogs, starving from lack of food, were eating each
other. In the Arctic, the dog is not merely man's
best friend; he is an absolute necessity of life. So
the Air Force picked up two tons of horsemeat,
flew to Cape Dorset by way of Fort Chimo and
Frobisher, and dropped it to the starving canines.
As an aid to ground search-parties engaged in
The higher learning at Goose Bay
locating crash victims, a number of emergency
cabins have been located in the areas where crashes
r are most likely to occur before landings and after
i take-offs. The cabins are equipped with stoves,
I
: beds, first-aid kits and food so that they may serve
II,
I as bases for the search parties or havens for the
injured until proper medical attention arrives.
ga», l One dog team and three snowmobiles facilitate
travel into the bush.
. 'AZ: T
J. J
s.
1, . . Winters at Goose Bay are severe, temperatures
of 20° and 30° below being the rule rather than
the exception. Last year 165.4 inches of snow fell
on the Station. But good clothing, high-calory
food and the spirit of the men make these statis-
tics of little account, and very few man-hours are
lost to Old Man Winter. During summer it is not
uncommon for the mercury to climb into the mid-
eighties. Summer also brings hordes of king-sized
mosquitoes and black flies buzzing up from the
School's out!
swampland. Station aircraft every year spray the
breeding grounds, and although headway is being
Americans, can be swung into action at a moment's made, the battle is not yet won. Government
notice. The ground rescue organization functions experts from Ottawa will continue their investiga-
like a well-drilled football team, and practices are tion of the problem this summer. The size of the
held to keep every member of the team up to mosquitoes at Goose is the subject of one of the
scratch. best known "chestnuts" in the Air Force. It con-
Under FIt. Lt. D. R. Cuthbertson, captain of cerns the mosquito that landed at Goose Bay one
the joint R.C.A.F. and Mines and Resources ex- afternoon during the war and into which an airman
pedition to locate the Magnetic North Pole last poured 100 gallons of gas before he discovered it
year, the S. & R. Section piles up an amazing wasn't the aircraft variety.
number of hours, mostly on mercy flights and The Mechanical Transport Section is even more
supply flights to detachments, As the hub of important at this isolated station than at most

23
 they would see the members of the Section sitting
around nonchalantly having coffee with a hundred-
pound Labrador black bear. "Bruno', a year old,
was caught by an Indian and turned over to
to W.O.2 Ferguson for a mascot. The bear roams
around the Section, completely tame, but gets a
little nasty if the boys forget to put his usual three
lumps of sugar in his coffee.
Maintenance crews work around the clock,
seven days a week, and are capable of making
minor overhauls on almost every type of aircraft
in the Service. Last year the Section, under Flt. Lt.
D. T. Miller, handled close to 800 aircraft. One
night in February, 22,000 gallons of gasoline were
poured into the tanks of various transient aircraft.

Snowblower at work. What looks like a hillock at left

is actually blown snow
k
* k

No long-distance telephone service exists at

other R.C.A.F. units. There are no private auto- Goose Bay. Communication with "civilization"
mobiles at Goose Bay, and consequently the is maintained by a radio teletype link to Halifax.
responsibility for moving the 600-odd residents of All Service messages are passed in this manner,
the R.C.A.F. section devolves on the M.T. Section and when needed, the teletype acts in lieu of the
under Flying Officer G. S. Clark. Three large buses long-distance telephone. Officer commanding the
are in continuous use carrying Servicemen, their Signal Section is Flt. Lt. A. C. Bowes, who is also
dependents, school children, and civilian employees President of the R.C.A.F. Ski Club. Working under
to their places of business. Wives have to be him are 25 Servicemen and six civilians.
brought in from their homes at Spruce Park to
shop at the grocery or general store, children have
to be taken to and from school, and employees
must get to work in all kinds of weather.
Close to a hundred miles of road criss-cross the
station, and it is the job of the Tractor Sec-
tion, under W.O.2 E. Ferguson, to keep them
cleared. Add to this the responsibility for keeping
over three miles of runway in condition to receive
air traffic, and you get an idea why "Fergy" has
to keep his twenty-five men on three shifts,
operating caterpillars, snow ploughs, and blowers.
Visitors to the Station are sometimes startled by
a huge three-eyed monster clanking out of the
darkness. It turns out merely to be one of W.O.2
Ferguson's giant caterpillars gobbling up a layer
of new-fallen snow.
But these same visitors would be even more
horrified if they dropped around to the Tractor "The Coffee Hour" broadcast. Mrs. Kay Stibbards dis-
Section the next morning around 10 o'clock. There, cusses camp matters with Mr. William Gordon and
Mrs. Fallis. -
24
 Goose Bay residents are not ordinarily racked
by indecision when tuning in their radios. For
a great part of the year their kilocycling is
limited entirely to CFGB, Goose Bay's own 250-
watt transmitter. But do not start feeling sorry
for them. The radio fare presented by CFGB is,
in some respects, superior to that offered to
Canadians generally. For instance, there are no
plaintive queries into the state of the listener's
liver, complexion, or smoking hack. De-commer-
cialized popular programmes, such as "Fibber
McGee and Molly" and "Twenty Questions",
are supplied to the station in transcription form
by the U.S. Armed Forces Radio Service. These
are supplemented by recorded broadcasts of the
better C.B.C. productions.
At present, radio performances using local The new school under construction
talent are comparatively few, but according to
Flt. Sgt. J. M. Metcalfe, Station Manager, CFGB evenings. "Saturday Nite Juke-Box," a full hour's
is trying to extend this type of presentation. On request programme, concentrates on western
Saturday mornings, teen-agers produce and an- music. The CFGB studios are better equipped
nounce a half-hour show of their own, and every than some commercial stations. Thousands of
Wednesday morning, Mrs. Fallis, wife of the recordings and transcriptions, ranging from
Supply Officer, conducts the ''Coffee-Hour," a Vaughn Monroe to Rise Stevens, cram the library.
quarter-hour interview with interesting camp Technical operation and continuity for pro-
personalities. Two civilian workers, Miss "Mickey" grammes is done by CFGB's three radio engineers,
Monroe and Earl Campbell do a half-hour disc- LAC's J. S. Greenwood, B. J. Lambie and R. G.
jockey and record chatter programme on Thursday Gruhl. The last-named has built up quite a
following among the younger children with his
reading of stories for young folk.
Last November a two-sheet, mimeographed
paper made its appearance. Under Sqn. Ldr. A. G.
Chalmers, editor-in-chief, this paper, named "The
Gosling" in a station-wide contest, has grown into
a SO-page weekly newspaper second to none in the
Service. News and views of camp life, original sub-
missions, and sports, recreation and fashion notes,
fill "The Gosling's" pages.
When construction of the airport started, many
natives migrated to Goose Bay, bringing their
families and camping independently in the locality.
To consolidate these workers into one community,
the R.C.A.F. set aside an area on the Hamilton
River, five miles south-east of the main Station;
and building space is allotted to the workers. A
Cpl. M.B. Vail, of the Sports Stores, watches LAC L. A.
settlement known as Happy Valley has sprung up,
Carmichael trying on skis. harbouring 500 men, women and children. The

25
 :
;

6/C J4A. VERNER-

Group Capt. Verner (seated); FIt. Lt. H. T. Giles, D.F.C. (Adjutant); and Sqn. Ldr. E. J. Greenway (C. Ad. 0.).

Air Force exercises control over the inhabitants of Ten miles of pipe carry chlorinated fresh
Happy Valley by advising on certain health and drinking-water up to the Station from the Hamilton
sanitary standards and allocating lots for building River. Heat is supplied to work-buildings through
homes. The community has its own school, elevated steam pipes that hang over the station
operated by the Newfoundland Provincial like a giant cobweb. On the Canadian side alone
Government, and its own Church. Flt. Lt. B. G. 80 miles of power line carry electrical power from
Stibbards, the Air Force padre, often performs two separate diesel-operated power plants. An
weddings and baptisms for the natives. Recently efficient sewage system, an internal telephone net,
a tragedy occurred in the Valley. One of the frame and postal, customs, telegraph and banking
shacks burned to the ground with two infant facilities, complete this picture of a sub-arctic town.
children inside. Padre Stibbards organized a relief Commanding Officer of the Station and "Mayor"
fund among Goose Bay residents and the flood of of the community is Group Capt. J. A. Verner. Be-
clothing, food and money to help the stricken fore coming to Labrador, he commanded repair de-
parents was an eloquent comment on the spirit of
pots at Vancouver and Saint John, N.B., and served
the community.
in engineering capacities in Canada and overseas.
26
 LAC Ford Lawler and family, at home.

