RCAF Gander Base - Apr 1944

8/7/2019 RCAF Gander Base - Apr 1944

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March - April- 1944 ~


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Published through the kind permission of the Commanding Officer G/C. H. B. Godwin, in the interest of station personnel

THE STAFFEditor-in-Chief. .. ..F/0 By Steirman'Art and Make-up Editor F/O McLeanEditor LAC H. W, HuehnergardFeature Editor.... . LAC J. F. PatersonAssociate Editor .. . LAC Ron RewburyW. D. Editor AWI E. MarlinSports . Sgt. J. SourkesEntertainment " Eugene Hill Y.M.C.A.Artists F/O McLean, LAC McLellanPhotographer F/S 'Hap' DayCirculation Managel'.............. ... Sgt. A. C. Van del' VlietBusiness Manager Cpl. Joan Hall

AssociatesAWI Babbitt, Sgt. Billings, AWl Tetreault, Ken GengeY.M.C.A., Sgt. Lauriston, LAC "Irv" Bennett, LAW Sue H.Jacobs, Cpl. J. Simmonds.


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EDITOR'S NOTES HIP HIP HURRAY! HIP HIP HURRAY!HIP HIP HURRAY! TIGER-HURRAY!The Parade's rousing cheers were led by WICWigle. This was the last picture of Gander to betaken away by GIC Annis as he departed from ourstation.We will always remember him, just as hewill always remember us. His farewell addressis symbolic of his spirit and true feelings. AllGander joins the chorus of Au Revoirs, and God-speed. Whene'er youmeet up with the "oldman",don't forget to say, "Remember me? I'm fromGander".As this issue went to press, Gander wasgreeted with its new Commanding Officer,GroupCaptain H. B. Godwin. Our new C.O. was for-merly Chief Signals Officer at A.F.H.Q. Mayhis stay at Gander be a pleasant one.

* * * *Spring! A word of magic and enchantment.Never has a spring gone by, without us feelinga certain joy of living. Here in Newfieland, wemay not have the comforts of home, the birdsmay not be as plentyful to chirp in the new sea-son, but the sight of thawing snow peaks us upjust the same. Yes spring does something to us.

. I would like to thank the many people whohave sent in their goodwishes and congratulationsto our new and improved magazine. Among theletters received were those notably from AirMarshall Bishop, Air ViceMarshall Heakes, Col-onel Lynch and the Acting High Commissionerfor Canada, Mr. H. L. Keenleyside,# It is withgreat pleasure that I .quote a portion of the letterfrom the High Commissioner.

"What particularly impressed me with this maga-zine was the spirit which pervaded it from cover tocover-the spirit of intelligent, decent, kindly hu-manity. It made me feel better to read it-to knowthat these young people are of a quality' that givesreoliti; and promise to the future that we are fight-ing this war to 'achieve. If these are the young menand women who are doing the job, and in whose handsthe future of our Canada will rest, we need have nodoubts about either victory or its aftermath.

Yours very sincerely,signed, H. L. KEENLEYSIDE

Aering High Commissioner for Canada.

I would also like to acknowledge the goodwishes of our sister magazine, Dartmouth's"Thumbs Up", and our big brother "Wings".Everyone on our station joins in to thank the staffof "Wings" on their feature of our station in theMarch issue. Not only was the story and Ander-sons drawings of excellent calibre, but they wereboth authentic and colourful capturing a majorportion of the local atmosphere.* * * *This issue sees us taking a bold step forward.The powers that be, have sanctioned two stories,"Gander" for the use of .... It is with consid-erable pride that we feature between these coversan excellent detailed story on the adventures of acrew that crash landed in Labrador and awaitedrescue for several days in sub zeroweather. Alsothe authentic story of a superb submarine attack,taking you on a flip over the Atlantic and track.ing down a submarine.

The Farewell address given by GIC Clare L.Annis O.RE. is featured on the next page. Ourregular stories contain all the zip of former talesand then some. A new innovation is Hap Day's"Section Snapshots", while a story and pictures'of the "All Clear" show highlights our centerpages., Need I mention that this month's pin-up girlis non other than lovely Carol Landis. Thanks to20th Century Fox Films, our depleted stock oflovelies and cheesecake has been replenished for

the corning issues.I would like to remind all the readers thatthe "Gander is your voice. Itis up to you there-fore to let ua know just what you would like toread. What features you want deleted, or to airyour criticism and gripes in general. (But don'task us for a posting). EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LAST MINUTE NEWS FLASHIthas been officiallyannounced thatFlO Pat Cheater (J9135) has beenawarded the Distinguished FlyingCross. For the complete story, read"No Return Engagements".

The Di s ting uiahedFlying Cross


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COMMANDINGOFFICER'SFAREWELLADDRESS

One of the many kind acts that willalways endear GIe Annis, to ourhearts. He is seen here visiting a sickfriend, Cpl. Potts with a swell tonic,2 chorines from the "All Clear" show.

It is hard for me to believe that I am going toleave this Station. It has been like home for thepast year, and if it were not for the fact that it isan Overseas posting, it would be a very greathardship indeed.... There will be work to do tocombat this menace and you have never failed meonce in the past - I have never had any worriesat all in that regard. When there was work to bedone, you have always done it. That extends to allcorners. The little ones, like the shoe repair shop,the tailor shop, the barber shop, and all those littleorganizations that are so important - they havenever failed. And then we get to the bigger ones,the laundry, the messing staff, the administrationpeople, the accounts, and our hospitals, who lookafter us so well, and works and buildings and ourengineering staff. You have all done your workwell and I appreciate it. Then we have the flyingsquadrons. There are the fighter boys. I have al-ways admired the fighter people because, as I toldyou last December, they have gone on workingand practising hard, and it is worth it all. Youhave done your job. Our Radio detachment-Ihave been told there isno better Radio detachmentin all the world and I fully believe it. Then theBR squadrons, Dumbo-which I am afraid I haveto admit is my own, and I do want to say beforeall of you and to "Dumbo" that I have not shownany partiality. I am proud of the "Cat" Squad-ron. They are a close-knit organization and a bigsquadron; and they have been very generous intheir association with us. And of the "Dumbo"Squadron-well, there is only one "Dumbo" withso magnificent a record.Last night I talked to the officers and thesenior NCO's-on this parade I want to talk to theStation, the Airmen and Airwomen, and I will sayagain what I said last night. One thing I havelearned more than anything else is that ourpeople naturally build and as I have always triedtogive them a free hand, they have always tried togo on building, but as news gets doubtful and aslots of people like myself get Overseas to fight forour principles actively, and you have to fight in a

THE GANDER, MARCH-APRIL, 1944

passive way, I implore you not to forget what youare fighting for. Remember why you joined. I havetold you before that I have two little boys and Iwant them to be free-to be able to go to school,to go to church, to have a chance to learn, to havea job, and if they fail that is their fault. I thi~kall you people here who are married, or soon willbe, will think that way too.We have to make the world safe for democ-racy, but let us not stop when it is safe. We can-not stop but must go on working at it from dayto day. We must remember, as I told you before,that life is like a rowboat and you must go up-stream. You always have to keep rowing-thereis no stopping or you slip back. And there is oneother little thing and that is that anybody canrow who is refreshed-it is to forget to row whenyou are tired. In other words, a good man is onewho can row when he is tired. Don't keep onfighting for your principles even when things lookblack.There is one pleasant thing. I don't want toget too gloomy and that is, it has been a privilegeto work for you and I am grateful for this-that Ican go away with the thought of what a trulywonderful group ofofficersand menwe have here.You have a fine man to take over. I have knownWing Commander Coghill well, and he is an of-ficer and a gentleman. He will give you a goodgoing-over when you are wrong and praise youwhen you are right. Itis a comfort to know the

Commanding Officer has an understanding heartand I ask you toback himup and make this stationgo on, as it can and will go on.I will write you later sometime and I will giveyou my views, and what your chances are of get-ting over. All of you who want to, I hope youcome across.This is about all I have to say-except GodBlessYou All.Wing Commander Wigle led the rousingcheers for Group Captain Annis.


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THE GANDER, MARCH.APRIL, 1944

80THE3

SQUADRON

"NO ENGAGEMENTS,,

by F/0 H. SteirmanIt is mysteriously calm out over the ocean, many,

many miles from the mainland. Veteran aircrew subcon-ciously learn to ignore the sound of their aircraft engines;the all too pleasant hum sings of safety in flight. On quietdays the North Atlantic looks cold and foreboding, withit's swells interrupting the tranquillity of the day. Onrough days, the cloudy sky, the rain and the snow andthe windlashed waters interpret the disturbance, as the"Ire of Neptune".

The aircraft and it's crew become a part of nature,as the sun, the wind and the stars divulge their secretsto the vigilant. The ocean is more flirtatious. It says,"Seek and ye shall find"! To these everwatchful men outon tireless patrol, hunting the denizens of the deep, thismeans, Seeking ... Searching ... Probing ...

"Pilot to Navigator, Pilot to Navigator, do you seethat wake on our port bow?" FlO Pat Cheater calledsuddenly over the intercom as he painted it out to theco-pilot.

Paul Lafond gazed out into the dusky lighted At-lantic. True enough there was something. The curiouseffects of twilight could not hide the grey conning towerand the dark sleek lines of a large German submarine."That's a sub all right and it's shooting at us!"

Not another word was spoken. An anti-submarinecrew is like a well coached football team, everyoneknows just what he is to do. 'Dhis crew had been flyingon the. East coast for nearly two years without oncesighting a sub. Now all their training, their patient ef-forts and skills were to be put to test.

