HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1972-11-02, Page 29Hoi learned about'niyself.....
A couple of weeks ago, .while I
was writing down the date on
rriv attendacice Pad, -1 got a bit
of a shock, It was Oct. 13th.
" Then I'•realized it was .Friday.
111 Hey, my. anniversary!
Ona gloomy Friday the 13th
of October, 1944., I was shot
down"over Holland by German
flak, crashlanded in a plowed
field and was taken prisoner.
I've beena little leery of
e Friday the 13th ever since, bur
when it also falls
in October, as, this,.year, I feel a
distinct chill and my first
thought is that I should have
stayed in bed, all day, with the
covers pulled over my head, to
be safe from the searching finger
�► of fate.
It's ridiculous, of course. I
don't believe in black cats,
walking under dodders, broken
mirrors, the number 13, and all
those old -wives' symbols of bad
luck.
Even so, I know some of my
students wondered why I taught
all 'day, that day, with both
hands behind my back. What
they didn'ttnow'was that I had
my fingers crossed, both hands.
Well, now that a reasonable
time has" passed and the sky
hasn't fallen in, I can look back
on that day in 1944 with no
more reaction than sangfroid,
which, as any Englishman_
knows, means bloody cold, and
I have one of those, so
• everything is fine,
In retrospect, that day was
not an unlucky, but a lucky one.
At the time I didn't think so. I
had a date that night with' a
smashing blonde in Antwerp,
and 1 was justly annoyed that
the stupid war had interfered
• with my social life.
But looking back, it was, one
the the luckiest days in my life..I
still had a miserable, often wret-
ched experience to go through.
However, it was one of the most
intesting in my life, and I
made some fine friends and saw
a lot of strange things.
Also;'my wing, was, leasing
from five to a dozen pilots a
week. My own squadron of
eighteen pilots had lost Dave
Backhouse, Johnny Rook,
• "Taffy" Price, "Dingle" Bell,
and a week before I got it, one
of amy tent -mates, Freddy
Wakeman was killed- (A week
after I got it, my other tent -mate
went down in flames.)
I had landed once with a
bomb dangling, another time
with no flaps, no brakes and
thirty-six holes in my aircraft.
So it wajs just a matter of time.
I wonder how many of you
have had the 'same. -experience:'
believing that the fates had
6
vt . ,
MI
singled you out for special
pinishmentr and discovering; -
Much later, that what seemed at
the time'' a black cloud wasp,
really a silver lining in disguise.
Of course, the opposite can
happen. Ask some of my friends
who thought it was the luckiest
day in their lives when they
stood in front of the preacher
with that gentle, sweet, under-
standing and,:voluptuous young
creature, and found themselves
twenty-five years later
manacled to a fat, nagging
shrew.
(I know girls, it works both
ways. Don't tell me that that
handsome, charming young
Adonis you stood up with is
really the same person as that
pot-bellied, bald bore you're
living with now, whose idea of a
good chat is to rattle his paper
at you and grunt.)
But on the whole, .life, except
for those few unfortunates,' the
born losers, seems toeven things
out fairly.
Twenty-eight years ago
tonight `t was pretty blue and
miserable. After the most inept
escape attempt in the annals of
escape, I had been given a
thorough going over and was
lying in a box -car, tied up,
aching in every muscle and a
number of bones, including my
nose -bone; and shivering -like- a
dog evacuating razor blades.
For some reason, - the Third
_,Retch :lied rreglectec -tv nstalr
heating system, blankets and
mattresses, The only way I
could recreate the experience.
tonight would be to go out and
try to sleep on the floor of my
garage, which is of the wooden
variety, , with plenty of ven-
tilation.
Equally faulty was the
catering system. There was
nothing wrong with the waiters,
except that- they carried ,guns
and wore big boots. But they
were the soul of courtesy, un-
tying myhands at each meal. It
was the menu that was lacking`.
Not Much' variety. One item, and
at some meals; not even one.
The .washroom facilities were
rather inadequate, too. But how
,many of you have ever been ten-
derly helped down onto a cinder
embankment by a paratrooper,
his arm around . your waist,
yours around his shoulders, to
go to the bathroom? I was
dragging one leg.
t was a good experience. I
learned to ° love black bread,
wurst and cabbage soup. I
discovered .that a single boiled
potato, right out of the pot, was
a dish for the gods. I learned
how' much I could take. And I
learned to be thankful for ex-
ceedingly small mercies,. Wei.
worth it.
Ontario Wheat Board
sells 475,000 bus. more
The Ontario Wheat
Producers' Marketing Board
has announced a further export
sale of 475,000 bushels of 1972
crop No. 2 grade stocks owned
by the board.
K.A. Standing, secretary
manager of the marketing board
said the most recent sale brings
total sales of 1972 crop board
purchases to a record 5,453,965
bushels. Total „ purchases in-
cluding 77,148 bushels of 1971
crop carryover also amounts to
an all time board record volume
of 6,369,700 bushels.
