Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1953-09-17, Page 3r uR.SDA',:SEI'TEMI3ER yt, 1$53. Ground Observer Corps blas Local Unit Formed The action taken during the Second World War to effect a wedding .of military and civilian resources in defence, provided many of the basic premises upon which the present postwar system of air surveillance was based. However, it should be remember- ed that an observer ,corps origin- ated in Great Britain as far back as 1916 when a small .area of Eng- land was set up so as to provide observation posts. In 1929, the control of these ob- servation posts was handed over to the Air Ministry and it can be said that the observer corps be- came a corporate body under the control of the ,Headquarters of the Air Defence of Great Britain. From this time on, the corps con- tinued to .expand until by August, 1939, the greater part of the country was covered by observa- tion posts. ' There rs no doubt that the first big trial .of the Corps came with the Battle of Britain. • How well the corps did their job during this period of dire threat Can be told'. from the fact that His Majesty Xing George VT on April 11, 1941, granted the Corps the title of Roy"al"• Canada's G.O,C. In the years after the Second World War when tension in Eur - AIR FORCE DAY SATURDAY q SEPT.19 - sfCU VISIT YOUR NEAREST -AM FORCE STATION N. FITZSIMONS' MEAT MARKET IHIOME OF INSPECTED MEATS SINCE 1863 POULTRY IN SEASON Clinton Phone 162 ope and Asia continued to mount and when our neighbours below the 49th parallel saw fit to organ- ize an operational Ground Ob- server Corps, it was not surprising that the Chiefs of Staff of the Forces in Canada decided that a G.O.C. must be organized to sup- port our own radar system. Studies were made of both the British and American Corps with a result that it was decided to divide Canada into provincial areas (below the .55th parallel) and .es- tablish filter centres wherever present lines of communication dictated, As the average line of sight of a human being searching the sky for an aircraft does not exceed five miles, the one degree squares of the international geo-reference may, when divided into ten-min- ute squares of 8x8 miles, lends itself ideally for the establishment of observation posts, An overlay was therefore made over all filter areas in Canada and as a result it waspossible to determine the num- ber of observation posts that would be required to provide, informat- ion that would. produce continuity of track on the operations table in the filter centre. Field organization Such filter area was divided in- to a number of sub -areas consist- ing of approximately five to 10 observation posts. In each of these areas a capable civilian vol- unteer would be selected to act as. regional supervisor and assist the RCAF personnel in organizing ob- servation posts and selecting ob- servation post personnel. The re- gional supervisor ,in this area is J. R. Cooper, R. 4, Clinton. The task of touring these areas, selecting and ultimately appoint- ing regional supervisors, and in many cases chief observers, was carried out by Air Force person- nel. The result of this work pro- duced not only a decentralized chain of command from the Air Force at filter centre level to sub- areas in the field, but extended beyond, for as regional supervisors selected chief observers, the latter in turn selected observers to man the observation posts. So the cir- cle was complete. Though the field organization continued to gain ground and in actuality advanced far beyond the response anticipated prior to act- ual press and radio release, the "heartbeat" of the Corps -.the fil- ter centre—still remained some- what nebulous in character. Civilian Volunteers , It was decided to modify con- struction plans for the filter cent - 95 MODEL 221 DX 15LX WAU4UT (Sightly higher in mahogany or limed oaks NEW SUPER DYNA-RAY TUBE -252 sq. in.. - - only Admiral has hi The big- gest 21" picture in Tele- vision! New1953 features! New "DX -53" chassis with electronic supercharger! Admiral's new "DX" range finder adjusts, for finest picture quality and perform- ante in any area. Guaranteed UHF reception --positive assurance for the future. Admirals Super Turret Tuner nerds no converter for UHF stations. Outperforms all other makes regardless of price! res, The modifications included provision for a sound proof opera- tions room with overhanging bal- cony and operations table for plot- ting information received from ob- servers, lecture room tor training ,civilian volunteers, pack bar, lounge, and administrative .offic- es. No effort or thought was spar- ed in the design of these centres, as it was obvious .from lessons learnt by the°RCAF when study-, ing the Ground Observer Corps in the United States that every con- sideration must be given to the comfort and welfare of the civil- ian volunteers who, would man them. At the present time, it is • not intended that the Corps should attempt actual interceptions. The Corps is solely designed to gather information from all parts of.. the country, correlate it, disseminate it and pictorially present the mov- ements of aircraft in any one area. Finally, the information is passed to a parent Ground Control Inter- ception unit where appropriate ac- tion is taken. The' system of transmitting