The day of the one-room country school has long gone.
What a shame!
From the time I was born in 1927 until I was 7 years old I lived on a prairie farm. I started Grade One in a one-room country school when I was four years old, and remained there for 3 and a half years.
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In 1957 three important things happened almost simultaneously: The CO of 4 RCHA in Germany was replaced by a new and unknown LCol from Canada; I was promoted Captain; I was posted to 4 RCHA from my post as Senior LO at Bde HQ in Germany.
The Regiment had gone through many touchy months of discord and personality clashes. The new CO didn’t know who he could ...
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In 1932 we were still living on our farm 5 miles NE of Moose Jaw, SK.
One of the post-WWI novelties was “barnstorming” – that is, pilots from the Great War travelled back and forth across the country in their wood and doped-clothed biplanes. They would generally put on modest flying displays – the sort of aerobatics they had flown when in action – and regularly took locals up for short rides.
I ...
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When those of us in the Regular Forces graduated from RMC we were posted directly to our Units in Korea.
Because we were going to Korea as individual replacements and not with a Unit, we were spared the long, and very uncomfortable sea trip in US Naval transport craft. We flew in Canadian Pacific commercial aircraft – both going and eventually when returning to Canada the following year.
I had gone to ...
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In 1956, when I was Senior Liaison Office for 2 Canadian Infantry Brigade in Germany, I was charged with finding a new and dry site for the HQ while on Exercise. We had suffered two weeks of solid rain and General Rowley was keen ...
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When I see all of the publicity these days concerning racial conflict in the USA, I am reminded of my only three experiences with “Blacks” when I was travelling in the USA.
In 1942 two High School chums and I decided to take the short jaunt from St. Thomas to Detroit to see the famous stripper, Sally Rand.
We were early for the afternoon show so we entered a cafeteria for lunch.
It was crowded to the ...
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When a Cadet at Royal Roads, the Naval College, a Classmate asked me to escort his date’s friend: she would not go without her friend accompanying them and with a date! It was his birthday and he wanted to throw a dance party.
I had never “blind-dated” and refused to then.
He continued to pester me until I finally gave in and agreed to the blind date – he gave me the girl’s ...
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When I was almost 6 months old I developed a cough that gradually became much worse and responded to no treatment.
My parents took me to doctors in Moose Jaw and Regina and the only recommendation was “steam” – a steaming kettle under a sheet over my head.
This accomplished nothing so I was taken to the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg – where the same advice was give!
The problem got worse!
Mother took me ...
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The second battle I had chosen as my special subject and studied for presentation at the Army Staff College in 1960, had been the Airborne Operation to seize the Arnhem and Nijmegen bridges in 1944.
Later, when posted to GSO3Ops1 at Northern Army Group HQ [NORTHAG], my working partner and soon very close friend was a Dutch Major, Vein van Oppen.
Years later – long after we had both retired, Daphne and I ...
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Janet Moffat
My paternal Grandmother, Janet Moffat, was a most remarkable lady! She came from a modest family of Scottish heritage who were farmers almost exclusively.
It was a large family, of which she was the second eldest. Her older brother had left for the West and served for a short while with the NWMP; after which he became a “roving preacher”. It was he who suggested the family move ...
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