The author

step towards this consolidation. To get the most

from our men and the equipment they use, we
must make their lives at Goose not only bearable
but happy. The overwhelmingly pro-Goose Bay
attitude among our people would indicate that we
are succeeding."
* * *
Ski-slope By now, the Corporal's wife has had an oppor-
tunity to acclimatize herself in the Goose Bay
The Goose Bay military reserve covers 120
way-of-life. She should be ready with a few choice
square miles, and control of this huge area has
answers to those patronizing friends of hers back
been vested in the R.C.A.F. commander by the
in "civilization" who write sympathetic letters
Federal Government. In addition, Goose Bay acts
beginning: "My, you poor dear, it must be
as mother-station for detachments at Mingan on dreadful living at that lonely Labrador outpost."
the St. Lawrence River, Fort Chima on Ungava
On the other hand, perhaps she has adopted the
Bay, and has an R.C.A.F. liaison officer at more subtle attitude of many of her Goose Bay
Frobisher Bay. friends. "Let them feel sorry for us," they reason.
"For the past few years,'' says Group Capt. "The more people who think life is grim here, the
Verner, "our big task has been the consolidation better our chances of staying an extra year . . . "
of the various elements of Goose Bay into a per-
(The photographs used in this article were specially
manent, strategically located Air Force base. The taken by Cpl. D. F. Lindsay of No. 1 Photographic
married-quarters building programme is one big Establishment).

27
 • That the Dominion Executive Council be asked to fix the
MAY IS OUR Dominion Convention month, and pattern of Association badges and insignia and to expedite
when you receive this issue of "The Roundel" the the provision of same; also that the Council consider the
· I provision of a suitable banner as part of the insignia for
convention will either be in full swing or will have· each Wing.
just finished. In any event, as a result of the con- e That the Dominion Council prepare immediately an
vention you will have (among other things) a new· advertising campaign directed towards improving the
Canadian public's knowledge of the Association's aims and
Dominion Executive. Who they will be, we don't work:,
yet know; but the July issue of "The Roundel" . "· -, -,
will carry a full report. Ontario '
No. of Wings:. '· ·
23 _ (located · at) Guelph, Sudbury, Sarnia, Kitchener-
Group Conventions Waterloo, Timmins, Kirkland Lake, North Bay, Toronto,
Ottawa, St. Catharines, Windsor, Picton, Chatham,
At the time of writing, we have the reports of Trenton, Cob;ilt, Kingston, Richmond Hill, Belleville
the Group Conventions for the Alberta and Oakville, Oshawa, Newmarket, Leamington, Mount Forest).
Ontario Groups. Highlights from the reports of New Executive Elected:
the remaining Group Conventions will be published --resident: P G. E. Brookes
Ve&.phesident: P. Y. Davoud
in the June issue. Treasurer; H. M. Coates
Secretary:"\ 0. N. Mends
Northern Ontario
Alberta Representative: K. K. Gildner
No. of Wings: Resolutions: '
3 (located at Edmonton, Calgary, and Lethbridge). The following Resolutions were carried:
New Executive Elected: o That a thorough and purposeful training of the R.C.A.F.
President<"=-G.R. Howsam Reserve Force_ be undertaken immediately, and that all
Presideitts:""--½. ~ members of the Reserve who have signified, or who shall
Vice-Pridents:-
es W.D.S.Ferris (North) in the future voluntarilysignify,theirwillingness to
~~-:----H:"-G. Oborne (Centre) d ,,. - •
;-=
TC Segsworth (South) undertaketraining, be given anopportunityto
,do so.
Honorary Treasurer: W.R. H. Nash -· . . • That all personnel-undertaking such-framing' be trained
Legal Adviser and; in as many correlated positionsaspossible, in such a
Administrative· -- manner that they may. be·_ capable-~[ >illing various
Chairman: R. White, K.C. positions in the groundcrew or aircrew categories, and that
a reasonable percentage be qualified to act as instructors.
Resolutions: That the R.C.A.F. Benevd1.ent Fund be asked to supply
The following Resolutions were
~ carried: betterJiaisop between itself and the Association.
• That a uniform constitution for ·all _Wings be prepaq:d'by e That the DotiinionE&&ltive
1
Council be asked to take
the Dominion Executive Council. the necessary steps to limit the use of the name
f'· Royal Canadian Air Force Association" to members of
o That representation be made to the Department of our Association or tliose groups which have been granted
National Defence urging financial pr other assistance in a Cha~t'er as Wingsof the R.C.A.F.A.
the immediate provision of suitably located buildi,c;gs to 4
be used for training and recreational purposes by the ?
R.C.A.F. Reserve and R.C.A.F. Association Wings in ' _4: Wing New 5
all key centres of Alberta. (Such buildings inight~also be . . _,r:,
used by the Regular R.C.A.F. for recruitingorother No.303 (Sherbrooke) Wing
Service purposes.) "aeaawseewe
• That closer liaison be maintained between senior members Air Marshal Curtis, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.C., gave
of the Association and Wings, and also (by means of more
frequent visits from senior R.C.A.F. officers) between the an address to some 250 members of the Sherbrooke
R.C.A.F. and Wings. Wing on the occasion of the presentation of its
28
Charter. His talk dealt mainly with the develop- No. 416 (Kingston) Wing
ment and highly satisfactory first flights of the
R.C.A.F.'s own fighter 'plane, the CF-100. He On February 22nd, Air Chief Marshal L. S.
spoke also of the new Canadian jet engine, the Breadner presented No. 416 (Kingston) Wing with
Orenda, mentioning that two of these engines are its Charter at a dinner held in the LaSalle Hotel.
being fitted for trials on a Lancaster. Another, he In the course of his address, he observed:
added, will be tested on an F-86. R.C.A.F. re- "Since atomic war is with us, and since we are
cruiting, he said, is "up to strength, and we are not bright enough to get over having wars, we
choosing only the best. From now on we are con- must face the fact that in the next war there will
centrating on quality all the way through". be more air force than ever before."
In accepting the charter, Mr. K. J. Reid,
In addition to our Dominion President, Air
president of the local Wing, gave a brief outline of
Chief Marshal L. S. Breadner, C.B., D.S.C., the the air force inheritance which has been bestowed
other speakers included Air Vice-Marshal G. V. upon Kingston. "Since the establishment of the
Walsh, C.B., C.B.E., 3rd Vice-President; Group first military post here in the 1770's, armed forces
Captain W. R. MacBrien, O.B.E., Group Com- have been in Kingston," he said. "With this
mander of Air Defence Group; Mr. Alec Ross, military background it is only natural that a sub-
representing Mayor Alphonse Trudeau; and Wing stantial air force inheritance should follow.
Commander K. R. Patrick, O.B.E., C.O. of No. 1 "Included among the 175 ex-cadets from R.M.C.
Radar and Communications (Reserve) Unit. who have served in the air forces of Canada and
Mr. Eric Webster, Wing President, received the Great Britain, are the Wait brothers, Paul
Charter from Air Marshal Curtis. Davoud, Doug Bradshaw, Doug Edwards, the
Carr-Harrises, and many others-the most famous
being "Billy" Bishop. Of the Kingston ad-
No. 408 (Toronto) Wing
venturers who joined the R.A.F. prior to the last
An interesting address was given at the February war, "Nellie" Timmerman and Ted England are
meeting of No. 408 (Toronto) Wing, by Wing perhaps the best known locally.
Commander Kendall, O.B.E. Wing Cdr. Kendall,
who is Vice-President of the Photographic Survey
Corporation, was formerly Chief Technical Officer
of the R.A.F.'s Central Photographic Interpreta-
tion Unit. He gave a brief review of the problems
which were involved in the setting-up of aerial
survey for the R.C.A.F., the R.A.F., and the
A.A.F. in Europe from the start of the war until
it reached the position of complete coverage of all
phases of enemy activity. He also gave some in-
sight into the problems which would be faced in
the event of an atomic war with an enemy situated
in Asia, and the tremendous amount of aerial
survey which would be necessary before any land a
offensive could be undertaken, or before any 3,,
,_
effective air operations could be put into effect. <z
Aerial survey is one of the oldest of the R.C.A.F.'s No. 416 Wing. Left to right: Air Cdre. W. W. Brown;
Group Capt. C. C. Wyatt; Air Chief Marshal Breadner;
operations and has been given a high priority by Mr. D. Cain, Chairman; General Guy Simmonds;
by the Air Staff. Mr. K. Reid; Air Vice-Marshal G. E. Brookes.

