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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1950-08-03, Page 15THURSDAY,; AUGUST 3, 1950 CLINTONNEWS-RECORD — OLD BOYS' SOUVENIR EDITION PAGE THIRTEEN' Clinton RCAF Station Acclaimed By Dignitaries As Model 5,000 Trained Here During World War. (By., Flt. Lieut. J. T. Dalton, Public Relations' Officer, RCAF Station, Clinton) The Radar and Communi- cations School, Clinton, as it is know to -day, was first con- ceived by, the Air Ministry in London on May 19, 1941. There the instructors -to -be were informed of the con- struction of a new and highly confidential training school \in Canada. The site chosen for the camp was the property of Norman Tyndall, Clinton. T h e sole remnants to remind one of the original owner's profession is the silo, now used as a watch tower, and the house, which served as the home of various TWO SPECIAL AIR MEET DANCES Saturday, August 5 . Dancing 9-12 SUNDAY :MIDNIGHT, AUGUST 6 Dancing .commencing at 12.05 Featuring ROSS PEARCE and his ORCHESTRA SKY HARBOUR DANCELAND GODERICH AIRPORT Admission: .50 per person Commanding Officers and soon will be changed into a hobby shop when the present Com- manding Officer takes new quar- ters in the new housing develop- ment. RAF Contingent The first contingent of Royal Air Force personnel arrived in Clinton on July 20, 1941, and found the Station in an advanced state of construction. Living conditions, however, were de- pendent somewhat on the weath- er which caused alternate spells of quagmire and dust Within three weeks after the arrival of these first instructors, training at the school actually commenced, a remarkable achievement. Trainees from USA The school, at this time' known as 31 R.D.F. School, had as its first trainees men from the Unit- ed States Navy and Marine Corps. The first Canadian trainees, who already had been given a pre- liminary course at the University of Toronto, arrived on September 15, 1941. Within a short space of time, many graduates depart- ed for the far corners of the world, to be engaged in what was known then as the "War of the Ether." RCAF Takes Over 1943 The Royal Air Force operated the school for two years during which time many Canadian, British and American personnel were trained in the theory of ground' aid airborne radar equip- ments. During this period, RCAF personnel gradually were taken on staff, and their RAF counterparts received various postings. The ad- ministration of the Station came into the hands of the RCAF on August 1, 1943, and the Station was renamed No. 5 Radio School. Tribute Paid Great honour was paid to the Radar School when it was men- tioned with commendation in a secret dispatch from the confer- ence of President Roosevelt and CNR'S DUPLEX ROOMETTE BRINGS YOU trasaiaataisroaoso CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAYS DAY -AND -NIGHT Read, write, play cards, relax. Pulbout washbasin and toilet facilities of your own. Warm or cool ... a touch adjusts the temperature to your liking.' Sleep -inviting bed pulls out in a jiffy. Go to bed any time you feel like it! AT LOW COST Something new in round-the-clock travel en- joyment is yours in Canadian National's smart duplex roomettes. Here's all the privacy and convenience of a bedroom — at only 10 per cent more than lower berth fare! By day, lounge in comfort on the soft, rest- ful foam rubber seat . read, or just relax as you view the colourful panorama unfolding outside your picture window. In your duplex roomette, you have your own toilet and wash basin ... your own temperature control. When you're ready for sleep, pull out the deep -cushioned, foam rubber bed ... sleep soundly in air-conditioned comfort. In the morning enjoy a leisurely wash and shave in your own roomette.. Next time you travel, ask Canadian National about duplex roomettes ... now in service on these routes: Montreal -Halifax, Montreal. Toronto*, Toronto - Chicago, Winnipeg - Vancouver, Montreal -Chicoutimi. •POOL SERVICE CANADIAN NATIONAL Station Command Changes. The above picture was taken when GROUP CAPTAIN E. A. McGOWAN took over as Commanding Officer of RCAF Station, Clinton, on October" 15, 1945. Reading from left to right are: F/L J. E. Shot -ford, station adjutant; F/O T. W. Cotie, physical training and drill' officer; G/C McGowan; S/L A. S. Turnbull, from whom G/C McGowan took the command and who remained at the station as senior administrative officer. Shortly after this, on November 1, 1945, the school became the RCAF Signals Training School, the only Signals school in Canada, as part of the permanent Air Force. G/C McGowan remained until December 12, 1947. CBS's Reid Forsee To Produce "Salute" Prime