Page 14 - December 2018

the field. It was touch and go as to whether we would Our O.C. flying was Wing Commander Hodgson, an
clear the fence but we did and landed in about two feet
of soft snow. We got out and Alfie pointed to a farm
house two miles away and instructed me to go to the
farmhouse and phone our airfield to send ground
transport to pick us up. There was two feet of soft snow him and his first words were "I've finally got you!
and it was not an easy walk - but at eighteen you can lick However, he took no action, but stories of their old
the world.
The ground school here was a mixture of theory of flight,
armament, navigation and weather study. Our flying was
of about fifty hours total flying time.
Just before Christmas 1940, those of us who didn't fail
the course were posted for our next stage of training to
a Service Flying Training School, S.F.T.S. About a half
dozen of us, including myself, were posted to #8 S.F.T.S.
at Moncton, N.B, with train transportation laid on. We
were each given our personal service documents in a
sealed envelope to take with us to Moncton. We were
all very curious as to what was in the envelopes, and
finally made a pact that we would all open our
envelopes and see what our Windsor Mills instructors
really thought of us. Alfie Cockle's only comment on my
flying ability was "a bit rough but should make a good
bomber pilot".
On the evening of Dec. 24, 1940, we stopped for
something at Riviere duLoup - across the river from
Quebec City. No one seemed to be able to tell us how
long we'd be there and after going to the washroom, I
came out and the train had left. Not wishing to be
charged with desertion, I reported to the R.C.A.F. Service About Sixty percent of the pilots on our wings course
Police in the station and told them of my problem. They
were very helpful. They gave me a bed in their holding
cell, but left the door unlocked. They said there would
be a Moncton train along about ten o'clock the next
morning and arranged a ticket for me on that train. That
next morning being Christmas Day and the first time I
had been away from home at Christmas, I was feeling
very lonely, but felt much better after phoning home
and talking to several family members. It was the most
lonely I ever felt throughout my five years in the Air
Force.
I arrived in Moncton in mid afternoon. #8 S.F.T.S. was a
real mess, mud everywhere except the paved runways.
We were the first course of pilots at the school, so it was
a bit disorganized. Construction was still going on
everywhere except on the runways. The aircraft we
were to train on were Avro Ansons - twin-engined.
ex Mountie. One of the instructors was an ex Rum
Runner. He and Hodgson had had previous
experience before the war, but Hodgson had never
caught him. On the first parade Hodgson discovered
escapades were all over the station for a few days.
The training here, both flying and ground school,
was very demanding. We were scheduled to get our
wings about the middle of March 1941. However,
about a week before the schedule wings parade, I
came down with Scarlet Fever and was put in
Moncton General Hospital in isolation for six weeks
and missed the graduation. I was put into the third
course for final training and got my wings in early
June. I was made a Sergeant and we were all to be
given two week leave. Before leave I was on Dental
Parade one morning and while there, there was a
call for volunteers to go to Charlottetown for a
General Reconnaissance course which meant one
would go to R.A.F. Coastal Command. A buddy of
mine put my name in as well as his own - probably
one reason I survived the war.
While I was home on leave a telegram arrived
advising that I had received a commission as a pilot
officer, and that I should get an officers uniform
before going to Charlottetown. The family & I were
all very proud that I had received a commission.
were made officers, the rest were sergeant pilots.
I reported to Charlottetown toward the end of June,
in time to start their course of training. The course
was mostly navigation. The concept was that when
we crewed up for squadron, there would be two
pilots who would alternate as pilot and navigator,
there would also be a wireless operator and a
gunner. As will be seen, this policy would be changed
before we got to a squadron, where the crew would
be one pilot, one navigator and two or more wireless
operator-air gunners, depending on the aircraft.
On the course were Jack Gordon, Can Barnett, Roy
Neilson and myself, which foursome would be
together for about a year - and Roy Neilson and I
ended up on the same squadron for another two
years. There were about twenty pilots all together
on the course.