HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-07-30, Page 32Page 8
Wartime airbase put Port Albert on the map
BY SUSAN IIUNDERTMARK
Eugene McGee was 10 years old when
the Second World War broke out. And, soon
after, parts of his father's farm along with
land from six other Port Albert farms,
&Caine the site for the pew 31 Air Naviga-
tion School for the Royal Air Force ( RAF) .
He was working in the fields when the
first plane landed at the air base. It was
the first time he ever saw a plane up close
and from othat time on, he was hooked.
Since that time, the Port Albert air base
and its aircraft have been his fascination.
"During the hungry 30s, farmers as
usual were busy taking care of their crops.
Farmers exchanged hands with the
harvest saying, 'You help me and I'll help
you in return.' But war clouds hung over
Europe that changed all that. Little did
anyone ever dream that within a few short
mon't'hs, a huge airport would be built
here," says McGee in the introduction of
his unpublished book ottthe air base.
Because he worked in the fields of his
father's farm right beside the air base,
McGee cultivated a life-long interest in
aircraft, especially the warr planes of the
Second World War. Though the buildings
are gone and the runway is now covered
over with corn fields, McGee has kept the
air base of the 40s alive with his
memorabilia and his writings about it.
"Flying was something different back
then. It was something exciting for a kid
growing up. I was fascinated by the dif-
ferent versions,and the different models of
aircraft. I knew all the makes of aircraft
like a kid knows all the different makes of
cars," he says.
Stooking hay in his father's field at the
end of the runway, McGee says the Ansons
would take off over his head and were 9
close enough to the ground that he could
see the pilot's face.
"We used to wave our pitchforks at hirn
and he'd wave back," McGee says.
"I liked spotting the aircraft. I got so us-
ed to the noise I missed it when they left. I
didn't need a clock. We could tell what
time it was by the planes coming and go-
ing," he says.
McGee became such an avid student of
the air base that he had the 56 different
serial numbers on the planes' fuselages
Port Albert dairy bad - 1944
Maxine McGee and airman
memorized. He would take this informa-
tion with him to the Port Albert school
where "the teacher would give me hell
because I didn't know my math."
Though he was.absorbed by the aircraft,
he was never that interested in becoming a
pilot or idolizing the pilots at the base. He
did, however, speak to them and the
navigators, wireless operators and other
airmen at the base whenever he had the
chance.
The men stationed at the Air Navigation
School often spent their free time at the
Dairy Bar located opposite the main gates
of the airport. And, that's where McGee
would go to listen to them talk. His sister
Maxine along with Charlie Beattle, Mabel
Grey, Evelyn Breckow and Mr. and Mrs.
George Baechler worked there. '
"The first thing you noticed about the
RAF airmen was their dialect since they
were from England. They were quite)„in-
terested to get the news of their country
each day since it was being bombed."
"At first they didn't like it here because
of the harsh winters but some of them
decided ti..return here aftd he war with
their familie • r they mar
girls," he sa :.
In the 40s, ' . t Alb was a bustling
place with cottages filled up with married
airmen and bus service from Port Albert
to Goderich every half hour. Lots of dances
were held at Kingsbridge, Goderich and
Kincardine.
Sometimes, airmen were invited to din-
ner at the McGee farm and the whole fami-
ly would get to talk to them. But, because it
was wartime, civilians weren't allowed to
visit the base and there was a lot of
secrecy surrounding the base, says
McGee.
"It was pretty sad until the tide turned in
1943. There were a lot of grim, sad, sad
days when the Germans were bombing
England," he says.
Those sad days came locally too when
there were crashes and fatalities during
the training of airmen. McGee 'was the
witness of one crash when a plane came in-
to land without a propellor and the pilot
had to make a crash landing near
Goderich- on the beach. There were no
fatalities in that crash.
A worse accident happened in March of
1941 over Bond Head, a small town north of
Toronto. When the sun blinded two pilots,
their planes approached each other in a V
and collide
According witnesses, "One plane
came down in a corkscrew dive and two
men were taken from the wreckage alive.
CongratUlatiOns,
Port
AIbert
On behalf of McDonald's Restaurants World -Wide it is with great honour
that we salute the Sesquicentennial Committee and the people, past and present,
who have worked so hard to make this area a place 'all' can be proud of.
We too are proud to call this area 'home' for the past 12 months and look
forward to serving your needs
afid contributing to the
community for many years to
come.
Best Wishes for a
terrific weekend of
Celebrations full of
fun and merriment.
354 HAYFIELD RD., GODERICH
McDonald's
The other aircraft skimmed over the barn,
crossing the highway separating the two
fields on the same farm and landed on its
back. The machine exploded upon hitting
the earth and the bodies of four occupants
were thrown out."
During the five years the navigation
school operated, 29 fatalities occurred,
McGee records in his book.
"There were some dark days," he says.
But, there were also/some good times
with dances, movies and sports events on
the air base. As a young boy, McGee col-
lected labels from cigarette packages,
syrup bottles and other food containers
which gave information on airplanes.
"I used to send labels in to the com-
panies for pictures of the airplanes," he
says. "You couldn't help but learn all
about them."
Be also put his 50 cent allowance
towards war certificates every week.
"That's something all the kids did towards
the war effort," he said.
By the time the base closed in February,
1945, McGee had seen a lot of changes both
on the farm and in society. Many women.
were working out of the home and for the
first time in his life, McGee saw a woman
driving a car.
Immediately after the end of the war,
the International Plowing Match was held
Turn to page 9
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on your
150th
BIRTHDAY
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