Remaining stocks, Mr. Stan-
ding said are ,made up of ap-
proximately 260,000 bushels of
No. 2 grade and about 650,000
bushels of sample grade. The
sample grade resulted from
sprouting conditions of the
wheat at harvest time.
The previous- highest volume
handled by the Ontario Wheat
Producers' • Marketing Board
was, reached'during the 1970-71'
crop year when 5,155,000
bushels wentthrough the
board's purchase and export
sale system.
Mr. Standing also. revealed
producers sold a record 11,4
million bushels during the first
two months of the current crop
year, (July and August). The
'''13l'crvidti.4 ` high for'' the' same
period was reached in 1970 at
10.9 million bushels.
According to government
estimates, total ' production for
the, province this year was
placed at 14,96.5,000 bushels
from 365,000 acres.
The 1971 census figures recen-
tly released placed Ontario win-
ter wheat acreage at .340,953
compared to 34'1,386 acres
recorded for the 1966 census. It
was also revealed that 'there
were only 14,966 Ontario farms
producing winter wheat accor-
ding to the 1971 census com-
pared to 20,348 in 1966.
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You WILL be
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You've
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WELL — They're new to THIS area (very well known in other provinces) -- but we're positive
you'll be hearing and seeing a lot more of them this' season. Why? Because I feel these
machines have the best features of ,any snow machine - • Polished aircraft aluminum chassis
• Shock absorbers • Unique flip -up cowl°• Standard equipped speedometer and tachometer
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SERVICE ALL MAKES OF
SNOW AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT
All work is done by a class A Miichanic
BRECKLES
LawN & Garden
EquipmeNt
S24.7•144 '
Located right next to the Mustang Drivein
inclusive. Please co-ordinate your refuse material with
regular garbage day in youf area. Do not place material,
on bt tjlevard In advance of garbage day.
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
TOWN OF GODERICH
Mrs. Mary Morris of 88 St. David Street in Goderich has a very strange plant. It's a Stapeiia, a
native of Africa originally, although she explains she got the slip to start her own plant from a
friend here in Canada, and this is only the second time in 12 years that it has bloomed. Now
that's no reflection on the greenness of Mrs. Morris' thumb, the plant just is of a type that
isn't all that keen on blooming too often. This time there are two blooms both huge, last time
there were five. The worst of it is that after all that wai'tiny 1'he•plant only blooms for a day or
so and. its odor resembles that of a dead animal.
•
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Here's a great way to put your money 'to work:
7'/ % interest, guaranteed can 5 -year term deposits.
Other terms available. Minimum deposit, $500.
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STERLING TRUSTS
TORONTO -372 Bay Street (416) 364-7495
BARRIE — 35 Dunlop Street (705) 726-6495
ORILLIA — 73 Mississaga St. E. (705) 325-2226
Plant roses this
!ov'ernber?ReaiIy?.-
jLoak1o!1
Planting roses in late October
or early November can he suc-
cessful in many parts .of
southern Ontario, says RR.
McNeill, horticultural specialist,
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
and Food. Planting procedures
are the same as in the spring.
When the bushes are received,
unpack and stand in water.
Choose a well -protected location •
tin the garden and dig a hole
deep enough to allow the ' roots
to spread out naturally. The
swollen area on the stem should
be set about 1 inch below the
soil surface. Pack soil firmly
around the roots and soak
thoroughly. The plants should
also be mounded with soil to
allow for settling.
In the colder parts of Ontario,
it may be best to plant -in •the
spring. But if you want to buy
the bushes now, they can be
overwintered successfully by
"heeling -in". To heel -in, soak
the roots ip water and dig a
trench in a .well -drained
location. Set the, bushes close
together in the trench and cover
the plants completely ,with soil,
or at least half way up the
stems. This technique will keep
the plants in good condition un-
til. planting time in the spring
No matter when you deet
plant your rose bushes, good .
cultural practices are necessary
to grow the best roses.
WELCOME
SERVICE
would like to call on you with
"housewarming gifts" and
information about your new
location. The Hostess will be
glad to arrange your subscription
to the SIGNAL -STAR.
(:all her at 524-9525
n "S�
You'll Get
a Good
Deal
from Us:
Just ask your friends. You can rely on
us for fair estimates, reasonable costs,
expert work. After accident damage or
just daily wear and tear,, let us restore
your car's like -new look.
FRONT END ALIGNMENT SPECIALISTS '
Windshield RSplat ernent at Competlitve Prices
"" MIILS
MOTOR SALES LTD.'
St. David St., Goderiah 524.9449
At Sterling, we put your money to work.
000
ORDE1T0DAY
FOR YOUR HOME!
0
During
sNovember a
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ill ie -
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ceefen phones anywhere In Ydtit annlire`will e nrer!Iatlonae• Oyh nthly Inill stallation change your regularphone also
ponces ae`the onlthee for therremorepha is the monthly te.Foa Princess phone usual �m *barge and rhemanthlye
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all your thin easy re eh
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Canada
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