29
 "Many of the trainees of Norman Rogers
Aerodrome returned to Kingston after the war
and have become its citizens. To-day, the airport
is used by the local flying club and as an instruction
centre for the Air Cadet Squadron of Kingston."
Mr. Reid concluded by remarking that, "unlike
last year, when there was no air force identity in
Kingston that could acceptably take part in the
Armistice services, we hope this year to take an
active part in this commemoration to our com-
rades who have passed on and left such a brilliant
record."
Toasts to the Navy, Army and Air Force were
given by Messrs. V. Koen, Charles Pearson, and
H. Beaupre respectively. Lt.-Cdr. W. G.
Cunningham, executive officer of H.M.C.S.
Cataraqui, replied for the Navy, Lt. Gen. Guy
Simmonds, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., for the Army,
and Air Vice-Marshal G. E. Brookes, C.B., O.B.E.
for the Air Force.
Mayor C. A. Curtis, on behalf of the City of
Kingston, officially welcomed the guests and
wished the new Wing every success in the future.
Chairman D. W. Cain extended the gratitude of
the Wing for the aid given it in its efforts to get No. 416 Wing. Mr. F. Kinnear presents the George
Kinnear Memorial Trophy to Cadet W.0.1 W. Stewart.
started. In particular he thanked Brigadier G.
Walsh, C.B.E., D.S.O., for the use of the armory,
Jack Belwa, president of the R.C.H.A. club, and
Group Captains C. C. Wyatt, M.B.E., and H. L.
Wright, M.B.E., for their unfailing efforts in
making the dreams of the Wing become a reality.
Mr. W. F. Kinnear presented the George
Kinnear Trophy to Cadet Warrant Officer William
Stewart of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets as the
senior cadet who attained the highest standing in
general proficiency throughout the year. Mr.
Kinnear donated the trophy in honour of his son
who was killed while serving in the Air Force
overseas.
Mr. W. J. Henderson, M.P., spoke to the 118
members who attended the dinner of the fellow-
ship promoted by groups of this type. He gave
credit to the present officers for the fine job they
did in organizing the Wing.
Dick Dodds, one of the stars of "Dear Suzie," re-
cent Queen's University production, gave his version No. 416 Wing. Facing camera (left to right): Sqn. Ldr.
J. H. Giguere, Messrs. B. Keene, H. Beaupre, J.
of a movie production depicting a bomber mission. Marchand, V. Koen, C. Pearson, K. Whitney.
30
No. 701 (Calgary) Wing
"As you may have read in the Toronto 'Globe
The following is an excerpt from a recent letter and Mail,' our Wings Club at the head of the
received from Mr. J. 0. Taylor, Secretary of No. Lakes has sponsored a scholarship for the best
701 (Calgary) Wing. Air Cadet chosen in Thunder Bay District. The
"An enthusiastic meeting of No. 701 (Calgary) winner will receive a four-year course at either
Wing was held on February 21st. Amongst the R.M.C. or Royal Roads, the value of the scholar-
things accomplished were the following: ship amounting to $2700.
"An Active Membership Committee was ap- "To raise the necessary wherewithal for the
pointed, whose job it will be to increase our mem- above, a Ways and Means Committee was formed
bership. With some 6,000 ex-R.C.A.F. personnel to deal with this problem. It was decided to hold a
residing in Calgary, it is felt that Calgary Wing huge draw and sell membership (associate)
should have an active membership of hundreds, tickets for $1 each. To the lucky winner goes a
and with an Active Membership Committee two-week, all-expenses-paid trip for two people to
having that as their goal, much should be accom- Bermuda by T.C.A., or the cash equivalent.
plished. Now that we have assurance of a per- Second and third prizes are a refrigerator and a
manent meeting place, namely R.C.A.F. Urban combination radio-phonograph, so you can see
Headquarters at 12th Avenue and 1st Street East, that we are really offering interesting prizes to
their job should not be so difficult. Ultimately, it attract associate members.
is hoped we may perhaps be able to make arrange- "The draw is the main thing that the Ways and
ments to have a permanent Mess of our own, along Means Committee is responsible for, but it is
the lines of the Legion's, where members can drop also planning quite a few large dances during the
in any time. spring and summer, all the proceeds of which will
"A Nominating Committee was elected, whose go towards the draw and expenses for same. We
job will be to bringina proposed list of officers to be hope to end this draw with a large display of
voted on at our next general meeting on March 7th. jet planes and ancillary equipment from Winnipeg
"A publicity Committee, under the Chairman- for Air Force Day, to be followed by a mammoth
ship of Mr. A. Smith, was elected, Publicity is dance.'
what the organization needs, and it is felt that
Art Smith will, with his Committee, make a real
job of this.
"D. Austin Lane, President of the Air Force
Members of the Alberta United Services Institute,
was present at the meeting, and expressed a keen
desire that members of his organization and ours
work in close liaison by attending each others'
meetings, etc.
"Art Smith outlined a proposal under which our
members will visit the Auxiliary Squadron. This
would serve both to increase the interest of our
members and to keep them posted on what is
going on, and to show personnel in the Auxiliary
Squadron that others are interested in their work."
No. 501 (Lakehead) Wings Club, Port Arthur Front row, left to right: Messrs. H. Maine, Murray
Rothschild (Sec'y), Kenneth Adams (Chairman), Robert
The following letter has been received from McGregor (Treasurer), Robert Arnold (President), G.
Kissick. Back row, left to right: Messrs. E. A. McQuarrie,
Mr. M. Rothschild, Secretary of the Ways and E. G. Hawkins, A. A. Turpin, W. Clarke, A. Thompson,
Means Committee of No. 501 Wing: C. McLeod, K. Goff, Roy Lockyer, B. Lod, and I. Safir.

31
 Presentation of Charter to No. 300 (Granby) Wing

No. 300 (Granby) Wing hoped that No. 300 Wing would be instrumental
in helping to organize this project.
On March 14, Air-Marshal G. V. Walsh, C.B.,
Group Captain Archambault, A.F.C., followed
C.B.E., made the official presentation of the
Mayor Boivin's address by giving a brief outline
Charter to No. 300 Wing at a Charter night
of the air defence aims in this region, and explained
banquet held at the Windsor Hotel, in Granby. the activities at St. Hubert Airport to-day.
Presentation of the Charter has been delayed for Mr. Kench then gave a brief address in which
some time, as the Granby Wing (the first Wing to he stressed the friendly relationship existing be-
be formed in the Province of Quebec) came into tween the R.C.A.F. Association and the Canadian
being a little over a year ago. Legion.
The Wing turned out in full force for the occasion, Mr. Kench's remarks were heartily endorsed by
and about 65 attended, including members and Air Vice-Marshal Walsh, the next speaker, who
guests. stated that he too was a member of both organiza-
Shortly before the banquet, Mayor Horace tions. The Air Vice-Marshal then went on to give
Boivin was host to Air Vice-Marshal Walsh, a very interesting account of the R.C.A.F. from
President Rean Meyer and other Wing exceutives the outbreak of the War up to the present time.
at a reception held in the Mayor's off:e in the After his address, he officially presented the
Charter to President Rean Meyer.
City Hall.
The audience was then addressed in French by
Following the banquet at the Windsor Hotel,
Wing Cdr. Georges Roy, D.F.C., former Com-
Mayor Boivin addressed the gathering and men-
manding Officer of the famous "Alouette"
tioned that a government grant of $25,000 had Squadron.
been given to the city of Granby for the construc-
The evening was brought to a close with the
tion of a Municipal airport, and stated that he
presentation of the film "Wasp Wings", an
32
R.C.A.F. film taken in England during the War. A LETTER FROM No. 800 WING
Prominent in the film was a Granby boy who did
Dear Sir:
not return, Flying Officer "Buddy" Bowker.
Enclosed is the story of how the Forbidden
Plateau Glacier got its name.
New Wing
We thought this might be of interest to readers
We take pleasure in announcing the formation of "The Roundel" who do not know of this
of No. 423 (Chapleau) Wing, and wish them every historical region on Vancouver Island, from which
success. Their executive consists of: No. 800 (Forbidden Plateau) Wing derives its
name ...
President: J. M. S. Crichton A witch-doctor (the Hamatsi) of the Comox tribe crouched
Vice-President: J. R. Thornton in the smoke of his fire in the Ranncherie at the mouth of the
Courtenay River. He was about to send a young man named
Secretary Treasurer: A. R. Acquine Klalis out into the mysterious interior of Vancouver Island to
assume his mantle.
Additional Members J. G. A. Burns
After preparing for a 20-day stay, without food or weapons,
S. H. Thomson in the woods where none but evil spirits dwelt, Klalis started
from the delta of the Courtenay River and struck a trail along
E.G. Wallace the Puntledge River. Through the tall firs he went until one
day, coming out on high level ground, he found himself
surrounded by tall hairy giants, who bound and blindfolded
THE R.A.A.F. ASSOCIATION him.
After some time Klalis escaped and managed to climb to the
top of a high cliff. Looking down, he saw many human bones
Mr. R. S. White, who is the honorary represen- and he realized he was on the cliff of sacrifice that had claimed
many of his tribe who had wandered off and never been heard
tative in Canada of the Royal Australian Air of again. But it was too late to escape. As he turned, he saw
Force Association, will be happy to assist any the giants coming towards him, and he was hurled over the
cliff and left for dead.
members ofthe R.C.A.F. Association to get in He landed on a ledge part way down the side and there lay
ls. "e unconscious for a long time. When he came to, although badly
touch withfo rmer Service friends now resident in hurt, he managed to crawl and limphis way back to the
Australia. His address is: 62 Royal York Road N., Puntledge River trail, and there a tribesman found him.
Many years later he told his story to a white man, describing
Toronto, Ont. the country of his adventure. (in the language of the Coast
Mr. White, who is a member of the R.C.A.F.A. Indians) as "Hiyu Cultus Illahe"-"The Forbidden Plateau".
(Mrs.) R. H. Blackmore,
was trained in the R.C.A.F. during the war. He Secretary, No. 800 Wing
has recently returned from Australia to make his 'Oddly enough, this B.C. legend of "tall hairy giants" who live in high
places still survives. We ourselves recall the slight stir that resulted, some
permanent home in this country. seventeen years ago, from the reports of both a prospector and an Indian
woman who claimed to have seen gigantic wild figures moving amid the
mists in the mountains only sixty miles inland from Vancouver. Scotland,
too can furnish similar legends of fairly recent date-though the Scottish
versions, while agreeing on the shagginess, reduce the stature to something
MATERIAL FOR "THE ROUNDEL" below the Highland average. We believe that some ethnologists have even
seriously considered the possibilities of freakish survivals from pre-historic
times-Editor.
Wing Secretaries, Public Relations officers, and
other corresponding members are asked· to send
their material to the General Secretagr of the
Association rather than directly to "The Roundel"•
To send it direct is apt to occasion delay, since
all material must be correlated by the General
Secretary before publication. His address is:

General Secretary,
R.C.A.F. Association,
424 Metcalfe Street,
Ocrwa, Ont.
33
 WIHATS sCORE
One of our oldest friends 1s a British Isrealite 4. There is no such thing as an atom of:
of definite convictions who feels that we, as a (a) Iron, hydrogen, or tungsten
(b) Zinc, iodine, arsemc
member of the Armed Forces, should be fully (c) Coal, brass, or steel
alive to the menace of the future. The latest (d) Carbon, oxygen, or neon
booklet we received from her engendered a night-
S. The "core" of an atom, around which the
mare in which we were being straddled with a
electrons move, is known as:
stick of guided positrons dropped from an outsize
(a) The nucleus
plutonium isotope. We awoke screaming just as (b) The positron
we came up for the third time in a lake of (c) The mesotron
(d) The mantissa
heavy-water.
Realizing that such dreams could not happen to 6. A proton is:
the well-informed, we immediately repaired to the (a) The 'firing-pin" of an A-bomb
(b) A positively charged component of the "core" of an
library, where a little nuclear research soon re- atom
vealed how little we know of the meaning of (c) The type of atom formed in the transmutation of
hydrogen into helium
words we have been reading almost daily in news- (d) The radio-active gas generated (in theory) by an
papers, magazines, and books. The following H-bomb
twenty questions are concerned solely with
7. An isotope is :
such words. None the less, if you get more than
(a) A substance whose atomic weight has been increased
6, your score is better than the average score of without affecting its other properties
the Editorial Committee of "The Roundel". (b) A line on a chart indicating an area of equal radio-
activity
Correct answers are given on page 48.-EDITOR (c) A substance used in A-bombs to lessen the risk of
chain-reaction
(d) An atom from which all components have been
1. The word atom," derived from the Greek, stripped except a single electron
means:
(a) An egg-basket 8. A neutron is:
(b) That which cannot be cut (a) An uncharged component of an atom's "core"
(c) A grain of sand (b) A free electron
(b) An invisible particle (c) A type of particle first observed in cosmic rays
(d) A proton from which the positive charge has been
artifically removed
2. The elements are:
(a) Those substances that cannot be built up of other 9. Heavy-water is:
substances
(b) Earth, air, fire, and water (a) Ordinary water with U-238 added
(c) Certain complex radio-active substances which, (b) Water in which the hydrogen atoms contain an
under proper conditions, can be made to explode added neutron
with great violence (c) Deadly poisonous
(d) Ninety-two special kinds of mineral ore (d) Ordinary water from which the oxygen has been
removed
3. A molecule is:
10. The apparatus used for bombarding a nucleus
(a) The smallest particle of matter visible under a
microscope with single protons, or with heavy-hydrogen
(b) An atom to which additional electrons have been or helium nuclei, is called:
added
(c) The name given to an atom of a chemical compound (a) A betatron
(d) The smallest particle of any substance that can (b) A spinthariscope
exhibit the properties of that substance (c) An atomic pile
(d) A cyclotron
34
11. The final stage is the disintegration of uranium 15. The A-bomb operates by fission. The H-bomb,
is:
however, will operate by fusion-converting
(a) Boron
(b) Radium hydrogen atoms into:
(c) Lead (a) Helium
(d) Graphite (b) Neptunium
(c) Berkelium
12. Radium emits three types of radiation, which (d) Heavy-water
do not include:
16. The heat and pressure necessary to "fuse"
(a) Alpha particles
(b) Gamma rays the hydrogen atoms will be generated by:
(c) Beta particles (a) A nuclear pile
(d) Theta rays (6) T.N.T.
(c) A heavy-water explosion
13. The famous formula, E =mc, on which the (d) An old-style "fission" blast
A-bomb's development was based, was pro-
duced by:
(a) Vannevar Bush
(b) James Conant
(c) Albert Einstein
(d) Frank Jewett
14. The nuclear "piles" associated with A-bomb
manufacture are assemblies of uranium and
suitable controls used primarily for the
purpose of making:
(a) U-235
(b) Plutonium
(c) Heavy water
(d) U-238

17.\The celebrated dictum that, if man succeeds

so! MRS. MURPHY! .. 'in making the hydrogen bomb, "radioactive

some
"O MB
STILL USING OUR
PRECIOUS HEAVY WATER
FOR THE OFFICE FLOORS j
poisoning of the atmosphere and hence anni-
hilation of any life on earth has been brought
within the range of technical possibilities,"
MANu+Acri; was uttered in February by:
c;<o,
LTD.
(a) Bush
(b) Conant
~ (c) Einstein
(d) Jewett

· 18. The simplest atom known is the atom of:

(a) Hydrogen
(b) Oxygen
(c) Uranium
(d) Carbon

J 19. The most complex atom known is the atom of:

®]/
(a) Uranium
(b) Lithium
I I I
l
(c)
(d)
Tritium
Curium
20. If you score less than three in this question-
_Ps,
naire, it will:
@'>._s2 (a)
(b)
Upset us greatly
Have a serious effect on your Service career
] \ \ <, (c) Qualify you for a Headquarters posting
', a}c, (d) Not matter an atom
35
 ©