Banking his huge four enginedbomber, Pat headed the aircraft to-wards the hated pig boat, manoeuver-ing so as to take advantage of thefailing light. F/0 Mac Wallace in theco-pilot's seat, had his hands on thethrottles and his eyes glued on theinstruments; Pat Patterson slippedout of his flying jacket and scrambledat top speed to the gun in the nosecompartment, picking up bruises andscratches along the narrow, intricatepassage. Jack Banks clambered intothe top turret, banged his shin on thecrank but had a bead on the targetin no time flat. The camera operator,Sgt. Archer, and waist gunner. W.O.2Kostiuk, were ready at their posts,while the crew's only contact with theoutside world was WO.2 Carter, thewireless operator, tapping out the allimportant message to base.Within a matter of seconds, each

member of the crew assured the cap-tain that he was at "action station""Bomb Doors Open" ordered the

Captain.(Continued on page 32)


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4 THE GANDER, MARCH-APRIL, 1944

RESCUE FROM 'A ' FOR ABLEAS TOLD TO A.W.l ELEANORE MARTIN

"THINE IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER ANDTHE GWRY"

"A" for "Able" was returning from a routine flightto Iceland on the night when Ganderites were bravingthe famous 100 mile an hour wind and snow storm. Thecrew was made up of Squadron Leader "AI" Irmie,D.F.C., captain; Flying Officer Doug Campbell, co-pilot;Flight Lieutenant Gar Harland, navigator; Pilot OfficerJames Gilmour and W.O. 2 Arthur Johns, Wireless AirGunners, and they carried one passenger, Flying OfficerD. F. Griffin. About five in the afternoon a message todivert to Goose was received. "Able" was only an hourout of Gander when they set course for Goose.

Serenely the big bomber crossed the Straits of BelleIsle and ploughed ahead into the swirling snow storm."AI" and Doug in the pilot's and co-pilot's seats kept awatchful vigil. Gil was sitting in the radio seat whileJohns and Flying Officer Griffin occupied the tail of thebig aircraft.

Gradually it became increasingly noticeable to thecrew that the weather was getting worse. The snow wasbecoming thicker and ice was beginning to form on theaircraft. But they were only 150 miles from Goose andon steady course. "AI" decided to try to climb above theovercast. He gave the big ship more boost, but it refusedto climb.

Without warning, Number 4 engine (outer starboard)cut. Goos'e was only minutes away and three engines

would bring them in; they continued serenely.At an estimated 25 miles from the 'drome, Number

3 engine, (inner starboard) spluttered and died. Twoengines left to land with and both on the port side at that.But- the crew's confidence in their captain's ability tobring them in, never flagged.

In the meantime the navigational and radio adds be-came unserviceable. They were unable to communicatetheir plight to anxious ground crews awaiting their ar-rival at Goose.

The captain was compelled to lose altitude. Ice wasforming on the propeller governors but there was no iceformation where it is ordinarily found on the. deicer bootsalong the wings. Still the crew:was confident of a landingat Goose. "AI" was using all the ingenuity and resource-fulness, for which he is noted, in trying to keep the bigB24 aloft.By this time the two remaining engines were on fireand smoking, causing the ship to sway drunkenly fromport to starboard. The crew, as a man, held its collectivebreath. The Number 1 engine (the outer port one) hadbegun to cough. Then it died! The boys knew they werein for it. The skipper exuded confidence as he informedthem over the inter-com that he was going to set down.They remained calm and braced themselves for thecrash.

The earth was rushing at them and Squadron LeaderImrie showed his coolness and levelheadedness then when


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THE GANDER, MARCH-APRIL, 1944he made the lightning like decision which undoubtedlysaved the lives of himself and his crew. He decided notto land on either of two small lakes which they wereapproaching hut to land in a strip of trees which separ-ated the two lakes.

The big bomber rushed into the landing at approxi-mately 130 miles an hour. The impact was terrific. Itsforce swung the big 30 ton ship 180 degrees to face thedirection they had come. Miraculously it did not turnover but came to a halt listing some 30 degrees to port.The big aircraft broke in half, the tail part swingingaround to form an open rectangle with the wing.

In telling of the crack-up, Doug described the 50yard swath cut by the Lib and in his own inimitable man-ner cracked: "She cut down enough trees for Saturday'sfire." The first thing I said when I got out was "hello thisplace."

Al and Doug, realizing that they were alive, jumpedfrom the broken port and starboard windows in the bigplane's cockpit and landed almost waist deep in the softsnow. Struggling to the top, Al managed to stand on thesnow and began to count noses. Doug was all right. Garreturned his halloa. He was hemmed in but was struggl-ing to get out through a hole in the roof. Gil yelled thathe was unhurt but was trapped.

That left two, W. O. 2 Johns and Flying Officer Grif-fin. They had been in the tail. Al and Doug flounderedthrough the deep soft snow to the broken tail but foundthey were too late to help Flying Officer Griffin.

Their crew mate they found too. But all they couldsee of him was his flying boots sticking soles up out ofthe snow. Poor old Johnsy had had it too, they figuredand turned back to help the living.

Gil they hacked out of his spot in the body of theaircraft with a small hatchet they found and he reporteda very tender shoulder. Gar was still unable to get out.Finally after backing down into the ship and removinghis flying suit he was able to extricate himself.

Suddenly the boys heard a scratchy sound as ofsomething rubbing against metal. It being an odd soundin that desolate wilderness they hastened to explore.

Feebly fluttering and disturbing a twig which wasmaking the scratching noise against the aircraft, werethe incongruous looking flying boots--sticking like slimtree stumps from the virgin snow-of their chum Johnsy.Feverishly they set to work with dinghy paddles anddug old Johnsy out. His hair was white with snow.There was snow in his ears, in his eyes, in his nostrilsand snow stuffed his gaping mouth.

Johnsy was just regaining consciousness. TenderlyDoug lifted him, only to be gripped in a vice-like hold.On coming to, Johnsy recalled turning his head and see-ing the aircraft breaking up but did not remember mak-ing like a bullet, as he must have done to land head firstand become imbedded in the snow.

That night it was 67degrees Farenheit below zero!With each step they took they sank up to their arm-

pits in the soft snow and much time was wasted in dig-ging one another out. And all the while the snow camedown and the wind howled in the trees blowing snowin their faces. Luckily they did not feel the full force.

5of the gale as their position was sheltered partly by thestrip of trees and partly by the aircraft.

Preparations for that first night of camping out in-cluded tramping down an area in the rectangle affordedby the tail, body and wing of the multilated aircraft. Acouple of parachutes draped over the wing and tail gavea bit more protection from the wind and a fire built fromboughs cut by the plane in its descent, gave off somewarmth.

But sleep was elusive. And besides the snow keptblowing in their faces and the wind kept rustling theirprotection. An ominous creaking noise also disturbedtheir slumbers. Each of the crew managed to snatch anhour's sleep by the time first light came.

Looking up as the light illumined their crude shelter,the boys discovered the source of the ominous creakingnoise. Like a flash they ducked from their shelter. Oneof the big heavy wheels of the plane had been hangingby a thread, so to speak, and had it fallen would havekilled them all. Itwas their second lucky escape. Theygathered some of the stouter tree trunks and propped thewheel up.

They spent Saturday, February 19th, in trying toimprove their lean to. The boughs of the broken treesthey made into a flooring for the tent. These they cov-ered with the engine covers and topped this with a layerof maps. Some sheep skin rugs, purchased for souvenirsin Iceland, came in handy next and then this was coveredby a layer of flying clothes. On top of all this theymade their beds, using for sheets the very best nylonsilk parachutes and as blankets, more flying clothes. Thewalls they draped with further parachutes. . . shadesof the Chief of Arabie ... silk drapes and silk sheets... in the barren wilderness, that is Labrador.

A hunt in the debris for their Gibson Girl, the emer-gency S.O.S. radio set, proved unsuccessful. HoweverGar found his sextant and when the sun appeared for afew minutes he took a number of shots to reaffirm theirposition. He judged that they were 13 air miles fromtheir destinatton and had they continued would have hitthe field directly. The boys were anxious to get out andstart to walk but every time they stepped off the packeddown area they sank arm deep in the treacherous softsnow.

In their salvaging operations they found three boxesof emergency rations, a hatchet, two boxes of .very cart-ridges and some pyrotechnics.

While they talked of making snowshoes, they keptmoving and decided to build a fire on the salvaged bombbay door. "AI" had the bright idea of utilizing thedinghy compartments for their water heating system. Sothey piled snow into the three compartments and had .hot, medium and warm water.

Night fell and so did the thermometer. Watcheswere stood during the night but poor old Johnsy justcouldn't get a decent sleep. Every little while one of hispals would waken him. Though they truthfully com-plained of his snoring they were really trying to keephim from freezing his hands and feet.

Ithad been a disheartening day. Several times theyhad sighted various aircraft which seemed to be .in theGoose Bay Circuit..They had-countedonthe smoke fromtheir fire attta'Ctfng 'an:ysea~chlitg'alr2raft but the highwind kept the smokedfspereed close.tothe ground. Dur-ing their enforced:en~ampip~.ntj:t!Jree'~-aircraft, two Da-kotas and a Canso, fleW itlftectly:Q~er;, tllern.withoutsighting them. They tried tqsho~t off.'the; Vetj Pistol

(Continued Ql.lpage.ll9) "".'~'A;'''/''''' "~' \" , . , to, . w c.: ;~ ,: ., ;. ~ " _


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-MEET THE CHAMPS-The Borden Ball team from the

Scramble Squadron won the stationchampionship in a bitterly contestedround robin series that climaxed aseason of outstanding games. Theround robin series, a sort of StanleyCup idea in miniature-was not de-cided until the final game (and thata replayed match) was over.Eight teams comprised the leagueand of these, six took part in the

playoffs. The Scramble Squadronhad a record of four wins and oneloss in the playoff series. Outstand-ing for the Scramblers during theseries was Jack Vogt, a latecomer tothe Squadron who netted the footballmany times. Bill Teams, the captain.who sparked the team during mostof the season with his goal gettingdropped back to defensive play dur-ing the round robin and his tallieswere not so many. Bill also earnedthe dubious title of the League BadMan.The team had never played Borden

Ball before they reached this beautyspot and during the season it wasoften necessary for many of the play-ers to go a whole game without re-placement.Last fall after the softball season

was finished, F.O. McColgan, Squad-ron Adjutant and F. O. Crampton,Technical Officer, took a hand inorganizing the team and much creditis due them for their formation ofsuch a strong team,For the play-offs the following

comprised the team: goal, Art Craw-ford and Ernie (Wee Willie) Wilson;defence, Bob Henry and Al Grobe;forwards, Renwick, Ned Kay andLaing. and a second line of BillTeams, Jack Vogt and Rocky Riddell.In the final playoff game, which

ended 9-8, the deciding goal to putthe game on ice came with fiveminutes to go. The Scramblers ledthroughout most of the game by onegoal, which margin is a very slim onein such a rapid firing game. ArtCrawford, the goalie was outstanding'in this game, as was. Jack. Vogt.Crawford sustained a sprained thumband a bloody nose, both coming justbefore the whistle blew which gaveArt an opportunity to .duck in forsome first aid. With a two goal leadthe team settled back to tight de-fensive play and while one more goalwas scored by the Dumbo Mainten-ance, they managed toretain the edgeand the championship.