Minister Churchill in Quebec City. Model RCAF School The school has been acclaimed by visiting dignitaries to be the model RCAF Station in Canada, in every respect. In efficiency, the school has been compared by the experts to Harvard, Prince- ton and M.I.T. In appearance there is no other station in Can- ada which can equal it. The meticulous grounds, the well - arranged flower beds and the general spirit of the camp are indicative of high morale. During the war years, this unit served as a member of the Com- monwealth Air Training Scheme and also included in the trainees were q great many of our neigh- bours to the South. Majcr Alder M. Jenkins was Commanding Officer of 't h e USAAF Detachment No. 5, sta- tioned here for four years. Be- fore departing in March 1946, Major Jenkins, in behalf of the United States Government, pre- sented the Station with radar, television and other technical equipment valued at almost $1,000,000. At that time, Major Jenkins stated that, in his opinion, the training programme and close co-operation of the two nations which had been displayed at the school, could be used as a model for international co-operation.` Peacetime Footing 1946 In October 1946, the RCAF as a whole, reverted to a peacetime footing and once more the Sta- tion was re -organized. It' became known as the Radar and Com- munications School, which name it had latterly been known as for a period of a few months. This name is still the official name of the school to -day, re- taining the name Radar and Com- munications School, which had been adopted in 1945 after com- munications subjects had been added to the curriculum in 1944. Purpose of the School During the war years,' some 5,000 trainees passed through the school and since then many who have remained in the permanent Air Force have been students at the school, , Radio Officers To -day, though no longer fac- ed with the terrible urgency of war, the role of the Station is hardly less important. In fact, it may be likened to any insur- ance policy—an insurance policy which protects the whole of Canada. Defence daily is becom- ing more and more complex due to the vast strides in scientific Warfare. It no longer is possible to prepare for emergency in the rather leisurely end brief train- ing common in days gone by - It is the purpose of the school to turn out highly skilled tech- nicians in all types of communi- cations and radar equipments, ground and air. It is at this Station that air- crew radio officers receive their training. It is the aim of the Royal Canadan Air Force that by this training a nucleus of highly trained men might be provided. These men, would, be counted on, in the event of war, to aid in the expansion and training of a large defence force. W/C Robert F. Miller, AFC, is the commanding officer ofthe station at the present time. He took over from Wing Commander A. Chester Hull, AFC, , in Janu- ary 1950, the latter having been transferred t o RCAF Head- quarters, Ottawa. It's Later Then You (Continued from Page 12) cinder path all the way to Stapleton. It wasn't the custom to whistle then when a vision passed, but somehow the same effect was attained. IE the Old Home Week Com- mittee will arrange to have an rafter-ohrch parade I think per- haps we might whistle, or try to with our manufactured teeth. I'd now dare to whistle quite boldly at Mable McKinley or maybe Ruby Kitty, ®RINK CIV° When a man has given some close to a thousand radio talks, he knows . more than a little about how they should be de- livered. Add that experience to a good news sense, an affable and reassuring manner, and you have Reid Forcee, producer for the CBC Talks and Public Affairs Department, at Toronto, who will produce the "Salute to Clinton!" broadcast here on Sunday. morn- ing, August 6 from Lions Arena. The tallest man (six -foot -five) in the CBC, Forsee's job requires him to act as editor' coach and general friend -in -need to radio speakers, especially those staring grimly at their first microphone. Putting a speaker at his ease is cnly part of the job, for Forsee_ must also see that he doesn't try to use 18 minutes for a talk that must be delivered in 13 minutes and 30 seconds. Aside from talks, forsee produces religious pro - 'grams, broadcasts of luncheon REID FORSEE CBC Producer and after-dinner speeches, traffic safety programs, and such out- standing CBC features as "What's Your Beef?", "Sports College", and numerous Public Service pro- grams. Forsee got into radio by a fluke back in 1934, when he was partner and copy writer in a Toronto advertising agency. Through a client's misunder- standing, he was booked to do a series of radio market -reports for a broker. He took a