w
's

T "'
go l
'. "g

ANNUAL MEETING 1950 Return parties of A.T.C. and C.A.P. cadets will,
of course, be entertained by the League and
By A. MACDONALD R.C.A.F. in Canada. Honorary President C.
Douglas Taylor and General Manager George
IN A THREE-DAY CONFERENCE which attracted M. Ross were authorized by the meeting to repre-
delegates from all parts of Canada, the national sent the League at an international conference to
directors of the Air Cadet League met recently to be held in London, England, late in April for the
chart the future of Canada's 15,000 Royal purpose of discussing detailed exchange plans.
Canadian Air Cadets. Held at the Seigniory Club, Canada will again produce a precision drill
P.Q, the meeting was also attended by ranking team to compete for the General Beau Trophy
officers of the R.C.A.F. and cadet officials from the which was won the past two years by Air Cadet
United States and Britain. teams from Quebec and Ontario. It was decided
Great Britain's Air Training Corps was repre- that the 1950 team should be selected from
sented by Air Marshal R. M. Foster, A.0.C.-in-C., North West Air Command and that as many
Reserve Command, while the U.S. delegation was squadrons as possible should be given representa-
headed by Major-General Earl S. Hoag, Com- tion. The team will be trained at summer camp
manding General of the US.A.F. Reserve Forces, and will fly south late in August to compete with
and Major-General Lucas V. Beau, National the top drill squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.
Commander of the Civil Air Patrol. Purpose of It was announced during the meeting that 550
their participation was to lay preliminary plans cadets had written qualifying examinations for
for the 1950 exchange of cadets and to discuss the 1950 Scholarship Flying Training Course. The
cadet training problems in general. top 225 candidates will be selected for four weeks
Following the well-attended business sessions, of pilot training carried out by members of the
the League was able to announce a number of Royal Canadian Flying Clubs Association. Every
developments designed to bolster and improve the attempt will be made to award League scholar-
training of Air Cadets. It was made clear that the ships to cadets who do not qualify under the
emphasis this year will be placed on consolidation R.C.A.F. quota of 225.
rather than on expansion and, as a result, it is After considerable discussion, the meeting
expected that the Air Cadet movement in Canada decided to hold the third national "Air Cadet
will reach a new level of efficiency in the months
Week" from May 14th to May 21st. During this
that follow.
penod the activities of the League will be widely
Always of prime interest to cadets, the inter-
publicized and there will be fund-raising drives in
national exchange visits scheme was thoroughly
most of the provinces. A second campaign,
aired. It was agreed that twenty-five Canadian
designed to aid squadron enrolments. will be
cadets would visit the United Kingdom this year carried out in the fall. "
while a similar number would tour the U.S.
The League will again award 20 scholarships to
36
Left to right: Messrs. H. L. Garner, M. Banker Bates, Urwin Finch, H. W. Aslin, and G. M. Eaton. (Capital Press
photo.)

the Canadian Services Colleges at Royal Roads, progress made by the League in Newfoundland,
B.C., and R.M.C., Kingston. Valued at $600, each where there are already 6 squadrons and over
scholarship permits one graduate Air Cadet to 500 cadets.
enter college at no expense to himself. These At the close of the business sessions the League
scholarships are raised by the League's Provincial elected a new slate of officers for the coming year.
Committees from public-spirited firms and individ- Mr. M. Banker Bates, Hamilton, was chosen
uals throughout Canada. The $500 Sir James President to succeed Mr. D. Alex Ross, Vancouver,
McBrien Scholarship, which covers the first year who has headed the movement for the past two
of aeronautical engineering at the University of years. Mr. Bates has been active with the League
Toronto, will also be awarded again in 1950. since its inception in 1941. Vice-Presidents for
One of the highlights of the meeting was the 1950 are: G. M. Eaton, Winnipeg; H. L. Garner,
presentation of reports by representatives of each Peterborough; Urwin Finch, Vancouver, and
of the Provincial Committees. These reports serve H. W. Aslin, Halifax.
to underline the fact that the Air Cadet movement Also on the national executive are Honorary
in Canada is now on a sound, well-organized basis. President C. Douglas Taylor, Montreal; Honorary
Secretary D. A. Ross; Honorary Treasurer R.
Of particular interest was the report of Mr. H.
Darroch Macgillivray who outlined the remarkable Scott Misener, Port Col borne; and Director L. S.

37
 • It inculcates into the youth of the country
the meaning and responsibility of true citizenship.
Air Vice-Marshal James announced that plans
are under way for an Air Cadet radio network that
will be an important factor in welding the move-
ment into a compact uniform youth training
organization. Lack of an exclusive Air Cadet radio
frequency has hampered development of a network
in the past, he said.
"Recently we have been able to set aside ex-
clusively for the use of the Air Cadet squadrons a
suitable frequency, and it is my intention now to
proceed with the organization of a training pro-
gramme and schedule which we hope in time will
create a direct link with even the remotest
squadron."
Reviewing growth of the movement in 1949, Air
Vice-Marshal James said that despite post-war
reorganization involving disbandment of inactive
Left to right: Messrs. A. Ross Grafton, C. Douglas and inefficient squadrons, the total number of
Taylor, D. Alex Ross, L.S. Marsh, and Air Vice-Marshal active squadrons was increased by 7 to 188. About
H. L. James. (Capital Press photo.)
14,800 boys were in the movement-just short of
the 15,000 authorized establishment.
The dinner was under the chairmanship of re-
Marsh, Montreal. Air Marshal Robert S. Leckie tiring President D. Alex Ross, who called upon
will continue as special consultant to the League. Mr. C. Douglas Taylor, Air Marshal R. M. Foster,
Guest speaker at the Ninth Annual Dinner of General Lucas V. Beau, and President-Elect M.
the League was Air Vice-Marshal A. L. James, Banker Bates for brief addresses. In a brief
acting Chief of Air Staff, who said that the League ceremony, Vice-President H. L. Garner presented
has developed into a "progressive and dynamic Mr. Ross with a set of the souvenir Air Cadet
organization" for Canada's youth. cuff-links which are worn by all past-Presidents
He further said that the R.C.A.F. considers that of the League.
the Air Cadet movement fills three important Following the Seigniory Club gathering, the
functions: League officials travelled to Ottawa where they
• It creates among Canada's youth an en- attended a mess dinner in the R.C.A.F. Officers'
lightened group who understand the importance of Mess. A feature of the dinner was the presentation
air power in the healthy economic development of by Air Vice-Marshal James of illuminated scrolls
Canada in peacetime.
to Directors H. P. Illsley and Lawrence S. Marsh
• It provides a vital link in preserving national in recognition of their many contributions to the
security in the event of a future conflict.
movement over the course of the past nine years.

38
 Canada's Radar Outposts
A Little-known Chapter in the History of the R.C.A.F. during the Second World War

by WING COMMANDER C. B. LIMBRICK

(The author of this article is now in charge of guided missiles under the Chief of Armament
and Weapons at Air Force Headquarters.--EDITOR)

[HIS BRIEF STORY of one of our Service's least-

intimately involved in that very job and that it
publicized war-time activities is the outcome of a
would prove every bit as tough as I had foreseen!
recent visit to my home from an ex-R.C.A.F.
Lack of roads and communications, the eternal
radar officer whom I knew well during the troub- bush, rock, and muskeg these things made the
lous days to which it refers. After we had dined, task immeasurably more difficult than it had been
we reminisced awhile in the usual fashion, remark-
ing among other things how singularly few people,
even within the Service, have any idea of the sort
of life led by those who manned our radar stations
(as well as by those who built them) during the
recent war ...

Early in the war we could not foresee which

way the battle would go. Perhaps the Germans
would take England and Iceland, perhaps they
t
would develop a super long-range bomber capable
of stiking directly at this continent. Again, they
might even decide to send over bombers on one-
way missions. As a precaution against any event-
uality, therefore, the government decided to
build a chain of early-warning stations along the
eastern seaboard and at other strategic locations.
Later, when the Japanese threat assumed serious
proportions and in view of the proximity of the
Aleutians to our western civilization - the chain
was enlarged to include the western seaboard and
the approaches to Vancouver and Seattle. . .
Quite often during the days of the big blitz in
England, I would sit in the office at my radar
station, waiting for a raid, and reflect how stupen-
dous a job it would be to install and operate an
early-warning chain in Canada's remoter regions.
Little did I think that before long I would be Wing Cdr. C. B. Limbrick