THRU THEHOOPSby LAC "Irv" Bennett

The basketball schedule endedwith the first four teams ready tostart the playoffs. The closing of thegymnasium for alterations caused atemporary delay but with the floorscraped, polished and painted, thebasketeers are just raring to go.The top position was won by the

"Dumbo" Maintenance team whogarnered twenty-six points, winningthirteen and losing four games. Run-ner up spot was taken by the Laun-dry Five with twelve wins and fivelosses for a total of twenty-fourpoints. Third place went to "Dumbo"Officers with a record of eleven vic-tories against six defeats for twenty-two points. The fourth playoff posi-tion was not decided until the verylast game of the schedule, whenReconnaissance Squadron edged outthe Administration entry chalking uptwenty points. with ten games wonand six lost.The "Dumbo" Maintenance quintet

ran roughshod over their opponentsin the early stages of the season butbarely hung on to their lead finishingon top of the heap. Playing inconsist-ent basketball, the "Dumbo" Main-tenance crew may hit their early sea-son form and take the title. Playersthe calibre of Teetzel, Maher, Farrelland Lewis are not to be regardedlightly and are a threat at all times.The surprise of the season was the

Laundry Five. Lacking suitable sub-stitutes, the Laundry hoopsters wereforced to use five men inmany gameswithout any relief. After a shaky,start, the team of Easterbrook, Ben-nett, Sourkes, Dix and Legris beganto click and won their last seven con-secutive games to cinch second place.With fair relief material, the Laun-dry lads should give any of the otherthree teams a good run for theirmoney.

(Continued on page 31)


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Back Row: Masse, Hank Reihl, Bill Marshall, Monty Montemurro, Ed. Kosak,Mac MacLeod, Walley Palmer, Ron Moore, Mac McIntosh, Trainer, FrankMoussean.Front Row: Rudy Enns, Harold Schmaltz, Louis Lacourse, Ned Kay.

GANDERSERIES

WINS HOCKEYTo the Y.M.C.A.'s little office came

an invitation from Corner Brook. Itwas an invitation for us to bring ahockey team to their fair city, for ashort series.Ken Genge of the Y.M.C.A. took

over - and without flinching onebit, wired back that we'd be therewith bells on. That might soundvery easy, but, I'll give you an ideaof a few of the jobs that had to bedone before the team were finally onthe train, and away to the 'Brook'.Permission from the Commanding

Officer. Permission from the Rail-ways to travel as far as CornerBrook. At the time, there was noteam on the station, and it was nomean task choosing one, in the shorttime allowed us. Ice - We didn'thave our own. So, you see that therewere a few things that needed a lotof attending. to, before everythingwas straightened out. For this-thanks goes to Ken Genge and histwo able assistants, Cpl. Louis La-course (Coach) and Cpl. Rudy EnnsCaptain).There were two trips down to

Corner Brook. In each case, our teammanaged to have the edge, and winout by a 2 games to 1 game margin.Scores in the first series were-

2-9, 5-4, 6-4.Scores in the second series-6-4,

4-13, 6-5.

By "Joel" SourkesIn the first game of the first series,

the boys were rushed from a longtrain ride to a waiting crowd at therink, There was no alternative but toplay. For this show of good sports-manship the team immediately gain-ed a good following; and so, we hadas many rooters as the ho'me townteam. There were two things aboutthat game in which the Corner Brookboys had the advantage. Firstly, theuncommonly small rink, whie hdoesn't allow for much individualplay-and secondly, the .new centrered line pass rule. . Itwasn't untilthe last period of that game that ouronly two goals were scored-and inthe mean time, Corner Brook wentmerrily on their way piling up ascore of nine. In the next two games,we had become accustomed to thenew rules and the ice, and the Fliers(we had a name for them) were ablein each case to score the extra tally,which makes the difference betweena long team and a winner.For the first game of the secondseries, our fliers had a little rest.The train came in about four hoursbefore game time, and this allowedplenty time for a goodmeal and fortywinks. Thus the six to four score,Winning that game was a cause forcelebration, and believe me tbe Flierswere really flying-but not on therink-Just 'High' However, they paid

7INlERNAllONAL SHOWA definite date has not yet been

set, but one day during the last weekof April is going to see the Drill Hallthe center of hustle bustle and activ-ity. On that day the Drill Hall staffwill be busy setting up the boxingring and doing all the other thingsnecessary to get set for a big gymnas-tic and fight show.A program of boxing and wrestling

bouts, with a little Internationalflavour to add interest, is being plan-ned. Along with these bouts will beweight lifting and gymnastic ex-hibitions. A battle Royal might alsobe held, to add to the evening's enter-tainment. To top it all off, we arehoping to have the band in attend-ance.If this article appears before the

show is over. It'll be the first timein the sports history of the magazineand the station that our deadline isprior to an event. Lets hope thathistory is made.-J. S.

for their fun, because the CornerBrook team was not to be caughtnapping, and woke up the boys witha thirteen to four shellacking. Thereare no excuses for that game. Theteam was outplayed (and played out)from start to finish . . . The finalgame was the real hockey gameof the series. . . . The tensioncould be felt on entering the rink.At no time during that game waseither team ahead for more than twoor three minutes. As one would score,the other would tie it up. This wenton until two minutes remained untilthe end of the game, and the scoreall tied up at five goals apiece. Abreak for the fliers came along andthey really knew how to use it. Twoof the local boys got rough at thesame time, and both of them weresent to the penalty box. With thisbreak, our boys poked home the win-ning goal, and the game was over.In true amateur spirit, both teams

got together after the game, and hada little party. By the time the even-ing was over, all minor differencesmust have been ironed out, becausemembers of the different teams couldbe seen with their arms around eachother, singing Mairzie Doats.A word must be said about a few

of the outstanding players of theseries, who helped our team win, and



10/36

errurune8

t h eWID BIT SWith Easter on the way all our

feminine thoughts were turning tonew spring outfits and trying on tinybits of straw with lots of veiling andfluff, we sighed longingly for civiliza-tion. Suddenly we 'had it'. A greatcrowd of new girls came in, many of

them just off course or fresh from Manning Depot atRockcliffe. We didn't mind our man of the hour turningto whistle and stare but what hurt was when he beganto praise their new style issue great coats. "Boy thosereally look classy. That pleat and belt in the back givesthem something yours hasn't got", he said and our heartssank. We were wearing our old fitted models and knewwe didn't have a chance in the Easter Parade.

We dug deep into our pockets recently to put forthtwo bits for a little piece of American Beauty red silkwith the well-known Gander runway plan and Gandercomplete with goggles and helmet. This was the newcrest for sports wear and is quite an attractive addition.

The editorship of "The Feminine Front" underwenta change since publication of, the last issue. CorporalBetty Powers was posted to Moncton after the fine jobshe did on the Jan.-Feb. issue pages and we hear that shelongs to be back at The Gander although she is not un-happy in her new posting. We wish you luck Betty andhope that we can keep up the good work.. Ten newcomers to the station, Women's Division

Radio Telephone Operators, received their first disil-lusion in the service when they reported to their Section.The girls, the first W.D. RT.O.'s to graduate from No.1Wireless School in Montreal, were taken on a tour of in-spection. At each of the RT.O. sites in the Section thegirls shook their heads: We don't want to work in any ofthese places, we want to work in the Control tower andtalk to the pilots", they said. Ah delusions of glamor ...

During the month of March an all time high was setin the number of dances to which the Women's Divisionmembers were invited. Some 14 dances were scheduledand on each occasion a large number of W.D's turned out.We are still trying to find the one girl who managed toattend all 14 and see how she stood up to it all.

There have been several changes among OUrWo-men's Division's officers during the past few weeks. Wewould like to greet the following: Flight Officer C. Horn-er, Assistant Section Officer F. Kent, and Section OfficerE. Langford. To those who have departed, Flight OfficerE. N. MacKay, Section Officer M. E. Tomalin, SectionOfficer Vera Geer, Assistant Section Officer J. Robertsonand Nursing Sister D. L. Thompson, we wish "God speed"and as happy a posting as Gander.


rentNEW W. D. CLUBHOUSEBANG! The mortar soared and with a terrific ex-

plosion burst into brilliant red and white lights as GroupCaptain Clare L. Annis, O.B.E., Commanding Officer, andFlight Officer R S. Jernholm, Senior W.D. Officer, cutthe green ribbon to officially open the doors of the luxur-ious W. D. Clubhouse.

Itwas on the evening of Thursday, March 16, ateight o'clock and most of the airwomen were on hand forthe ceremony. They squealed and cheered as the flareburst and Group Captain Annis and Miss Jernholm ledthe procession into the Clubhouse.There are a set number of regulations governingthe use of the Club, among them is that each girl is re-sponsible for her particular date. The escort must signthe guest book which is located just inside the maindoor. This is called "introducing" your date to the houseand the W.D. must co-sign her name opposite his.