chance, and had the satisfaction not only of staying on the air, but of out- lasting his sponsor. Forsee's move to the CBC, in 1938, occurred shortly after he had been in- vited by .a CBC friend to watch an informal "Street broadcast". His role as spectator came town abrupt end when the microphone was thrust into his hand and the broadcast was thrust into his lap. Forsee admits 'to a few moments of quaking fright, but he got busy interviewing passers- by and was soon chatting easily. Hired by the CBC a fe* days later as an announcer, Forsee says ,he was probably the only announcer who ever had his audition in a public thorough- fare. A native of Toronto, Reid Forsee was educated at Ridley College, University of Toronto Schools, and Toronto University. His spare -time i..terests range from old twins to SibelIu' symphonies. He is married, and has two sons. ° Reid Forsee has the longest legs in the CBC, the deepest voice, and one of the highest hair -lines, One of those warm, friendly personalities who is sincerely interested in people and what they are doing everywhere, it is only natural that he should be self-appointed booster -in - chief for CBC Neighborly News, which is, after all, a program about people and how they live. When "Neighborly News" be- gan, Reid was its announcer and later, became its producer as well. He and the late Andy Clarke developed a deep friend- ship and used to hobnob about the province dropping in on the editors of the weekly newspap- ers to indulge in two of Andy's favorite pastimes — fishing and talking. It was Reid Forsee who sug- gested that . "Neighborly News" should leave its home base at CBC Toronto every once in a while to visit communities throughout Ontario and meet the people the program talked about—just such a jaunt as Reid and Andy's successor Don Fair- bairn are making to Clinton on August 6. Reid has also become one of Canadian radio's specialists in people. He has the reputation for putting people at their ease before the microphone which many people find almost as frightening as the guillotine„ And when one of those very important personages broadcasts from CBC Toronto, nine times out of ten it's Reid Forsee who puts him on the air. He has a favorite story about a political rally at Kitchener during the federal election cam- paign of 1945. The former Prime Minister, the Right Honourable William Lyon .Macke nzie King was to do a broadcast from the rally with Reid as producer. Reid -knew that Mr. King had a strong tendency to speak a bit longer than there was time for. He borrowed a railwayman's watch—one of those famous ones that hasn't been out more than ten seconds in thirty years -and set it up by the microphone, im- pressing the former Prime Min- ister .. with the timepiece's depen- dability. The broadcast \vas to end at the half-hour and Forsee told Mr. King to start winding up his talk when the watch said twenty- five past. He didn't mention the fact that the watch had been set ahead five minutes!. The Liberal leader came through with flying colors finishing up on the half-hour, correct time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY The Royal Bank salutes Clinton on the auspicious occasion of the 75th anniversary of its incorporation as a town and extends to her citizens hearty congratulations. For over forty years, the Clinton branch of the Royal Bank has been an integral part of the local business community, its services. be- ing steadily extended to meet the, growing needs of firms and individuals. As in the past, so in the future, we shall seek to provide a banking service fully in step with changing years and changing times. THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA You can bank on the "Royal" CLINTON BRANCH, J. G. McLay, Manager Serving the people of Clinton since 1908 You'll find the cost of telephone service. has not gone up. as much as most other things you buy. Any way youlook at it, your telephone is BIG VALUE Even with recent rate increases, your telephone still costs so little; it remains one of .the smallest items in your family budget. And it gives you so much. In moments of urgent ,wed, its convenience and speed may be beyond price. In terms of dayao-day usefulness it means more than ever before; twice as many people are within reach of your telephone today as these were ten years ago. Telephone value, has steadily increased. Today, as always, your telephone is big value. THE BLL TELEPHONE COMPANY OF CANADA ~-, NE, or for a ' IF you ARE wA1tING FOR A our ot wilt h vends of r ie, you haven pronideliveenehce,mfY wilt hove t tust s ti isly acid , to provide the kind of eailit,es Our our nano, ,when and where they went it. service to all who want d.