Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 103 continued ... I went into Halifax at the end of the month, as it was time to turn in the keys of the Department car. Before doing this, I went to the army recruiting office. They had nothing to offer except a private's rank. I accepted it. While there I took the Oath of Allegiance, thereby losing my American citizenship. I also passed a medical examination and received my kit and uniform. Having completed all these formalities, I was ready to forfeit the keys and the car. At that time, there was no Deputy Minister of Agriculture so I went directly to the Minister, the Honorable John A. MacDonald. When I explained what I had done, he said it was a big mistake and asked if I had taken the Oath of Allegiance. When I replied in the affirmative, he said not to worry; they had had no difficulty getting me clear of the Air Force and could get me released from the army, although it might be just a bit more difficult. When I refused to agree to this proposition, he grew very angry and said I would never work for the Department of Agriculture again. I was sorry to be placed under this cloud of animosity, but it was time to report back to the army base, so I left the office. I should state here, parenthetically, the Minister must have had a "change of heart" over the next several months or perhaps the reality of war cane close to him. In any case, the following Christmas, I received a very nice card from him with all his Best Wishes. What a surprise! Soon after enlisting in Halifax, I was sent to Trois-Rivières, Quebec, for an Officer's training course. That was one tough winter; it was terribly cold; army life was all new; the training was rigorous; and, at first, I felt rather out of place. We were told that only one in three would graduate. Most of the other candidates were non-commissioned officers who had been sent back from overseas. Many others had come up through the ranks and had lots of experience in the Army. What competition! Fortunately, I became close friends with two fellows; one named Cotton, who had been overseas with the First Division, and the other who had been a seasoned sergeant with the P.P.C.L.I. Both had lots of experience on the parade square and knew enough of army life to get along in almost any situation. This was where they really shone and these were areas in which I was horribly weak. Furthermore, my voice was not suited for the parade square and I did not appear to be aggressive enough for a potential officer. On the other hand, my previous experience in C.O.T.C. gave me an edge in studying "Appreciation of a Situation," Military Law, Map Reading and other similar courses. Each evening I would help my buddies in these subjects and they, in turn, devised a plan to help me. They suggested that whenever we were on parade and it was my turn to inspect the ranks under the watchful eye of our Instructor, I use each of them to really reprimand, in no uncertain terms, and do this in the most degrading language. Well, it appears that our strategy worked and at the end of three months, we all graduated as second Lieutenants (one pip wonders). From Trois-Rivières, I was sent to Farnham, Quebec, for Advanced Officer Training. In this transfer I was separated from my former buddies but met up with two others: Rollie Curtin and Bill Hartman. Rollie had been a policeman in Toronto and subsequently, he and his wife, Lois, became close friends of ours. Bill had come up from Texas to join the Canadian Army. I did not know his marital status but he did drink too much for his own good. Life at Farnham was different from that of Trois-Rivières. The training was tough, but I was in good physical condition. By this time, I had become better acquainted with army life and began to rather enjoy some aspects of it. We graduated from Farnham in early June, as First Lieutenants, were given a leave of absence and told to report at St. Jean's, Quebec for a tour of instructional duty. While the summer at St. Jean's was pleasant, there was an under-current of discontent. As autumn approached and there seemed to be no progress towards getting overseas, most of the officers became uneasy. In the midst of this tension, a request came from the First Canadian Parachute Battalion for volunteer officers. Rollie Curtis, Bill Hartman and I were the only ones to apply, and we soon found out that we were accepted. continued ...
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