The Club was honored in having as its first guestthe Commanding Officer who was introduced by MissJernholm. Amongst the other guests attending were WingCommander T. C. M. McGill, M.B.E. Squadron LeaderL. V. Vinberg; Squadron Leader D. F. Filleul, Wing Com..mander John A. Sifton, Flying Officer J. H. Bourne, FlightLieutenant T.A. Aires, Mr. Eugene Hill, Y.M.C.A., andW.O. 2 W. A. Cullum, the president of the Sgt's Mess.

There are three main rooms to the Clubhouse whichis located on Chesnut street at the corner of Pattison.Th~ main room, or "date" room, is softly illuminated byindirect lighting and shaded lamps. The big stone fire-place exhumes atmosphere and sets off the room verynicely for a quiet evening of chatting or listening to theradio. The soft leather chairs and chesterfields are inkeeping with the dark panelling of the room and theglitter of the crystal ash trays is reflected by the polish-ed surfaces of the many coffee tables which adorn theroom. Here indeed, one can spend a pleasant evening.


11/36


P. T.-IT'S WONDERFULBy L.A.W. Sue H. Jacobs

We are going to take up the cudgels in favor of P. T.We are going to attempt to prove that, torture though itbe, it has its compensations.

Now the ruling is that, when the hour of agony com-mences, all men shall be excluded from the drill hall.Somehow this is never quite the case. Whether they hidein the shadows until the doors are locked, or crawlthrough the cracks in the wall after we begin, is as yetundetermined. The fact remains that there is always afringe of very superfluous males ranged around the hall,enjoying our misery to the full.

We start tripping lightly around the room, swingingour arms all over the place, when suddenly we catch sightof the current hero, the one who finally asked us for adate, looking as though he wonders why. We know onlytoo well what is coming, and signal frantically to him togo away. He ignores our plea. Here it comes.

"Squat down on your heels, hands on your knees,and walk like a duck. Left, Right, Left, Right!"From ahead comes a rebellious groan, "If the Lordhad intended us to walk like a duck he would have givenus web feet and bills."

"And from behind, the grunt is, "They're getting usready for the spring thaw." A.C. 2 Don Juan is still on theoutskirts grinning from ear to ear. At last it is over andwe collapse on a bench and reach for a cigarette. Butwhat is this we see before us?

A line of men tripping around the room, wavingtheir arms all over the place. And here comes the payoff,"Squat down on your heels, hands on your knees, andwalk like a duck. Left, Right, Left, Right!"

They make like ducks. We settle back comfortablywith our cigarette, at peace with the world.

P.T., it's wonderful!

YVONNE LANDRY A.F.M.LAW Yvonne M. Landry, air frame mechanic, is a

girl who has really found her vocation in the Air Force.On February 14 she celebrated 14 months at Gander,but the date that really makes her eyes shine is October. 27th, 1943,whim she started to work at the repair depot.For her first nine months here, she worked in the laun-dry, but she has always like the .idea of working withmachinery, and she wouldn't give up her goal. Prior toher enlistment in January, 1943, she left her home inAmherst, N. S., to work in the anodyzing department ofthe Westinghouse factory at Hamilton, Ontario, whereshe helped to make parts for intricate secret equipment.

After her Basic Training at Rockcliffe, she camestraight to Gander. Whenshe started work as an A.F.M.it was without benefit of the regular course; but armedwith her previous experience and her enthusiasm to helpher, she has made good. Within six weeks she passedher first trade test, and in the months that followed, sheprogressed from making minor repairs on ailerons, rud-ders, etc., to a knowledge of her work which enablesher to carry out D.L's (Daily Inspections) for her sect-ion: checking the aircraft to see that the controls areworking and all the bolts locked, arid that there are notears in the metal fabric framework.

Other W.D.'s on the station have tried to switch tothis trade but Yvonne is the only one who has been able

9

"WE" ENTERTAINBy LAW Grace H. Babbitt

Our W.D. leap-year dance was a formal, giving usall a chance, once again, to let people see how we hadlooked in that far off day when we were civilians, soall the fortunate gals with long gowns- stepped out, be-ruffled, be-fulled, and be-satined, and hair was let waydown, or piled way up.

As usual, whenever there is a formal here, the nightwas an extra cold one, with a sizeable gale. The silverslippers went to the dance inside great-hulking-air-force-issue-glamour (?) boots, and the slick and ultra coiffuresthat had necessitated hours-in some cases-for as-sembling, had to be swathed in kerchiefs and scarves foreven that little trip.

But the rec hall was jammed from the start and themood was strictly party--of the gayest variety, and con-tinued so all evening. Flight Officer Jernholm, lookingattractive in a two piece violet crepe dinner gown-theshort jacket silver trimmed-led the grand march withGroup Captain Annis. Our wonderful C.O. had left an-other party just so he could come over to ours on our bignight, if only for a little while.

The evening fairly flew by, leaving no completepicture to remember, just impressions-of all the wist-fully lovely, very 'ladylike W.D.'s who wanted the bandto play waltzes ... of the tall girl in the daringly sim-ple low cut black corded taffeta gown, designed for danc-ing in New York and Montreal ... and the girl in thepastel candy-striped taffeta, also decollete, with greatwide skirt and ruffling way up top and around the hem... of the little lass in the pencil-slim dinner dress offiame crepe with zipper jacket and childlike round whitecollar and the silver slippers with platform soles shewore with it ... the W.D. in a dinner gown with astraight black skirt and jeweled bodice who wore asparkling Juliet cap over her light brown curls ... andthe girl with the coal black hair, pale skin and brightred mouth, who so effectively wore a snowy white shirt-waist and black skirt, like a very modern Gibson girl. .. and the watchers,-the airmen around the floor andon the balcony "just looking thanks" because it was allby invitation only ... and in contrast, the invited ladswho said afterwards that they had fun because for oncein Gander they had had more than two or three dancesin an evening ... of the frantic dash across the streetfrom the rec hall to the sergeants' mess in the Arcticair, clothed only in a few yards of satin and tulle-forrefreshment ... and of the usual final mad strugglewhen all was over, for clothing, and clothing, that wouldfit. Thanks to another committee for another lovelyevening.

to stick to it. Although she would never admit it, work-ing from eight to five every day as an A.F.M. is no teaparty-but she loves it!

Despite her 14 months at Gander, she appears farfrom eager to leave here. Perhaps her feeling of sat-isfaction comes froin the real love she has for her work-as she says: "I like to get right down and work in thegrease"-and the knowledge of its tangible value. Shecan see the results of her efforts every time one of theaircraft she has worked on takes off, and she can knowthat she has helped to "keep 'em flying".-S. H. J.


12/36


\\\,r~ \ ..- ...., \ ,I' )... '-:-I'"/"'~ \I I \,~ \.

S/L N. R. JOHNSTONENew O. C. "Scramble Squadron" hashad his pilot's wings for a long time.comparatively speaking. Aviation be-ing an active hobby with him foryears. While attending University ofManitoba, he took summer courseswith the R.C.A.F. at Camp Bordenand received his pilot's wings in thesummer of 1931, and commissioned(Prov.) P.O. at that time.He went overseas with the first

R.C.A.F. group to leave Canada, anArmy Co-op Squadron in February,1940. There he piloted the dauntless"Lizzies". He later flew while over-seas, with several Canadian Squad-rons and with the R.A.F. Was oneof the legendary "Few" who foughtthe vaunted Luftwaffe to a life-giving stalemate during the Battle ofBritain.S/L Johnstone flew the early

flighter, the Mark 1 Hurricane, withNo. 1 Canadian Fighter Squadron inScotland's bleak north country, andlater assumed command of its re-formation to No. 401 Fighter R.C.A. F. The Squadron operated out ofthe hottest spot in that whole islandcauldron, "Biggan Hill". Later hewas made Chief Flying Instructor ata Spitfire O.T.U. Thence as super-

numerary to 412 Squadron awaiting repatriation to Canada. This lattercame in February, 1943,three years after his arrival in the Island Fortress.

Lack of space unfortunately doesn't permit more than a cursory in-troduction to the O.C. But some mention should be made of his civiliancareer. He played half for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Played basketballalso for the Alma Mammy, U. of M. and worked for the firm whose sloganis "The Pause that Refreshes" (advt. deleted). Mr. Johnstone was in theadvertising and promotion end of the business and his post-war plans callfor a return to Regina or points thereabouts for a resumption of sellingthat beverage.

Graduated from the aforementioned University, University of Mani-toba with a sheep-skin bearing the letters B.Sc. (in electrical engineering).There is a Mrs. Johnstone, whose home was Victoria, B.C. Queried as toWinnipeg, (where his career got its original impetus - he was bornwhere he considers home, after mention of such Western sites as Regina,there-) and Victoria, the O.C..was a bit uncertain. Probably take a bit ofconference when the bugle blows "It's all over friends, you can go homenow." Mrs. Johnstone is currently living in New Brunswick.

" * .;, *A lot of doings this month. Great gobs of names must be perpetuatedin the book of historjpal recordings. If yours is overlooked, please forgivethis once. Ladder of success taking a big leap up the aforesaid pile ofrungs are two swell guys P.O. Jake (Toronto) Broad and P. O. Mac(Halifax) McLeod, it couldn't have happened to sweller g's, congrat's in alarge manner. Understand the honors were observed in all their traditionalritual.

Three other pilots received the honorable order of the Wide Ribbon,Flying Officers, McLean, (say-he works on the Gander don't he?) Reidand Wood ... Cpl. Freddie Evans, (mentioned here last month) joined theexalted company of the senior N.C.O's, than whom there is no whomer ...Johnny Brant, presently recuperating from a bit of hot foot ungently ap-plied (not to his foot) went soaring into the realms of the W.O l's and isnow spoken to with deference. . Jay Trewin of the wireless section gottwo hooks, but we'll let his own section supply the proper comments, goodshow ..

