This is another episode, just received, on Lt Colonel Walker. Also
excellent and informative reading.
Ralph
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Hi: Thanks for taking an interest in "Tiny" Walker. By the way, In
early August of 1939, a story of Tiny reforming the Motors appeared in
the Ottawa newspapers. Mackenzie King read it and demanded that we be
shut down immediately,Guess that he was afraid of losing the
French-Canadian vote if we were to go to Britain's assistance. He Then
stood up in the House of Commons and said "No Canadians would serve
overseas in the coming conflict" He also ordered DND that Tiny Wa;lker
was not to serve in any unit. After many efforts, Tiny wrote Rawlinson,
then the Minister of ND offering to even serve as a Private in the
Veteran's Guard which was mainly composed of WW1 vets guarding strategic
sites and German prisoner-of-war camps. Rawlinson insulted Tiny by even
turning down this appeal. So Tiny sat out WW2 as a civilian . Back in
August of '39, when the Motors was disbanded Tiny arranged for me to get
a discharge from the 1V Princess Louise Dragoon Guards. I applied to the
RCAF as a pilot, but they had no training facilities to train pilots so
only accepted those who had commercial licenses. joined in Air
Armament, was ,after training, went to # 3 BR Squadron, Halifax
airport, as an Observor. We flew old single engined open cockpit
biplanes, cold as hell sometimes, that originally in the 1920's were
flown in Iraq, when the RAF controlled that country.When Iraq was given
back to the arabs, the Wapitis ended up in Calgary. After the outbreak
of war, they were flown to Halifax. Then after France fell in May of
1940, the yanks panicked and sent us B18's a twin engined bomber that
was the mainstay of their airforce. It could be considered a military
version of the famous DC3. The squadron was moved over to the new
airport at Dartmouth. I used to lay on a lovely leather covered
mattress, just watching the ocean and what ever was there. We had few
bombs so our main job was to notify Eastern Air Command if anything
different appeared, Then a navy destroyer or corvette would be assigned
to check it out. One may say that we were simply a forward observation
post. We used to go out 3 to 4 hundred miles, then back to base.
Sometimes we would act as a convoy patrol, or even check ahead of single
ships heading to Halifax to join a convoy. A real easy job. We were all
concerned that battleships or submarines from the German navy would
attack the convoys or shell Halifax, so it was a real war-time setting.
Everybody else, the pilot, the navigator, the wireless operator worked
like hell all through the flight.Sure beat getting my ass saddle bruised
when I was in the cavalry. Later, am going to send you a story of a RCD
Private, Reg,# in the 500's. He sailed from Camp Valcartier with my
father, then spent the winter in a bell tent on Salisbury Plains. There
he caught pneumonia, was hospitalized, got out of hospital, hit by a
car, suffered a bad head wound, Sent to a nut house here in Kingston.
Then, on March 30,1918, the day when the Canadian Cavalry Brigade were
badly shelled, leaving many a saddle empty, on their way to fight the
Battle of Moreuil Woods, the poor soldier died. His grave was the first
one in the Veteran's plot at St. Mary's RC cemetery, here in Kingston.
For years there has been a service at the Protestant cemetery every
November 11th. The catholic boys, including five RAF pilot trainees,
were ignored. The base commander at Base Kingston has been changed.
About a month ago I contacted the new one. He happens to be a Catholic.
So now. the base Chief Warrant Officer and the RC padre are taking the
responsibility of maintaining the graves , including that of Private
Frank Conroy RCD,and holding a service on November 11th. All it takes is
a little respect for those who gave so much.