169 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca SINCLAIR, Arnold C. PEACETIME Arnold enlisted in the Canadian Army on March 1, 1954 at the young age of nineteen. He was immediately posted to the 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. This regiment had just recently returned from Korea and was stationed at Fort Osborne Barracks in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He took his basic training at Fort Osborne Barracks.When that portion of training was completed, he moved on to Shilo, Manitoba and completed training in basic gunnery. Having gone that round of training to its end, he returned to Winnipeg, becoming acquainted with the older Veterans of the regiment who had returned from Korea. Army life was a life that taught one the art of survival and in learning one grew up very quickly. His next step in the learning process took him on to complete the course that dubbed him as Junior Non-Commissioned Officer and on December 17, 1954, he received his first promotion to Lance Bombardier. His first Christmas was a very memorable one that was spent in charge of kitchen fatigue. He must have done well because he was granted leave for New Year’s Eve. The regiment spent the summer of 1955 in Shilo, Manitoba and in Wainwright, Alberta. In November 1955, after the annual fall leave, he received posting to Fort Churchill, Manitoba. As part of a test-team with the defense research northern laboratory, they tested equipment and clothing. The knowledge and experience would be of great value later in his career. He returned to the regiment in Winnipeg on May 1, 1957 and at that same time received another promotion to Bombardier.The regiment was preparing for a tour of duty with NATO in Germany.They spent the summer in Gagetown, NB.They sailed from Quebec City, Quebec on November 20, 1957 on the oceanliner The Empress of France. November was definitely not a good time to attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They encountered a major storm while they were en route and their arrival in Rotterdam, Holland was delayed by three days. Although the going was rough for the crew, it proved even more so for the aging vessel. Upon arrival in Rotterdam, it was inspected and condemned. During their three-year stay in Prince of Wales, Germany, they had both good times and bad. One of the good things was that the Canadian dollar was worth $1.05 in American currency on the world market.Thus, his pay as a Bombardier was equivalent to that of a German physician. However, and naturally, to prevent them from living too high-on-the-hog, their salary was restricted. They were allowed a certain small amount per month and any need of additional money required approval from the commanding officer. Purchase of personal items had to be approved and all purchases were scrutinized then validated by the commanding officer. The Cold War was at its peak now. The Berlin Blockade and the subsequent airlift to supply the city, as well as the mobilization of the American troops in Europe, all proved to be contributing factors to a very tense and high-strung atmosphere. However, it all soon ended and on October 18, 1960 they departed from Germany.This time they travelled by air. The Royal Canadian Air Force had converted the North Star aircrafts to accommodate passengers, thus all the single men flew home. Though much faster than their journey to Germany, the trip home for other reasons would prove to be just as memorable.The carriers were extremely noisy and no one spoke for the duration of the air-time since they could not hear one another enough to carry on a decent conversation. The flight took twenty-nine hours of noisy time. Other time was spent in England, the Azores and Gander, Newfoundland for refuelling. They finally arrived in Trenton, Ontario. Everyone departed from there for an emotional regrouping with family and loved ones, a first in more than three years.When leave was all-too-soon over, they returned to Gagetown, NB to rejoin their regiment that was stationed there. For the next two years, he served with the regiment in Gagetown, catching up on courses that he had missed while in service in Germany. One important course was that of Senior Non-Commissioned Officer which he completed successfully. On completion of that, he returned to Shilo. On January 7, 1962, he was posted to the Royal Canadian School of Artillery in Shilo. He served there as drill instructor with the Royal Canadian Artillery Depot, training new recruits for the artillery. Subsequently he was promoted to Sergeant on September 20, 1962. On April 1, 1963, he transferred to the apprentice training battery which was also at Shilo, where he remained until September 15, 1963. He was then posted to 2RCHA at Fort Osborne Barracks in Winnipeg to begin preparation for his second tour of duty in Germany. On January 9, 1964, they left Trenton, Ontario on their way to Germany. However, with the new jets, the flight took only eleven hours and boasted all the comforts of civilian air service. It was the second tour for the regiment and many of the senior personnel were returning for the second time. Settling in was fast and efficient. (continued)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==