Two of the ground crew became happy pappies recently ... take abow, Cpl. Jim Overend for a potential w .n . in B. C. and LAC Putnamfrom the other coast,-the Eastern one-has a baby boy to tell all aboutC.A.P.O. 4 to, which is one way of finding an audience ...

New arrivals in the Squadron include F/Sgt. Pim in the wirelesssection, taking over from Sgt. Fydell posted to Headquarters ... Cpls. A.R. Shiefly (Kitchener) and H. G. Bolster from Coburg (the garden city)Joined the hard-working armorers ... a gaumless greeting gentlemen ...that far-away look in the eyes of E. W. "Snafu" Smith has something todo with a lassie down Washington way and a bit of a scheme to join theMiss in holy wedlock Nick by Kaforuk reports the Squadron of Scramblershave added a new phrase unique to us-not even-Things are not eventhis or not even that, eac. etc. Embellishments may be added at the dis-cretion of the speaker.


13/36

THE GANDER, MARCH-APRIL, 1944 11

When we first took up residencein Gander last November it wasthought that our stay would be briefand accordingly not much notice wastaken of our squadron in, stationactivities. However, having nowbeen here three months it was feltwe had become full-fledged mem-.bers of the "Gander Family" and assuch thought we should make ourpresence known in these pages.With our squadron split up and

accommodated in rather crampedquarters we cannot hope to attainthe unity and solidarity displayed byour friends and rivals the "Dumbosquadron across the runway. Never-theless we are doing our best underthe circumstances and thus far havesurvived the rigorous Gander winter.Under our new O.C. S/L Egan we

have had numerous P.T. sessionswhich, though approached with ap-prehension on the part of all con-cerned, turned out to be a lot of funand productive of good fellowshipwithin the squadron. For awhile itwas rumoured the O.C. was receiv-ing a poll tax from the P.T. and D.section, so frequent were our periodsat the drill hall, but of late we havebeen going 'by crews for our exer- .cise so the deal must have fallenthrough.Another feature which brought

members of the squadron in closerassociation with one another was therecently concluded bowling league.This comprised a twelve team setup

with games three times a week. Ina schedule in which each team metonce, the Pilots, Headquarters,A.F.M.'s and A.E.M.'s, qualified forthe playoffs with the Pilots emerg-ing the champions. FlO Wilson wasthe driving force behind the bowlingand with the successful conclusion ofthe league, it is to be hoped that hewill divert his energies to organizingother squadron activities.Our basketball team is in the thick

of the playoffs at the time of writingfollowing the curtailment of thesport due to the recent renovations inthe drill hall. Behind the spectacularplay of Pia Jack Brown, the teamhas played heads-up ball and shouldgive a good account of itself in thefinals. Unfortunately, lack of inter-est in volleyball and borden ballamong members of the squadron fail-ed to produce winning cl'mbinationsin those sports.A squadron dance is believed to bein the offing and is long overdue, forit seems' a pity not to take advan-tage of the opportunity with so finean orchestra available on the station.Apart from a few of our more notor-ious wolves, not many of us havehad a chance to meet many of theW.D.'s on the station, although judg-ing from appearances they are firmbelievers in the "Good Neighbor"policy and slightly "Khaki wacky".The recent visit of the assessment

crew to the station caused quite aflurry among aircrew personnel of

the squadron. However, barring afew exceptions, the majority camethrough all right and results were re-garded favorably by the visiting dele-gation.In conclusion, we hope that the

new members of the squadron feelwelcome to our midst and that theywill take an active part in all squad-ron activities in the future.

PUT f/ICTORY FIRST


14/36


EQUIPMENTby L.A.W. E. M. Coleman

If there's any place in Ganderwhere life doesn't become too monot-onous, that place is Station Stores.Changes of some kind are alwaysbeing made an"dthe past month hasbeen no exception. The once quietand serene Orderly Room has beenturned into a veritable beehive ofactivity with the addition of all theTally Card posters from Tech Stores.The room is now so congested that,as our Sergeant Major so aptly term-ed it, there is danger of somebodygetting wounded in "Tally CardAction". The atmosphere in that roomis a happy one, though especiallywhen our little Benny is around. No-body could be blue where Benny isbecause she's in such a happy frameof mind looking forward to a postingto Torbay. Remember, Benny, travel-ling is educational. At least, that'swhat your father says.

Have you noticed our Sergeant-Major around the building lately?He's looking extremely chipper thesedays and although we aren't just sureof the reason, a little bet he has withCpl. Sheffield in Clothing Storesmight have something to do .with it,and no doubt she'd be able to enlight-en you on the matter.The big event of the month in Cloth-ing Stores was the addition of a newname on our morning roll call - thatofWakely, Jr. Ifyou happen to walkinto Stores some day and suddenly,for no apparent reason, hear a deepbaritone voice burst into song, don'tbecome alarmed - it's just Ralphletting off a little steam.Sgt. Styan, of the Paint and Dope

Section is a proud papa. We hopeCarol Lynn isn't too grown up by thetime you see her. Congratulations toyou both! It'll be nice having some-thing besides a fence running aroundthe front yard.Cpl. Link Mailman has been posted

to Dartmouth since our last write-up, but there's some possibility wemay have to call him back. The pigsmiss him. Sgt. Pounds of Major

Equipment has been posted to Monc-ton and it'll certainly seem strangenot to see caricatures of ourselves onvery scratch pad we happen to pickup around the Orderly Room. Nowthat George has gone, Cpl. Don Mc-Arthur is gradually getting back tonormal. However, in six or eightmonths time he'll probably be join-ing George in Moncton and then he'llstart all over again.They say that in the spring a young

man's fancy turns to thoughts of love,etc., and it being spring and therebeing lots of young men in Stores,romances are beginning to bloom allaround us. For instance, why is itthat a certain young Corporal, whoworks on M.T. spares, should comeall the way from Barrack Stores, passthe front office, and go up to the 1. &R. Section looking for the Major,without even glancing intq the frontoffice where the Major would logic-ally be? Of course, the I & R. is theonly place in Stores where there's atall blue-eyed blonde working, butsurely that couldn't have anythingto do with it. Then, too, it's beennoticed that Vic has been makingexcuses to visit the Orderly Room alittle more frequently than is neces-sary since our new Equipment As-sistant arrived from 'I'orbay. Wearen't trying to make anything out ofit, Vic, but it does look suspicious.LAC Hall from Clothing Stores isgoing in for badminton in a big waylately, that is whenever a certainlittle lady from Accounts happens tobe around the Drill Hall.We're all looking forward to some

really fine music at Church thisEaster, for Bill Geraghty, 'Repairable'Willie, Smitty and 'Garge' Fawcetthave been attending. choir practiceregularly for the past few weeks.We think though, boys, you'd betterarrange to have at least one practicewith the rest of the choir, sinceyou've been holding yours independ-ently and NOT in the Station Chapel.

Power HouseBlues

Having been requested to write forthe Gander, but having never at-tempted anything like .this before,we do so with intrepidation. How-ever we will endeavour to do ourbest.We welcome this opportunity ofmaking our section better known aswe are located in a remote part of thecamp and visitors are few and farbetween.At this time we would like to wel-

come the new additions to our staff;Sgt. Campbell of the laundry, Cpls.Smith, Jarvis and Hurley of thesteam turbo plant. May their stay belong and happy,It is with regret and perhaps a

little envy that we see Cpls. David-son, yrhelan and Surette, leaving ourhappy family and wending their wayback to Canada. May their tour ofduty on their new stations be ashappy as the days spent on Gander.A sweet feminine voice over the

telephone informed US that weddingbells will shortly ring for L.A,C.Feely. Congratulations! Jim and Bestof Luck.We are sorry to hear that Sgt.

Hughway is confined to hospital,-hope he will be around soon.

WE WONDER WHYSgt. Abbot was so reluctant t.oleaveMoncton.Sgt. Mayhew spends so much time

in the drill hall, could itbe that Wallyis interested in more than turbines,Sgt. Cunningham has not been seenon the ski trails lately.Flight Mathe is so happy since the

first of the month.Flight' Geldart is so worried these

days. Cheer up Dick, it will soon beover.That's about all for this time folks.

See you in the next issue of Gander,


15/36


STATION WORKSHOP MYSTERY CLEARED by Willie WorkAfter long months of gentle hints

and not so gentle moans, we man-aged to coax a small Farmol tractorfrom the powers that be. Using thiswith a small trailer the we picked upfrom a secret source, we have man-aged in the last few weeks to do ourown trucking; and thus get back onspeaking terms with the more fortun-ate sections from whom we were al-ways cadging transportation. Imagineour consternation when someonekidnapped Bertha, as we affection-ately call our tractor because of herbig rear wheels.Sgt. Paul Richard the big boss ofthe sheet metal shop and well-known

wrestler and weight-lifter, had pro-ceeded on temporary duty with Ber-that and Junior (the trailer) to theS.R.D. to pick up some metal, Thiswas a scrounge, as usual, and whilenegotiations were afoot some scoun-drel ran off with Bertha. Sgt. Richardwas very much put out but rose tothe occasion and proved that hiswrestling and weight lifting trainingwas of value when he took the trailertongue between his teeth and withalmost superhuman strength draggedthe whole thing back to its homebase. A very dim view of the wholething was taken by SIL Lund, as. Bertha is the apple of his eye and soposthaste, Gander Yard, the home of

Newfy Dew?the famous Gander Detective Forcewas notified.Detective Inspector McKenie was

assigned to the case and after spend-ing some time on the case was forcedto admit that it was one pf the mostbaffling mysteries he had ever en-countered. Sgt. Brown, Station work-ships own private sleuth supplied

many valuable clues _such as thetractor's number, which incidentallywas only four figures out, but couldnot be persuaded that his own pettheory, that Bertha had become fedup with the hum-drum ways of lifeand had gone out on patrol, waswrong. The mystery was eventuallysolved and Bertha was returned tothe bosom of her family as pure asshe had been before she was spiritedaway. Owing to the fact that some ofthe most important names on thestation were involved in this crime,it is not possible' to publish full de-tails of the masterly detective workthat led to the solving of this mys-tery. All of Workship's personnel aregrateful to Detectives Guthray andMcKenzie for solving the puzzle andwithout further hesitation recom-mend them to anyone else who findsthemselves in the same. position.As one philosopher said, "People

have more fun than anybody", andwe manage to have a little fun onour own hook. We have our bowlingleague and while there are no superbowlers in it, everyone manages tohave a good time and win a coupleor packs of cigarettes now and then.A team is being entered in the pro-posed Station Bowling League andwe expect to hold our own with allcomers.