39
 in Britain. None the less, approximately fifty
ground stations were established. The great
majority of them were for early-warning purposes,
some combined early-warning and interception
control, and a few were intended for detection of
submarines seeking entrance to large rivers. Quite
apart from the physical difficulties of installation
and maintenance, there existed the initial problem
of providing equipment for the stations. England
was the only source of supply, and she was hard
put to it to find enough equipment for her own
defence and that of other parts of the Empire.
It was decided to establish a Crown Company,
known as Research Enterprises Ltd., to manu-
facture both ground and airborne radar from
British designs modified to utilize Canadian and
Clearing site at Langara Island
American components and tubes. This Company
(R.E.L.), together with the National Research
Council, developed and manufactured radar for
Canadian, American and British requirements.
All the Canadian stations, with the exception of
two, were equipped with Canadian-built radar.
In the early days, radar (particularly for early-
warning) was very sensitive to siting. One
couldn't go out and spot a radar at a site just
because the fishing looked good or the local farmer
had a couple of good-looking daughters. It was
necessary not only to have height of land but
also to have a combination of physical conditions
and station-spacing which would provide suitable
coverage and safety overlapping. Thus, while
some sites were in nice civilized areas, the large
majority were located in isolated and almost
inaccessible places. Listen to the names of a few of Amphitrite Point (under construction)
them: Brig Harbour, Spotted Island, Langara,
Cape Bonavista, Amphitrite Point. They sound
the most northern Canadian island on the west
pleasant enough, even romantic; but in actual
coast, the trip ashore rivalled a ride on any roller-
fact the only romance that ever visited them
coaster. Under the watching eyes of the peregrine
existed in the imaginations of radar or construction
falcons who nested on the sheer cliffs, the victim
men when they thought of what might have been
first had to take to a small boat in the open (and
if they'd been posted elsewhere.
often very rough) sea. After a row of a quarter-
Many of the units were so remote and desolate
to a half-mile, he had to manoeuvre the craft into
that merely to get on to them from the ship meant
a brief scuffle with the Grim Reaper. More than position beneath a contraption similar to a ship's
one member of the R.C.A.F. who was "lost on davits, and attach it to an aerial cable of which the
active service" was, in fact, claimed by the seaward end was anchored on a small rocky island.
Pacific during such disembarkations. At Langara, An engine on the cliffs was then started, and the
boat and its contents was hoisted up out of the
40
water and swung on to dry land. The alternative
t this Rube Goldberg arrangement would have que for getting ashore involved putting on a rubber
6%en to hack out and build a road right across the overall suit, getting into a small boat, approaching
island to the only relatively safe harbour. the island as near as possible without getting
Another place where every landing ought to smashed to bits on the rocks, and then sliding over
have brought at least a mention in despatches was the side and walking or, more often than not,
Marble Island. This was a small knob of land being washed ashore. During the building of
which the Pacific Ocean was perpetually trying to the station, and afterwards in order to land sup-
swallow, "affectionately" known to its R.C.A.F. plies, large rafts were constructed of oil-drums and
logs, on which the supplies were lashed. It was
inhabitants as "Alcatraz." Here, the usual techni-
then left to Lady Luck and the Pacific to get them
ashore. The immensity of the undertaking can
er±p perhaps be realized when I say that the unit
finally consisted of a complete ground radar
station, a cable railway to the top of the island
about 500 feet above sea level, accommodation

- and mess rooms for more than a hundred personnel,

power plants, and radar and communication
equipment.
Some of the sites were so desolate that seawater
had to be distilled and treated to provide fresh
water for all purposes. In many places, merely
stepping off the unit into the bush meant taking a
good chance of being lost. At others the site was
just bare rock, and the only way to get lost was to
fall or get blown into the sea. The latter was a
simple enough matter, as the winds at Cape Bauld
and Brig Harbour sometimes reached velocities of
up to 120 m.p.h.
Ferrer Point
The reader must by now be wondering what
kind of supermen manned these radar units.
Personnel were recruited from all over Canada;
they came from every walk in life. There were
teachers, clerks, engineers, students, and of course
many radio amateurs or hams.' None of them
received any special physical or survival training.
Although it was the policy to "rotate" personnel,
it was impossible to move them to more pleasant
locations as often as was desirable. Some of the
boys b eca me "bushed'' • and a few had .to be
move d fon r the sake of their health.
, All in all,
e morale remained at a high level, thanks
h owev::r,
ti to the '
par'y general determination to defeat the
monotony by organizing recreation, and partly to
hard work. k Huntincr and fishing
'& competitions
were h e Id . At a few units ' panning for gold became
I r Pastl·me · Carving driftwood and manu-
a popu.a .
facture o f n Ovelties from sea-shells were favounte
Cape St. James
41
 Spider Island Operations Building, Jordan River. (Built in emergency
out of driftwood and an airborne radar set.)

hobbies and of course there were, here and Millions of dollars were spent in constructing
there, hardy souls who made heroic journeys on the radar chain, in purchasing equipment, and in
Saturday nights by trail, boat or dog sled, to small training personnel; and more than 3000 officers
villages or canning factories for an evening of and airmen were employed to operate and main-
dancing or romance. Indeed, if the locations were tain the units. Yet, as far as is known, there were
not so isolated, I imagine some of the boys would no tracks plotted from enemy aircraft. What then,
J be back there now. it may be asked, did Canada get out of it all?
Inevitably unit newspapers or magazines were I believe, and the records tend to prove, that
organized, which formed a useful outlet for the the entire system was paid for in aircraft saved
literary and artistic. Laboriously put together, and experience gained. In one year on the west
and printed by mimeograph or hectograph, most coast, over fifty assists were given to friendly
of the journals were given names which pointed up aircraft either lost or in distress, and the number
the remoteness of the units. For example, the was about the same on the east coast. It is estim-
magazine for Cape St. James was called "The ated that at least ten aircraft and crews probably
Isolationist."
owe their survival to the ground-based radar.
A.F.H.Q. did all that was possible to alleviate If the estimate is true, this saving alone nearly
the tough conditions and to provide amenities. paid for the chain. In addition, Canada has
Extra issues of personal furniture, movie projec- accumulated a great deal of data regarding radar
tors and hobby equipment were supplied, but sites, construction problems, propagation of radio
these could not take the place of regular mail or
waves on both coasts, manufacture of radar, and
the odd forty-eight. The units were so small that
personnel training. All this experience may prove
padres and doctors could not be established.
to be invaluable in the event of another emergency.
Therefore medical and religious services could only
In concluding this brief tribute to the personnel
be supplied at comparatively infrequent intervals.
who built and manned the R.C.A.F.'s war-time
I doubt if anyone, no matter how loudly the
radar outposts, I feel it is only fair to mention the
pioneer blood might pound through his veins,
would have turned down a posting to a radar unit
R.A.F.-operated radar school at Clinton Ont.,
where the vast majority of the radar men were
in the U.K. (with half the establishment consisting
trained. True, the members of the staff were not
of W.A.A.F. operators, the chance of a few week-
called upon to suffer either exposure or solitude,
ends in London,and a raid or two for excitement)
for a posting to Cape Bauld or "Alcatraz" where but they worked long and laboriously to produce
he had nothing to feast his eyes on except the more than 5,000 trained radar officers and airmen
Pacific or the Atlantic. A man might have just who later served wherever the searching beams
as well joined the Navy! helped keep the Empire's skies and waters safe
from her enemies.
42
 The Future of Air Bombardment
BY A1R MARSHAL SIR ROBERT H. M. S. S
·· % AUNDBY
KB.E., C.B., M.C., D.F.C., A.F.C.'
(Reprinted by courtesy of the "R.A.F, Q
· • 'uarterly")

I THINK that I should emphasize, at the start, that required high-performance aero-engines of con-
the ideas and views set out in this article are my ventional design, and neither would compete in
own, and are not necessarily, or even probably, any serious way with the resources they wished to
those of the Air Staff today. It is perhaps legiti- devote to defensive aircraft. It is small wonder
mate to hope that, in thus setting them forth, that they seized eagerly upon these inventions,
I may do something to stimulate thought and their notorious "secret weapons," and decided to
discussion on subjects which are certain to have a rely upon them almost completely for the conduct
profound effect on the future of our Service. of an air offensive against this country.
In my article in the July number of THE ROYAL Their plans were well laid and far-reaching.
AIR FORCE QUARTERLY we traced the development They began to build enormous structures in
of bombing in the Allied air forces from its begin- Belgium and the Pas de Calais, protected by
ning to the dropping of the atomic bombs on the reinforced concrete many metres in thickness, in
Japanese cities. This event was rightly recognized which they intended to assemble and prepare the
as a major landmark in the history of air power, "V" weapons, and from which they meant to
but it marks a change not in kind but in degree. launch them. They planned for a huge scale of
As I said, the effect is to make one aeroplane attack; some 500 flying bombs and 200 heavy
capable of the destruction caused by a successful rockets were to be launched daily against London
attack by some 500 Lancasters in 1945. But the and other objectives in South-East England.
weapon is still a bomb, dropped from an aircraft of Our Intelligence Service got early information
conventional type, operated by a human crew. of this project, and our heavy bombers, by now
There were, however, two developments, ini- capable of a high degree of penetration and
tiated by Germany, which are bound to have a accuracy over enemy territory, successfully struck
at the great experimental station at Peenemunde,
far-reaching effect on the future of air bombard-
where the development work was being carried
ment. When the Germans realized that the
out, at the factories where the weapons were being
growing weight of Allied strategic bombing would
made, and destroyed the great concrete structures
spell defeat for them if they were unable to master in which they were to be assembled and launched.
it, they determined to convert practically the The success of this counter-offensive caused the
whole of their aircraft industry to the production enemy to abandon his large-scale plans and rely on
of defensive fighters. The German generals, small launching sites, camouflaged in woods, etc.,
however, knew their business, and they must have and to use natural caves, normally used for the
felt very uneasy indeed at the prospect of having excellent purpose of growing mushrooms, for the
to abandon the offensive in the air. They could storage and assembly of the weapons. This imme-
not fail to know that such a policy could only diately reduced the threat to about one-third of
postpone defeat, not avert it. its former dimensions, while a perpetual attack on
Fortunately for them, two lines of scientific the launching sites by Bomber Command and the
development offered a possible solution to their Tactical Air Forces, and the smashing-in of the
problem. One was the flying bomb, and the other caves by heavy bombers, still further reduced the
the heavy rocket. Neither of these weapons scale of attack. In the event, it averaged no more

