Page 12 - August2020
P. 12
Movie Pick of the Month
The Last Voices of the
Checkertail Clan
A film by Neil Pugh
Archie Londry
WWII Veteran Flying Instructor
#12 Service Flying Training School, Brandon
As the song goes "I've looked at clouds from both sides now"
is perhaps why I have been asked to say a few words about
the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum.
I trained under the plan and was
a flying instructor in the Plan and
for some period of time was here
at #12 S.F.T.S. Service Flying
Training School. Just a bit about
the Plan. When you enlisted, your
first posting was to Manning
In 2007 a friend of mine called Ralph Gimenez asked Depot, which was basic training,
me if I had ever heard of the Checkertail Clan. My very strict discipline and tough
simple answer that I hadn't, has sent me on a (in
conditioning.
every sense of the word) a journey across the
continents to meet and record the anecdotes of the
surviving veterans of the 325th Fighter Group. The I don't know what kind of animals they thought we were but
footage was captured on a variety of media, Standard all Manning Depots were in old barns. #1 in C.N.E. buildings in
and High Definition as well as phone and Skype Toronto in the bullpen, #2 in the old Wheat City Arena, which
interviews. The film is only available in Standard housed livestock for the Manitoba Winter Fair, and #3 where I
definition as were the previous two, simply because started was in the horse barns at the Edmonton Exhibition
the file sizes are huge and some of the the original grounds.
footage used is very low quality. The importance to
Next came a posting to either guard or tarmac duty. l I was
me is about telling their stories, so please forgive me.
When I began creating this nearly 10-years-ago, sent to #12 S.F.T.S. as an AC deuce. Aircraftman Second Class,
you couldn't get any lower. Time was spent sweeping hangar
Standard Definition was the affordable quality, where
floors, pushing and washing aircraft and any other joe-job
now even mobile phones record High Definition. Sadly
since I began creating the three films I have made imaginable.
from those interviews, many of the veterans have Next came I.T.S., Initial Training School, ground school where
taken their final flights, but, I hope that my we were taught theory of flight, navigation (including astro),
contribution to recording their stories in their own meteorology, aircraft recognition, etc.
words preserves something of the men they were.
We were also introduced to the link trainer, a primitive flight
Over 3000 men served with the 325th Fighter Group simulator where many washed out without even having been
and I have met the barest few, but there stories are
in an aircraft.
fascinating, the history they recall is remarkable and
each was a part of the legend they created. So here, It was here also that your M.C. Alex Matheson, when he was
at-last is "The Last Voices of The Checkertail Clan". there, learned to cheat if he didn't know how beforehand. Any
doubtful candidates were measured for leg length to assure