KITTEN-NAPPER STILL ATDon Forest, who, it is alleged, kit-

tenned "Daphne", a black and whitecat, has not yet been apprehendedby the authorities. Daphne disap-peared from Barrack Block 132 lastmonth arid has since then been keptat the transmitter station. The mo-tives for this dastardly crime are un-known, but itwas unofficially statedthat the transmitter staff were lone-some for feminine company.

Sparks were for a long time theonly trades badges in the Air Forceand even today they seem to bestowupon their wearer an air of differ-ence, which the other badges fail togive. Perhaps it was this fact that

inspired an anonymous person towrite this little ditty which we dedi-cate to the finest wireless ops in thecountry-the Gander W.O.G.'s.

LARGETHE WIRELESS BOY

Blessings on thee, little WOG,With thy neatly pencilled log,With thy voice so like a lark'sWith thy lovely set of sparks,With thine ears so red and still,Pressed upon by earphones shrill-From mine eyes the salt tears drop,For damnit, I'm a wireless op!Prince thou art! The pilot guyIs but a chauffeur who can fly.Let lesser men in aircraft go:Strutting .wingless here below,Thou hast more than they can buy,Thou hast sparks, they can but fly!Little sunshine, mother's joy,Blessing on thee, Wireless Boy!!!


16/36


STATIONADIEU

ARMAMENT BIDSTO F.L. CASPER

By LAC L . KaufmanAs this goes to press, Station Ar-

mament says good-hye to F/L. Cas-per. It is with regret that we loseall' "O.C." of the past 12 months. I'llthe parlance of the 'boys, he's beena "Good Egg' 'and a regular fellow.Our loss will be Ottawa's gain wherehe goes to take up his new post. ~Good luck and 'best wishes for fut-ure success.. Don't forget us backhere in the Gander.Like Grand Hotel life goes on and

we welcome back amongst us anold and popular friend, FlO. Camp-Ibell, formerly of Gander, but morerecently of Labrador. He justcouldn't stay away and returns totake over F/L Casper's job.These last months have seen many

old friends depart to distant places.With regret we said so long to Cpl.Storm (the Immortal) easily themost versatile armourer in our sec-tion. "Stormy" left his mark not onlyOnus but on the entire station. Hismany contributions to station lifewill be remembered. With himwent Ken Loughlin after spendingonly four months on the Island.(Some Luck). To Yarmouth, N. S.went an old familiar "Ganderite" inthe person of one known in theseparts as "Richie", alias Fred Rich-ards. (A surprise posting came toLAC. Harold Mitchell in the form ofthe Bomlb Instructor's Course atMountainview. We wonder howhe's doing back at school, nnw.Of course this migration of old

friends resulted in new faces aroundthe section. The first of these wasLAC Bill Stewart. "Stew" camefrom the west, and we do mean theWest. After 18 months in Bella Bel-

la (no relation to Simone Simone)he made the long trip East. Hisonly complaint so far has been,"When does the sun shine?" Hisfavorite song is, "I want to go backto where I came from".Following his footsteps cameLAC "Cas" Caswell, also from thewide open spaces, Dafoe, Sask., tobe exact. "Cas", has had a bit of badluck of late, being confined to thehnspita l with a back injury afteronly a few 'weeks in the Gander.Latest report has it that he is goingto Christie Street Hospital, Toronto,for an operation. We're really sor-ry to lose you so soon but here'swishing you a speedy recovery,'ICas".As a further addition to OUrranks

is Chick Sheppard. a former Sec-urity uard. Chick has been here solong now he has grown' roots.There is one thing that all thecrew, both old and new, would liketo see and that is "Newf" Cotiewith a smile on his face. How aboutit Sarge? As Shrn O'Connor says,"De Gander ain't so .tough."Our proud father Jimmy McCash-

in expects to go home shortly to seehis baby girl for the first time Jim-my's chest expanded three inchessince the big event. There'll be noholding him now.Since "HuJb" Winters saw the

"Desert Song", the peaceful atmos-phere at the section has been period-ically shattered by his personal ver-sion of the "Riff" call. However,everything is under control and thecrew is standing 'by with a brandnew straight jacket. Any day nowboys!

~~ , ,, .Buy="i;CTDRY BtI"I}S

HOT BITSFROM THEFIRE HALLBy L.A.C. Bill Hunter

Here we are again. Adjust yourspecs and strain your necks as herewe go with the text.Our best wishes go to Sgt. Saye

who left for another isolated station(Lucky Fellow), Cpl. Goudett andL.A.C. Brennan, who left recently onposting to Canada. They left withtears in their eyes as big as marbles.They have our sympathy. We wantto welcome Cpl. McLean and L.A.C.'sSmith, Corbeil and McAllister. Maythey enj oy their stay.Our new Crash Tender arrived

looking the worse of the ocean voy-age. Much like some humans look,after the gods of the ocean have toss-ed them around. With soap, waterand plenty of elbow grease, it lookslike new. The hall itself has taken amore modern appearance with the in-stallation of new doors. They werecertainly needed as the old type witha high wind would whirl you aroundlike Hard Hearted Hannah at the oldBarn Dance.Don Spiers just back off leave from

Winnipeg, where he became the hus-band of Miss Dorothy Pierce of Win-nipeg. Our sincere congratulations. Don and Dot. He says there is noth-ing like it, fellows, and he wouldn'tbe single again even for a posting.Well, spring must be here as "Hap

Carr" has trimmed his moustache,or else he has broken his moustachecup. Cpls, Hope and Stewart arestudying C.A.P. 90. Why such sud-den interest fellows?Tommie's Blackwood system didn't

work so hot at the bridge turnamentthe other evening where he and Hallswashed out. Was Halls letting youdown?You may now remove your specs as

this is the end of our text. See younext issue.


17/36


ADM IN .Cpl. Ross, J.A. and LAC Brown, J.E.For all of you readers of the "Gan-

der" that are not already aware ofthe situation, we come to press againto announce the successful termin-ation of our Bowling League. Spacedoes not permit us to make OUr owncaustic comments on the scoring.An unabridged detailed, anj luriddescription may be obtained bymerely mentioning the game aroundcertain offices, Congratulationsto the winners, and better luck nexttime for the rest of you.It was hoped that our "Society

Column" would be able to give youthe latest on our "Big Crawl" butdue to circumstances over which wehad no control all was a little hazy.Just before thee urtain fell we didnotice that one of the "Pay Staff"had taken an interest in the Stationlibrary.If anyone has any information on

who keeps the telephone operatorscheerful these evenings would theykindly pass the information along.As it is all of the "letter punchers","Paper Chasers", and "Pen Push-ers", wish the two new rovers onthe sea of matrimony the best.Several new faces and legs have

appeared since last we wrote, andalthough we've tried, you haven'tbeen altogether familiar. Perhapsthere may be something in the say-ing about wolves; but try us out justonce. In short here's wishing youall a short, happy and memorablestay.On several' occasions sorties were

made against the elements. Reportswere that skiing was excellent withnumerous inclines, but more falls.A few bones were broken and sev-eral eliminations on the first run,but nearly everyone went back fora second try.The Aunners have again wheeled

out their !bicycles, so you can takeit from us that spring is on the way.Perhaps things will loosen up in theway of postings and ease up on someof our work.Don't !be a .bit surprised to walk

into the building and with no inten- .tion of doing so, walk into E m em-barrassing rposition. You see wehave changed offices again, but don'tbe surprised; we also get confused.


15

LAUNDRY HOLDSSUCCESSFUL DANCEby Len Parkhouse

Greeting from the cleaners you areso often taken to.Now that the dust has settled in the

Old Recreation Hall we hope thatthose of you who attended our lastscramble enjoyed it as much as thecommittee did in putting it over.Due to the appearance on the sta-

tion of the All Clear Show, the pro-posed Valentine's Dance had to bepostponed. But the committee not tobe out done, combined the heartswith shamrocks to make it a uniqueaffair in the way of decorations.The evening was a hugh success as

many an aching foot can tell.Itwas the first dance F/O Burton,

O/C of the Laundry, has been able toattend. He was asked to say a fewwords during the course of the even-ing' and in his brief address express-ed the thanks of our section to thosewho helped in making as enjoyableas it was.Since our last issue, a few more old

soaps have been posted namely, Cpl.Jack Ridwell, Cpl. Brownlee, LAW'sSanders, Brant, Henderson, Lach-

muth, Broaders, Beaver, Wygas,Hollaway, Wheelhouse, Austin Beaz-ely, Hamilton and Wilkinson. Ourvery best goes with them and manya deserted male is walking aroundwith his IaceIn his hands these days.We would like to take this oppor-

tunity to welcome the new faces inthe section. May your stay with us bea happy and long remembered whenthis battle of Gander is over.Speaking of battles, we hear that

Cpl. Ed Woods will be joining hisloved one during his furlough whichthey say is any day now.Congratulations are in order for

the boys who recently received theirhooks. Keep up the good work fellas.You may have heard some rum-

ours regarding better service on yourlaundry, but as the C. O. said in arecent broadcast, Gander is noted forits tall tales. But seriously, every-thing possible is being done to offsetthe delays, even to working twenty-four hours a day.Till next issue remember it all

comes out in the wash or does it?


