117 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca Basic Training was another new experience that I will never forget and one that all young people should have to endure. At times, in fact, nearly every day I would have gladly left for home if I could have. Why did I ever get myself into this mess? There were full days of Parade Ground training: how to march, how to stop, how to carry a rifle, clean a rifle, how to dress properly in Naval gear, how to salute, who to salute and who not to, when to say “Sir” and when not to, etc. Finally, four months later we were considered to be trained and it was a happy and proud day when we graduated and were ready to move on to something more challenging. There was really no surprise when I was drafted to the Cruiser HMCS Ontario which was then used as a training ship. This was an opportunity to put into practice all that we had learned in the classroom during basic training. One nice thing about a training ship in peacetime was the trips we took: San Diego, Acapulco, Hawaii, Panama Canal, West Indies, Antigua, Alaska, to name a few. What a geography lesson! Unlike basic training we were now permitted to take shore leave almost every evening except when our “Watch” was on duty. The only drawback to this, of course, was the miserly pay that we received which had a very detrimental effect on the extent of your social life. During the first couple of months on the “Ontario”, I decided that I would like to become a Signalman or Radio Operator and was granted authority to work with the Communications Branch I admired their neat and tidy appearance, as well as the excitement of playing such an important part in the ship’s operation. The decision to become involved in Communications was one I never regretted. It’s hard to explain the feeling of going home for my first leave, but there I was at last, on my way to arrive in time for Christmas. It was a great feeling but unfortunately it didn’t last nearly long enough to suit me and all too soon I was on the train heading back to my ship. The same lonely feeling but, this time it only lasted until I was onboard the ship and back with familiar, friendly faces. Another cruise south for three months was the first time I had not experienced a prairie winter. Those training cruises always managed to go south during the winter months and, of course, this was fine with me. It was early summer in 1949 that I received my next posting. This time I was heading to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and HMCS Stadacona for a year’s course in Communications. Following a brief stopover at home, I arrived in Halifax to begin another new experience. As a seasoned “Salt”, I was now going to learn all about Naval Communications and considered myself as going full speed ahead with my new-found career. The course was full of new terms, another strange lingo consisting of Morse Code, semaphore, Aldis light, cryptograph, receivers, transmitter, antennae, ship screening, convoys, etc.; complex but very interesting and, as it turned out, a very rewarding experience and an enviable trade. Winter in Halifax was different again, from that in Esquimalt, with colder temperatures and a lot of wet snow. Since we spent most of our time in a classroom, it was not that hard to take. I remember reading and hearing about the flood in Winnipeg in the spring of 1950 and a number of us from Manitoba volunteered to go to help with flood control currently being carried out by quite a number of military personnel. Since we were nearing the completion of our course, our request was turned down. Graduation day at last, and what a proud day that was! I was sent back to HMCS Naden to await a posting to another ship. The Korean War was in full swing by this time; Canadian Destroyers were already on patrol with the United Nations forces. I was on leave in Fisher Branch when I received a telegram ordering me to report immediately to HMCS Athabaskan which was leaving for Korea. By the time I arrived in Esquimalt, the ship had sailed and I was sent, instead, to the Frigate HMCS Beacon Hill to await another ship to Korea. This happened in the spring of 1951 when I received a posting to the Destroyer HMCS Cayuga which was leaving approximately June 1. Preparing for our arrival in Korea meant many hours training with long periods of “Battle Stations” involving simulated air and submarine attacks. This was all necessary to ensure that everyone knew what to do and where to go in the event of an attack. Everyone was assigned a station which you would be required to proceed to each time the alert was sounded. We were equipped with life jacket, steel helmet, etc., which were to be carried with us at all times. A couple of stops on the way to Korea, one in Hawaii and another at a deserted island where our gun crews would practice shore bombardment at fixed land targets. Upon our arrival in the “Korean Theater” as it was called, we were mostly involved in screening duty which meant the protection of aircraft carriers while they launched and landed aircraft. While this was not too exciting, it did provide the Communications crew with some excellent training while performing maneuvers around the carrier. When not screening carriers, we were assigned patrol duties which took us close inland where our gun crews would shell shore installations, supply trains, etc., and, of course, being close to shore we ➤
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