43
 than about one-tenth of the planned figures, and reduced range. Secondly, it depended on a pre-set
declined from being a dangerous threat to a serious mechanism to cause it to dive to earth and explode
nuisance. on contact, which rendered it inaccurate at long
Nevertheless, the attack could not be entirely range. In fact, less than 50 per cent could be
stopped until the advance of the Allied armies had relied on, even if not interfered with in any way,
placed the launching sites out of range of this to fall within a circle of two and a half miles'
country. radius from the desired point of impact, at a range
The defeat of these "V" weapons should not, of 120 miles. No doubt such a mechanism is sus-
however, be misunderstood. They were defeated ceptible of improvement, but it must always be
because they were introduced, incompletely devel- liable to considerable error owing to the difficulty
oped and in insufficient numbers, to a situation of forecasting wind speeds, etc., along the route,
dominated, at that time, by the heavy bombers. The magnitude of the error will, generally speaking,
It is as though, as a desperate measure and at the be proportional to the range. In this it differs in a
eleventh hour, a few musketeers with brand-new marked way from the humanly controlled bomber,
weapons had been introduced by the French to the the accuracy of which in general is dependent on
field at Crecy or Agincourt, a field dominated, at many factors, of which range is by no means the
the time, by the longbowmen of England. The most important. There seem to be two possible
unhappy musketeers would have been shot through methods of eventually overcoming this defect.
with arrows before they had a chance to affect the The missile can be guided from radar ground
®
decision; but that is not to say that the musket, in stations, much as was "Oboe" bombing in the last
r its turn, when fully developed and when its war, or the missiles themselves can be made to
potentialities were properly understood, would "home" on to the target. The first method is
not replace the longbow in battle. likely to be accurate, but, like 'Oboe," it is limited
There is one other significant development, of to a maximum range of some 350 to 400 miles,
which we must take notice. That is the develop- depending on the altitude of the missile, and only
ment of rockets carried in aircraft, or other vehi- one missile at a time can be handled by a pair of
cles, capable of propelling, with a high degree of
ground stations. Thus, both the range and the
velocity and accuracy, an explosive charge equal
density of the attack are sharply restricted.
to that of a large shell. So light is the equipment
"Homing" presents considerable difficulties, owing
that a Hurricane was able to carry eight such
to the problem of identifying the target. One
rockets, propelling charges with a striking force
factory, or one built-up area, is very like another,
roughly equal to the broadside of a 10,000-ton
8-inch-gun cruiser. and I doubt whether it will be possible for a long
time to produce a device which will enable a flying
Thus we have four quite distinct and very
bomb to select and "home" on to a land target.
important lines of future development: the flying
At sea, however, circumstances seem to me to be
bomb, the heavy rocket, the light rocket, and the
very different, and I think that "homing" on to a
atomic bomb. I propose to consider a little more
ship should be comparatively easy. I can imagine
closely the probable future trend of these four
weapons, and the purposes for which, as I see it, a flying bomb being dispatched in the known direc-
they are likely to be used. tion of an enemy ship a great mass of metal
The flying bomb, as developed by the Germans floating on the sea and when arriving within,
up to the end of the last war, suffered from two say, ten miles of its objective the "homing"
major defects. First, it was too slow, and so could apparatus would come into play. The missile
be caught and destroyed by our fastest fighters. would be guided towards the ship, and an auxiliary
This defect could be remedied by using a more rocket motor started, so that the missile would
powerful propulsive agent, to be paid for by achieve a high enough velocity to ensure penetration.
increased size and weight of the weapon, or by Such weapons, against which all surface ships
would be almost helpless, would make it impossible
44
 for warships or merchant ships of any size to
approach within, say, 150 miles of enemy territory in high-grade ste el
. . e s:eels and other metals is most
by day or night. striking. In fe :t
· act, now that we have them they
I think, therefore, that flying bombs are likely seem so simple 1d bi- "
an obvious that one feels surprise
that they have been so long in arriving.
to be used for short-range attack of land objectives
under Oboe' or some similar control, or against . As an offensive weapon for tactical air forces the
shipping. Their effect, if a suitable homing light rocket is, for many purposes, superior to the
device can be developed, on the exercise of sea bomb. For the destruction of locomotives and
power should be very great, and it is probable that rolling stock, motor transport, shipping, especially
all war vessels will have to be made submersible. the smaller and more mobile vessels, and aircraft
The heavy rocket of German ''V" weapon type on the ground, the rockets are much more accurate
has a maximum range of about 200 miles. To and easier to operate than bombs, and they are
achieve this it attains during its trajectory an fully as effective. In my view, the light rocket has
altitude of some fifty miles above the earth's enormously increased the power and effectiveness
of tactical air forces.
surface, and a peak velocity of some 4,000 miles an
And now we come to the atomic bomb. This is
hour. The German rocket had a total weight of
a weapon of some considerable weight but of
about 14 tons, of which 1,500 lb. was the explosive
enormous destructive power. It is probable that
charge, and about 10 tons the weight of the fuel.
one bomb, detonated at the optimum altitude,
This fuel, consisting of liquid oxygen and alcohol,
could devastate an area of about one square mile.
had to be pumped through the burners in less than
In addition, it would affect by flash-burn and by
a minute. The accuracy of the weapon was about
radio-active poisoning all who are exposed to it
the same as that of the flying bomb at comparable within a considerable radius from the explosion.
ranges.
The bomb depends for its explosive effect on a
It would appear, therefore, that these rockets fissionable material, produced from uranium ore.
are suitable only for the attack of large targets, The production of this material, even when the
such as an industrial city, lying within 200 miles' process has been commercialized, requires a tre-
range of the launching site. It will be interesting mendous effort in terms of money and man-power
to see if the inherent disadvantages of this weapon though probably not much greater than that
can be overcome. required to produce its equivalent in destructive
The light rocket appears to me to be a most effect in conventional bombs charged with a
important development, likely to have very far- modern high explosive. But this certainly means
reaching consequences. For aircraft, which can that atomic bombs will be precious, that no nation
use them at short range, I think that they will will have plenty of them, and that they will be
eventually replace the gun for all purposes. As carefully used, after serious consideration, against
regards sea and land warfare, I am less certain; those targets which are judged to be the most vital
but I believe that they will prove to be a lighter, and suitable.
cheaper and more formidable weapon than the gun The American test at Bikini Atoll provided
for most purposes. They are excellently suited for much valuable data as to radio-activity and blast
providing covering fire for an assault, and for effect, and the possibilities of decontamination.
laying down concentrations of fire to slow down But I cannot believe that it is probable that any
and break up an attack. They are ideal for close- nation will drop atomic bombs on fleet anchorages.
range anti-tank work, and it is possible that they In fact, I will go farther and say that in an era of
will largely replace the anti-aircraft gun, especially atomic warfare there will not be any fleet anchor-
if a rocket-driven weapon capable of "homing" on ages as such. The job of our Navy will be almost
to an aircraft can be devised. entirely convoy escort and anti-submarine work,
The saving, compared to a gun, in manufactur- requiring a large number of small ships dispersed
ing cost, weight, ease of transportation, economy all over the seven seas.