18/36

"ALL CLEAR"By LAC Ron Rewbury

"So they cocidn't find a rope to hang mewith ... Oh well, no noose is good noose." Thehouse roared, but Sgt. Slim Burgess, comedian,didn't so much as crack a grin. Instead he pointedaccusingly at a chagrined airman in the audience,and bellowed: "Fer gosh sakes don't try to explainit to your chum. He'll get it eventually." Thehouse continued to roar, at one of the highlightsof the popular "All Clear'" show which hit Ganderthe last week in February.The RCAF show remained on the station fortwo weeks, playing nine performances. To say itwas a hit is putting it mildly, and the cast ofthirty-six, was the toast of Gander during its en-tire visit. Inasmuch as about ninety-nine and ahalf percent of the personnel on the station sawthe show, there is no need to review it to anygreat length.

One noteworthy fact about the show, how-

ever, was the continuous punch it packed whichkept the audience on its toes throughout the twoand a half hours of entertainment. Starting offwith a bang, it opened in a whirlwind of noise, ina mock air raid, and then reversed quickly intothe gaiety of the all clear. The show was full oforiginality, and therefore different from moststage productions. There was no M.C. to clutterup the stage, and no corny jokes to usher in thevarious acts. There was no delay between the acts,which followed each other without a second ofwasted time. This was achieved by dividing thestage into two parts, a front and back portion.While one was in use, curtains and scenery hidthe busy workers on the other, preparing for thenext act. The stage sets are also deserving of com-ment, for their color and variety also added muchto the successful presentation of the acts.The "All Clear" show was ortginatedat Rock-cliffe RCAF station near Ottawa, and was chieflythe brain child of F IL Coote, a former Englishactor who had spent a good deal of his time inHollywood, and is now overseas with the firstRCAF stage show. "All Clear" is under the direc-tion of RCAF headquarters, and is in the capablehands of F /0 Marshall, who travels with thetroupe. Assisting him in his "wet nurse" activities,


19/36

as he jokingly terms his duties, is S/O Fahrenhotz,who looks after the welfare of the nine W.D.'s inthe show.After several months of intensive planningand hard work, "All Clear" staged its premier inOttawa, September 19th of last year, and since'that date has been on tour in central and easternCanada, Newfoundland, and had a brief run in theUnited States. The group has covered severalthousands of miles, and have played before morethan a hundred thousand people.After the grand opening in Ottawa, the tourof Ontario began, then came Quebec, and the dashinto the United States, where the troupe put onshows in Washington, before Army, Navy andAirforce personnel, and at military hospitals.Back in Canada again, the troupe began coveringEastern Air Command, and first made an appear-ance in Newfoundland, January 19th.Throughout its travels the show has had manyinteresting experiences. However, all has not al-

ways been "all's well" with "All Clear." Severaltimes members of the cast have taken ill, causingquick shuffles in routine. But the show alwayswent on without missing an engagement. Whenthe gang first arrived on the island, one of theW.D. personnel became illand had to be left be-hind at the RCAF hospital, Torbay. Another suf-fered an ankle injury while skiing right here onthe Gander, and the show opened with only sevenW.D.'s in the cast.One of the highlights of the show's Newfievisit, was a special inspection tour of the destroyerH.M.S.C. Niagara. The cast performed beforeCanadian seamen, and after the show, they wereinvited aboard ship. On board, Miss Betty Parks,a singer with the group, received special attentionfrom the navy boys because her home town isNiagara Falls, whence the name of the ship was

derived. The good people of Niagara had adoptedthe ship a long time ago, and have kept her pro-visioned with all the good things of life possible,such as books, magazines, musical recordings,clothing, cigarettes and candy.Members of the show are from all walks oflife. Slim Burgess, comic "par excellence" of thetroupe, was a professional show man prior to thewar, but to others it is a new and exciting game.Corporal Jack Bickell who demonstrated the fineart of acrobatic dancing, hails from Australia.When war broke out Jack came to Canada andenlisted with the R.C.A.F. as an aero-mechanic.Later he remustered to entertainer.Sgt. Hyman Goodman, leader of the orchestra,was formerly concertmaster with the TorontoSymphony Orchestra, and in addition to that,directed the radio show, "Comrades in Arms"

broadcast over the CBCnetwork.A description of the entire cast could go onindefinitely, each member providing a colorfulstory. Space does not permit this, but we believeeveryone is using his or her talents to good pur-pose in helping to keep the morale of the troopshigh. We all heartily agree that "All Clear" is adamn good show, and wish the cast all the best ontheir tuneful trip among the fighting forces.


20/36


SL IPSTREAMRADIO RANCHO MAKESSOCIAL DEBUTOur column for this issue could

very well be headed "Welcome andBon Voyage" for much of our timehas been taken up in "Good luck andbe seeing you" to some of our oldermembers, and, "Howd'y" to somenew ones.Depa'!tut'es to other stations inCanada which most of the boys spell

"PARADISE", were Ray Lambden,Bob Grass, "Doc" Jackson, Bart Bar-ton, Jim Campbell, "Red" Campbell,and Char!i;~ Boulten. By this timethey should be settled down in theirnew posts and showing everybodyhow things should be done, Ganderfashion."Static" Mart Morin, Mac Johnson,

"Smitty" Smith, and Jerry Girandcopped the big prize with overseaspostings. Their departure was pre-ceded by some little celebration inwhich Cot Cotnams rendition of "TheLittle Red Bull" took top billing, andwas heartily and successfully encor-ed. Each telling seemed an improve-ment on the first. On their way out,these lads saw ...some unexpectedaspects of travel inNewfoundland.Bob Dufresne, one of our vigil- '..

antes, has gone to join the boys whofly and to him we wish a specialbrand of luck reserved for those whocarry the fight out to the front line.These were all swell- fellows to

work with who had been with us fora goodly number of months. We didnot like to see them.go, but we surewish them the best of everythingwherever the fortunes of war maytake them.To the new lads coming in, Cor-

poral Joe Tackney, Bob Elder, LenWilliams, Bob Samers, Bert Siugar,Jack Yanofsky and Bill Culm, weoffer a most hearty welcome and wethink you have the stuff to fit intothe Radio Ranch picture as smoothlyas hose you have replaced.Socially, Radio Ranch, has made

its debut. On Friday, March 3rd; wecollaborated with two other sectionsto put on the "Secret Three" dance.If everyone had as good a time as the

boys of Radio Ranch, then it was atremendous success. To SergeantGeorge Johnston and Ted Hamm whorepresented us on the much to becongratulated committee, the thanksof all of us are extended. And to theW.D.'s without whom none of it wouldhave been possible, goes not only ourgratitude, but our admiration, andthe hope that your support will be asgracious and whole-hearted when wetry to do it again.Things we notice about Radio

Ranch personnel as we go about ourdaily appointed tasks--Stan "Poppy" Whitfield sitting on

his top bunk, working assiduously athis Turkish rug and gazing raptur-ously into space across the courtyard.Corporal Jimmie Grant protecting

the prestige of the Ranchers in theMess Hall and incidentally spendingenjoyable hours when off duty. Thereis little envy in this rentark Jim.Flight Moore, gazing longingly atthe skies for a sight of T.C.A. andasking to be dropped at the postoffice on every run into the station.Ozzie Zarnke, thanking his lucky

stars to be back at Gander after onlyfivedays of K.P. at Moncton....t30rporal Bud Currie claiming tohold an all-time record for attend-ance at local theatres."Cot" Cotnam, still counting off

the days until leave time rolls alongand observing his customary ritual aseach week passes into oblivion.

AIRDROMEMAINTENANCE

By Cpl. Maki.

Shear pins, Sicards, and SnowPlows plus a lot 0' hard work, wescore again. 01' man winter certainlytried to make it tough for us 'thiswinter, that's our job keeping therunways and roads serviceable andthe boys certainly did a grand job.With spring just around the corner,our equipment is being checked andrepaired just in case 01' man wintertries to playa trick on us and returnfor a few days. One never knowswhat to expect regarding the weath-er. Before leaving Canada, most of uswere told to take fur lined pyjamasalong with us. .With winter almost over, who do

we find in charge of our section, noneother than W.O. 2 Hazlett an oldtimer from No.1 C. & M. Congratul-tions "Chuck" hope we (don't) seeyou next winter.Our new section on the Well Road

is nearing completion, and up to datestock room, drivers room, and des-patchers office. Cpl. Giggie andL.A.C. McAlpine (despatchers) are soproud of their new office that theyare not filling out any posting forms.Sgt. "Joe" Howitt is rather quiet nowthat the snow is nearly all gone.What's smatter Joe, getting Gander-ized? Congratulations are due to ournew Corporals, (Curly) Dolomont,Rebbetoy, Caroll, Wells, Trobridge,Wheeler, and our friend Kelly who isabout to march down the aisle soon.The boys are anxious to have aget-together before the season ends

so here's hoping we can get the en-tertainment committee cracking. Ourlast dance was a big success.Before our next issue of the "Gan-

der" is off the press, the gang willpossible be split up so here's hopingyour stay at Gander has been a pleas-ant one and a station long to be re-membered as one of the best.Until our next issue, we'll say. 50-

long you scruffy bunch of T.O.'s.


21/36


POST OFFICECORNER

A few words from that busy littlespot "The Post Office". At the pres-ent time, we are without our regularcorrespondent "Eric Fowlie". He isaway on that long awaited leave inTruro, Nova Scotia, and we hope en-joying those much talked of "ShadDinners."At present our little bright eyes

"Corky" (Lou Corcoran) has left usfor two weeks of rest and relaxation-so she says--On her native Isle.How about it Corky?'There has been quite a change inthe personnel of our Post Office sincethe magazine last went to press, Twoof our C .P, C. boys, Doug Baker andBill Friesen have gone to St. Johnsand in their place, we now have CpLKen McDonald and Pte, Vic Brown,Vic and Ken are no strangers here,both having spent some time herepreviously,One member of our staff "Harold

Behm" received a promotion to Sgt.but our Harold at that time was homeon furlough greeting his new daugh-ter, who was born since Harold cameto Gander. Congratulations to Haroldon .both his achievements.Our hard working sergeant "John-

ny Graham" is now back on the jobafter a brief stay in the hospital, andhe is now working as hard as ever.