and transcribing information from the observation post to its terminating point, the G.C.I. unit, is quite sim- ple though each operator, whether in'the field or in the centre, must be efficiently trained and alert. High Priority From the time an observer at an observation post in the field sights' an aircraft or anything of a nature which may be considered of mili- tary importance, the system is progressive. The observer places an aircraft flash call to the oper- ator of the local switchboard who in turn treats the call on a prior- ity basis and connects it through the communication network to the filter centre. At the filter centre the information is received, in a prescribed form, by a plotter seat- ed at the operations room table. This information,is transcribed on- to a "pip" which is placed on the operatipns room table, pointing in the direction which the aircraft is flying. This forms the initial plot on the sighting or hearing of an aircraft. As subsequent informa- tion is received from other obser- vers, a track is established and a raid stand detailing the pertinent information is placed onthe ap- propriate position on the operat- ions table. This information and all subsequent moves or changes of information concerning this or any other track is immediately re- layed, by the radar teller situated on the balcony of the operations room, over a direct line to the parent G.C.X. Use Fire Watchers In those filter centre areas where vast land masses exist which are sparsely populated, Provincial governments were ap- proached with a view to securing fire watchers or hydro employees SATUR.DA\\ SEPT. 19TH VISIT TOUR NEAREST AIR FORCE STATION CLINTON NEWS•R CORD Inside View of Operations Room at R, and C.S. ' 4;�x„f l /H it31tSATE 144013 Tii,R During the present fiscal year the RCAF is allotted 41.7 per cent of the defence dollar, a 4.1 per cent increase over last year's figura. S. Scruton Oils -' Greases Gasoline Petroleum Products Phone Clinton 371 Phone Groderich 320-W CITIES SERVICE DISTRIBUTOR This is an exceptional view of the plotting room in the new Radar,and Communications School at RCAF Station "Clinton, which will be officially opened on Saturday afternoon, September 19, Air Force Day. This section, along with many others in the building, will be open to public inspection, and the operations generally going on there will be in action. Here information is received from the fighter control operators, and from this markers, or "pips” in airforce terminology, are placed on the scale map in the immediate foreground, to show the loca- tion of aircraft At the rear and elevated for better vision, are the fighter controllers, who work from the scale map, to gather tactical information which is relayed to radio operators who are con- tinually in contact with the pilots. The airman with the phone in the background is Cpl. Erwin Andrews. An actual demonstration is planned for the plotting room on Saturday, when a complete mock battle is to be held. The public is invited to visit this display and hear first-hand the orders coming in and going out from this essential part of Canada's Air Defense education program. or even private lumber compan- ies' employees as observers. Each Province has been extremely co- operative and, as a result, person- nel employed as fire watchers now provide some of the Corps' finest observation posts during the sum- mer months. A complete understanding exists between the Service and civilian members the United States Ground Observer Corps and the RCAF. Many of the problems and diffi- culties that normally beset any two large and integral represent- ative bodies, have been resolved as a result of close cooperation and an exchange of ideas. To appreciate rully the enorm- ous task that has been undertaken by members of the Ground Obser- ver Corps, one must also take into consideration the limitation of rad- ar from both the economical and functional standpoint, plus the fact that every mechanical venture is subject to failure at sometime or another. Participation by volun- teer members in air exercises thus far has firmly established the the Corps' worth as a very necess- ary element of the air warning sy- stem. As the organization pro- gresses and more and more civil- ians respond to the ever increas- ing demand for volunteers, it may not be too much to expect that in the event of radar failure, the Corps. could with minor modifica- tions, quite feasibly fill the gap should such an emergency arise. The response and enthusiasm of civilians to volunteer for service in the Ground Observer Corps has, to date, been most encouraging, ac- cording to Air Defence Command. This is borne out by the number of volunteers that have, upon their own initiative and at their own ex- pense, built observation towers which will afford the Corps vant- age points of inestimable value. Local Unit Many of the 100,000 positions need to be manned in the Corps are at present open to volunteers. To those persons who are anxious to participate in this interesting and patriatic pastime, enquiries are invited at the Ground Observer Corps, through J. R. Cooper, R. 4, Clinton, phone Clinton 633r42, or at Air Defence Command Head- quarters, RCAF Station, St, Hu- bert, P.Q. Airmen's Mess Equipped For Fast, Tasty Meals, Served By