45
 Important ports, vital industrial areas, and the supply of atomic bombs is not likely to be
possibly centres of government and communica- · t to permit of its being repeated,. except
su ffi cent
tions, will be the most probable targets for atomic ft a long interval measured, perhaps,
alter . pin years.
bombs. The defence of such places, therefore, will What all this amounts to is that air vombard-
be a task of the first importance. To destroy, ment with atom bombs, flying bombs and rockets
deflect or reduce the attack would be the primary is now capable of such far-reaching effects that an
object of our active defence. For various reasons, aggressor, especially against a country such as
among which is the need for great accuracy, I ours is almost certain to attempt a knock-out
believe that the atomic bomb is likely to be blow from the air. London is an obvious target for
delivered by aircraft operated by a human crew, such an attack, particularly if an aggressor can
equipped with the latest radar navigational and obtain control of the Low Countries and the Pas
bombing aids. de Calais, enabling him to use flying bombs and
The potential threat is so great that we must rockets. Only if such an attack should fail will the
harness all available scientific knowledge and safeguarding of our sea communications or over-
research to the task of improving our air defence. seas bases have any significance. Therefore,
But some attacks are certain to succeed, and we although navies and armies are not rendered
must organize an effective civil defence to mini- obsolete by the developments in air bombardment,
mize the disaster if it should come. There is very they will not come seriously into action in their
much to be done in this direction. The appalling own spheres until the first clash in the air is over.
death roll in the Japanese cities was largely due to Indeed, land and sea forces will tend to be drawn,
the fact that no air-raid precautions were in force. directly and indirectly, into the support of the air
At Hiroshima the streets were thronged with battle in every way open to them.
people who supposed that the two American Once this battle is decided, the first phase will
aircraft high overhead were engaged in photogra- be over. If the blow has failed it will then be
phic reconnaissance. No warning was sounded, necessary to plan the second phase, which must
and no one took cover. It has been calculated that culminate in victory. The plan will, of course,
protection such as London possessed by the end of
depend upon the circumstances, but the offensive
the last war, and ten minutes warning, would have
in the air must be developed first. It is only when
reduced the death roll from 70,000 to about 7,000.
the enemy is beaten and thrown on to the defensive
So it is a very serious mistake to think that,
in the air that we can hope to take the offensive by
because the destructive power of the bomb is so land and sea.
great, no shelter and no precautions are of avail.
This, then, is the future as I see it. On the Air
The reverse is true. The killing power of the
Force and on its ancillary services will depend the
bomb against unprotected people in the open is
defeat of the enemy's all-out air attacks, aimed at
tremendous, but quite a small degree of protection
paralysing us at the outset. On it also will depend
secures immunity from flash-burn and radio-active
the development of a successful air offensive, which
poisoning, except for those very close to the point
alone can open the way for the joint air, land and
directly beneath the explosion. Next to that, the
sea offensive that will lead to victory.
provision of properly equipped rescue squads for
the purpose of freeing people trapped under This is no small responsibility for the junior of
collapsed buildings will be a big factor in saving
the three fighting Services. There is, however, no
life. escape from it, and it must be fully recognized
To sum up, I believe that atomic bombs are both by those serving in the Royal Air Force and
likely to be used in a carefully worked-out plan, by those outside it. For thus, and thus alone, can
calculated to destroy at the outset the war poten- we hope to ward off the blow if it should be struck,
tial of an enemy, and to bring about the collapse and bring about the conditions that will enable us
to regain the offensive.
of civil administration. If the attack should fail,
It will be 'Per ardua ad astra" indeed.
46
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i°H A:::
-fHE' LIFE (( -
Li- .I ~ I
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13UT, ·
 22ettea to tke &d&to *
IN DEFENCE OF SHATTERPROOF
THOUGHTS IN FLIGHT
Dear Sir:
Over Hudson Bay Pe ·it me to offer a few thoughts in defence of Sgt,
Dear Editor: s,klcor, who was so rigidly taken to task by Squadron
Leader R. H. Morris in your March 1950 issue.
Sometimes, while on long-haul flights, I read, and sometimes I suggest that most persons of Shatterproof's acquaintance
it is ''The Roundel" that I read. Fifty percent of the time I find that he is sufficiently caricatured to make him a unique
like it, and fifty percent of the time I don't. character and one not likely to be identified with Senior Non.
To describe the articles I do like, such as "Northern Sky- Commissioned Officers in the Service.
trails" and "Stalag Luft III", would require a better "creeper" Sgt. Shatterproof provides an excellent medium for mild
than I. On the other hand, though it would be more in my self-criticism. If his place was taken by a meticulous Senior
line, as a self-styled iconoclast, to tear into the many I don't N.C.O., and the character continued to take the liberties of
like, I feel that there's nothing very constructive in trying to one so obviously fictional as our Shatterproof, then I feel there
push back water that has already gone under the bridge. would be cause for some concern. .
My main criticism of the magazine is directed towards As for stripping him of those three stripes he has left, the
editorial policy. So far I have seen nothing but "clipping- defence is offered that a medium of self-criticism can hardly
bureau editing." Is the Editorial Committee aware that what be relegated to one who does not have at least a plausible
seems to be eighty percent of your published material comes claim to the mantle of a critic. Surely those tell-tale threads
from magazines that every mess and airmen's lounge are
loaded with? There is nothing constructive in repeating an on his lower left sleeve should be regarded as sufficient punish-
article in "The Roundel" which appeared two months ago in ment to anyone in whom he has aroused personal animosity.
"The Aeroplane". J. Lionel Roy (R.C.A.F.A.)
Another point the Editor seems to have missed is the fact
that the younger airmen and officers now coming in have an
entirely "Canadian Outlook." Having never had the oppor-
tunity to visit England, these young fellows know nothing of
the English habit of understatement in humour. Consequently, CANADIANS IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
when you publish articles from British sources, the attempt Dear Sir:
of the British to combine drinking, humour, and more drinking
with all Service technical articles sounds "corny" and falls Please settle a bitter dispute between an R.A.F. type and
quite flat with the younger readers. Apart from that these myself. What percentage of R.A.F. aircrew during the Battle
reprinted articles seem to convey the impression that no one of Britain were Canadians?
can discuss anything until he has at least three pints down I maintained that at least 51% were Canadians and even
and one to go, plus another at the end of each paragraph. I suggested that 80 % was probably not far off the mark. This
may or may not be correct in the thought, but I think that figure of course includes fellows who left Canada before the
personnel of tender years see enough of the "three-pint" war and entered the R.A.F.
technical experts without being confronted by them through- In closing, I might point out that if your statistics do not
out Service magazines. support me I Jose a buck and this will be deducted from next
Some time in the future it might improve "The Roundel" year's Association dues.
to have a "ghost writer" (after some reasearch with "P" D. H. Ingram (R.C.A.F.A.)
branch) interview and do thumbnail sketches on some of
the more interesting personalities in the Air Force. Incident-
ally, this should not be a succession of biographies of officers (The Air Historian knows of no published official
of the rank of Winco and above. The other day I was speaking figures indicating the percentage of Canadian aircrew
to a lad with eighteen months' service who spent the first participating in the Battle of Britain.
twenty years of his life in the hinterland of China, three of However, the chances are that Mr. Ingram has lost
them as a prisoner of the Japs. his bet, since total Battle of Britain aircrew casualties-
In addition to providing interesting reading, such articles in Fighter, Bomber, and Coastal Commands--included
would enable the Serviceman to get to know the high caliber only 3% Canadians.--Editor)
of some of the people we work with and for in the Service.
Flt. Lt. R. McKee, 3¢
No. 412 (T) Squadron

(Flt. Lt. McKee's otherwise excellent and constructive

letter errs a bit in its percentages. Reprinted material
takes up an average of not eighty, but eighteen, percent Answers to "What's the Score?
of our last three issues-and it is thought improbable
that more than a handful of our readers has read any 1: (b6)
of it before. "The Roundel's" position in the matter of 2: (a) 3: (d) 4: (c)
special reporting on individuals and events has already 5: (a)
been explained in earlier issues: our entire staff con- 6: (b) 7: (a) 8: (a)
sists of editor, artist, and stenographer, so that we must 9: (b6)
for the time being depend on the spontaneous inspira- 10: (d) 11: (c) 12: (d)
tion and generosity of our contributors. The third 13: (c)
point rnentioned-narnely, "The Roundel's" tendency 14: (b) 15: (a) 16: (d)
to debauch its younger readers -is one that we propose 17: (c)
to think out in solitude over a reflective beaker of 18: (a) 19: (d) 20: (d)
denatured ale.-Editor)

48
 Airmen's Information Bulletin
«Te Airmen's Information Bulletin," dated January 1950, u,as issued to all Units during
March, Ail u,ho haoe not yet read it are strongly urged to procure and study a copy of it as
soon as possible. It contains the latest information on numerous subjects of seroice-wld• interest,

as he following lis of its contents u,ill shoUJ, Trade Advancemetll

Promotion
Security Leaue
Reclassification Postings and Transfers
Rgemusterin9 Pay and Allowance5;
Marriage Regulations Marriage Allowance
Opportunities for commissioning front Subsistence Allowance
Risk Allowance
{the ranks : Assignments
Aircrew List
Non-Flying Li5
Canadian Seruice Colleges
seroi ng Airmen Attending Iniversit W
under R.c.A.f. Auspices

-- -· - -
(