THE BIGNEEDLE

By Sgt. N. B. BomphrayFrom the abode of the "Big Need-

le", comes our little contrbbution tothis issue,Ganderites will long remember

the night the hospital staff took tothe flashing boards. As time wentOnweary skiers slowly returned, onskiis, on foot and via the thumb-What about that FIL Hall? Lunchwas served and the staff began toswallow the wounds of the "Battleof the Skiis".It is time to say hello, this timeto FlO Horner, Sgts, Dane and

Drummond, ~C's Easter and Bar-ber. May there stay be enjoyable,We also Ibid adieu to FlO MacKay,N/S's Thompson and MacLennan,to Sgt. Drummond on getting hisr emuster to aircrew and to Cpls.Doiron arid. Jack. So.long, we areWe were glad to see FIL Jefferiesgoing to miss you folks around here.return fit as afiddle aftersick leave,welcome back.It.was on a Tuesday eveningNot so long ago,The hospital staff decidedOn a scavenger hunt to go, ,With rubber tires and ten foot polesAnd articles galoreThe winner was decided-c-'Twas Caswell and his corps.

19

S. P. RANCHOForK . P . Commandos

by LAC Rauch and SlumskiYour host Major Butray and a

trusty staff cater to your require-ments.Weoffer in the line of recreation to

correct all faults, our favourite 28day stay, with hiking in the wideopen spaces (runway apron), We doinsist you carry your own pack onthese hikes. Packs may not exceedthe limit of 60 pounds. On each ofthese hikes you are accompanied bya trusty Guide to assure your safekeeping, Besides this we also offershorter stays of 14 and 7 days. Ourrates are nil.Our accommodations in the Bunk-

house consists of single and dormitorysleeping quarters. We do, however,insist on a tidy bunk and room.Floors must be scrubbed at least oncea day, sometimes more. In additionwe offer the modern convenience ofshowers with hot and cold runningwater,Meals are of the best quality.

Breakfast will not be served afterseven in the morning. Dinner andsupper are served when and whereyou can get them,With apologies to the masters, we

give you our poetic rendition of therecent scavenger hunt the HospitalRecreation Olub put on, May wesay, a good time was had by all.

- - --~ , , ' .-~-. -""'If- - -- \\\~- . \


22/36

LAC's Duncan, O'Connor and Stewart of Station Arma-ment, giving two officient looking weapons the gun.

SECTIONSNAPSHOTS

BY "HAP" DAY

Cpl. MoCarthy attaches the punch to the "Cat" SQdn.g'Unwhile LAC's Menard and Profit sing " . . ... andpass the ammunition".

From left to right LACWolfe. ~I.C.. ACl Morrison.R.H.. LAC JUacDonald, E.H."and Sgt. Larlham, J.F.. allmembers of the "Scramble;'Squadron.

A number of "Scramble"mechanics line up for Dap'sCamera. Some smiled atHap's joke, others tried tolook their best.


23/36

"Dumbc" armourers smile bravely into the Jens. Fromleft to right they are F/S McDevitt A.E., LAC Sparham,L.J., and LAC Pare, J.L.A., LAC Crowley, H. J.

Flash ... Dumho Squadron hatches"for" mechanics.

W.O. Postal clerks working at the most popular trade inthe R.C.A.F... Mail .. Mall .. Male .. oops Mail

A beautiful picture of our chapel after a snowstorm. Sopopular are the religious services. thai many latecomershave to be turned away.Hap told mechanics of the "Cat" Squadron to say "chee se", hence the impish grins. Note 'the huge moustache onthe gent stooping, s econd from right.


24/36


BOOKS YOU OUGHT TO READby AjSjO Armstrong

The Ship, by C. S. Forester.There go the Ships, by Robert Carse.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,To speak of many things ... "

Did you ever wonder where the Walrus acquiredsuch a flair for small talk? Or how he could be soleatned that at a moment's notice he was prepared todiscourse on such a variety of subjects

"Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax,Of cabbages, and kings"?

The chances are that in between jaunts with hisfriend the Carpenter, the Walrus was given to reading.Books have a way of opening new horizons, to even themost casual reader. And anyone dropping into theStation Library, situated in the Drill Hall, would besure to find something of interest there.C. S. Forester had already won fame as a novelistbefore "The Ship" took its present position of being oneof the outstanding books to come out of the war. HisH.M.S. Artemis typifies the escort vessels which did suchvaliant work in the Mediterranean in enabling supplies .to reach besieged Malta. The author takes his readersright on board, and there they remain through a com-plete engagement with the Italian Navy. During theaction, a complete picture of the ship's company is un-folded-veteran sailors, men who served in earlier wars,and young lads, who have left their land jobs for theduration of hostilities, work together in close harmony,showing in the stress of battle the results of long monthsof rigourous training and stern discipline.

"The Ship" is the work of an artist. The authorhas given his dramatic sense full play, and has writtena story that is worthy of the men it would honour.In "There go the Ships", Robert Carse reveals therigours of life in the United States merchant serviceduring war time. It is a harsh book, written with a fullrealization of the perils of the Russian convoy route, andwritten in the plain, often coarse, language of the menwho travel that route. While Forester writes with prideand dignity of the service he admires so much, Carsewrites with more than a hint of bitterness, feeling thatthe sacrifices of the men he describes are not sufficientlyappreciated. He seems to be shouting on every page,"Can't you see? This is war!"

P EN -P AL EDUCA TIO NCourting, by mail, is a somewhat unsatisfactory busi-

ness particularly if one has never met the other party.Yet it is not unusual to see in the daily press that ire-fined ladies and eligible bachelors desire to eriter intocorrespondence with members of the opposite sex, photo-graphs, supplied on request, object matrimony. Whileconjugal bliss may be achieved by correspondence weare apt to feel that the method leaves something to bedesired.

Being educated by mail also seems to present dis-advantages. It requires courage to begin correspondencewith a remote instructor on more or less unknown sub-jects, objects matriculation or B.A. Descriptive literaturemay be forwarded in quantity yet the thought persiststhat there is something irregular and inadequate aboutthe procedure.

This is due, in part, to the doubtful standing of someof the institutions which have offered courses in the pastand to the extravagant promises which they have made.We are all familiar with the "Learn the easy way" typeof course and these have, unfortunately, come to be as-sociated in the public mind with correspondence coursesin general.

There is also the fact that many seem to assume thatall education is gained in school and that learning ceaseswith school leaving. Nothing could be farther from thetruth. Good teaching simply creates a most favourableopportunity for learning. Education is continued through-out life. For the man or woman in the services whowishes to continue his or her education and obtain creditsfor the work accomplished a system of correspondencecourses has been worked out covering complete matricu-lation and university Arts courses.

These courses are endorsed by the Provincial Depart-ments of Education and by the leading Canadian uni-versities. Matriculation courses are free. Universitycourses require a moderate fee.

The correspondence courses offered by the CanadianLegion Educational services, leading to matriculation,are planned on three levels A, Band C, correspondingroughly with high school grades 9, 10 and 11.Each courseis presented in four booklets and each booklet dividedinto five sections with a set of exercises at the end of thesection. The completed exercises are forwarded to a cor-respondence instructor who returns the corrected papersto the student with comments and suggestions. Itis pos-sible to complete one exercise per week spending an aver-age of one hour per day in study. Final exams are writ-ten on the station and educational credits are attached tothe documents of the airman or airwoman concerned.

Why not, then, embark upon a new correspond-ence with a new pen-pal? The going may be difficult andthe subjects unromantic but the rewards and satisfactionsobtained will be found worth while,


25/36


~~

~ P a d r e ' s C o r n e rFIL METAYER, R. C. CHAPLAIN

LEA VES GANDERHis favorite ex-

pression is "Santapace", coupled withan expressive shrug-ging of his leftshoulder, This oc-curs often during aconversafion withFjL C. A. Metayer,who has been post-ed aft e r fifteenmonths as chaplain

to the R.C.'s on the station here. A very active person,with bundles of energy, one of his favorite pastimes wasflying. He managed to get in about seventy hours whilehere. This, with a previous thirty hours, gives him atotal of one hundred hours. Libs., Forts., Harvards, andof course the Ganderberry, were the ships he has flownin. He has shared the patrol of some of the anti-subcrews out over the ocean. But his favorite flip was doingaerobatics in the Harvard, challenging the pilot to try tomake him air sick. None have succeeded. This recalledhis favorite sport, ski-jumping.

Born in Quebec City, FjL Metayer (a Dominicanmonk) was intended for a teaching career in that ancientscholastic order. His training took him to Rome and Parisfor studies, which included Shintoism (the religion ofJapan) and Buddhism (the religion of the Orient). Atone time (he studied the Japanese language) he wasslated for a theology post in Japan.

He was in Paris at the outbreak of war, and after ahurried trip to.Rome for graduation exercises, he return-ed to France. He was a travelling chaplain with theFrench Forces. He made his way to the fishing village ofSt. Malo during the tragic month of June, 1940, and the'little boat he. was in, was among the escaping convoys'from the immortal town of Dunkirk.

The erection of the Chapel on this station is one of

NEVER LOOK DOWN!F/L H. Bond Jones, Chaplain (p)

From a small magazine which has come to my desk,I read the following: "Belief in God stands as the first lineof moral and spiritual defense. If that defense crumbles,all human defences cannot avail to save a country fromitself. Good will and understanding are as strong anarmament and as mighty a weapon as a battleship, divebombers and divisions of men".

Is there any wonder, then that worship of God has adefinite place in wartime? That we who live and moveand have our being in Gander have such facilities forworship?

Men trained in the art of war, who face the grimrealities of war, are not interested in any activity that ismerely traditional. Worship to them offers value' theyknow they cannot afford to lose

Documents

RCAF Gander Base - Apr 1944