Civilians The Airmen's Mess which visit- ors will see on Saturday at 'RCAF Station Clinton is probably one of the most efficient eating establish- ments in Canada. During the one hour noon lunch period 2,000 men and women of the RCAF can be served. And the food leaves no doubt as to which is the best fed service in the world. Refrigeration The sanitation and• anti -bacter- iological facilities would stand comparison with a modern hospit- al. All rooms in the food prepar- ation sections are red and white tile with round corners for spot- less cleaning. Even the dining rooms have tiled floors for sanitat- ion and ease of cleaning. Refrigeration is the biggest feature of this dining hall. Eight separate 'refrigeration rooms are used ranging.in temperature from 38 degrees to 7 degrees below zero. These include a zero room for fast freezing highly perishable foods; .meat refrigeration; a bake shop refrigerator and of course a dairy products refrigerator and a damp cold refrigerator for veg- etables. Each of the two serving areas is equipped with a loading refrigerator to keep food cold right up to the table. In this ultra -mod- ern mess hall even the garbage is refrigerated. Bake Shop The entire building is on an ar- rowhead plan, with two large airy dining rooms' branching out from the main hub. The hub is the centre of all food preparation op- erations. Here is the bake shop which produces all the cakes, cook- ies, and pastry consumed by the 1000—plus trainees. Two desserts are served every meal. A com- plete butcher shop is maintained, and to handle the volume of meals it is all run by electricity. Even the T-bone steaks are cut autom- atically. With 900 pounds of beef steak served per meal, production line methods are znanditory. Salads are prepared in a special vegetable room near the damp cold refrigerator. This room, too, While in Claxton Saturday—Come in and see ADMIRAL TELE%TISION at Groves Electric Shop Huron Street - Clinton Laundry and Cleaners Equipped with the latest of machinery to give you the best of dry cleaning and laundry service. Phone 31.2-W Clinton a ELS Albert Street --- Clinton, Ontario Higher quality assures satisfaction. J. W. Counter Builders Supplies, IS,HES USE STURGEONS FOR BEST RESULTS is a source of relief to many of the old time airmen who are fasc- inated by the sight of a machine which can undress the lowly spud faster than a dozen defaulters could in yesteryear. Not all of the food preparation depends upon electricity, though, The rows of gleaming stoves, stainless steel, and aluminum cook- ingwear and pots are all heated with propane gas. To prevent the odour of cooking from permeating the dining halls an Air Purification system is in- stalled. The staff of this highly efficient eating establishment, 80 percent of whom are local civilians. is headed by F/O D. M. L. Thomson, Ed- monton. IS YOUR MONEY OUT OF WORK? If you yourself were out of work,— not making any money, you'd consider yourself something of a failure, wouldn't you? By rhe same token—MONEY should be working, too, making more money and making it safely. 4% Guaranteed Trust Certificates • Unconditionay guaranteed as to principal and interest. • Pay 4%, payable half -yearly. Short term -5 years. ' • Authorized investment for trust funds. No fluctuation in . principal. 1t4 5 YEARS $410.18 ACCUMULATES TO $501110 THE STERLING TRUSTS C 0 R P 'Q R AT 1 0 N HEAD OFFICE BRANCH OFFICE 372 Bay St. 1-3 Dunlop St. Toronto Barrie 2_3 Well See You At The Third Western Ontario CASH CROP DAY Tuesday, September 29, 1953 on The farms of Ivan Perritt and Arthur Purcell R.R. 1, Wardsville, Elgin County North of Rodney, South of Wardsville—Follow the red arrows. 9.30 a.m.--Farm Machinery Demonstrations; Junior Far- mers' Judging Competition; 10.30—Harvesting Machinery in action; 1 p.m.—Guest speaker, Dr. E. S. Archibald, CBE, Ot- tawa; 1.45—Machinery Parade, followed by harvesting demon- strations; 2.45 --Informal discussion by chairmen of the five cash crops: Corn, Soy and White Beans, Sugar Beets, Potatoes. Free Parking—Adult Admission 25c --Meals and Refreshments 36-b . Notice- Commenciug October 3. And Until Further Notice We will Close Saturdays at Noon In Ce -operation with. other District Limber Dealers Daily Business Hours 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Including Wednesdays Remain Unchanged Your co-operation in placing orders for Saturday delivery by Friday afternoon will be appreciated. J. W. COUNTER BUILDERS` SUPPLIES PHONE 120CLINTON MY EGOS ARE GRADING OUT BADLY, WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY BIROS BIRDS LOOK ALL RIGN7,` JOE, AND YOU'RE FEEDING POE V(TA-LAYE66 MASH SO THAT'S OK— LETS ' 1.001( AT YOUR EGG DANDLING. HERE ARE MY E66S FOR THE PAST WE``K. THEY'LL 60 IN ON MY NEXT TR/PTO TOWN FOR FEED. sa By Roe Farms Service Dept. JOE- ITLOOKS LIKE YOUR E66 TROUBLES ARE CAUSED 8Y YOU/ HANDLING, NOT YOUR BIROS. U KEEP EGGS UNTIL SHIPPED IN CLEAN,COOL, WELL; VENTILATED ROOM 3 USE ONLYCLEANE66 CASES AMD FILLERS 4. IN SHIPPING- AVOID %JARRING AND EXTREME TEMPERATURES Nail ear r'F ss with IN WARM WEArN P &ATHE'R, EGGS AT LEAST �iVICEbAILYlN ., (-f , OPEN -WIPE BASAerd AND COOL QUICKLY G EOR HIGH PRODCICTION OF TOP QUAL/TYEGGS`FEED ROE 1V/7)-LAYEGG MASH OR PELLETS H. Charlesworth CLINTON A. J. MUSTARD BRUCi IELD