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The Clinton News Record, 1941-08-14, Page 7'THURS., AUGUST 14, 1941 THE CLINTON NEWS -RECORD Air Observer Important Member of Bomber's Crew This is the eighth of a series of articles about the Royal Canadian Air Force written specially for the weekly :newspapers of Ontario. ..,, By HUGH TEMPLIN Previous stories in this series have described the training of a Pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force from the day he enlists rather nervously perhaps, to that other proud day, six or seven menthe later, when he "gets his wings" and completes his training in this country. After that, he is ready to proceed to Great Britain, where he The Clinton .News -Record with which is Incorporated • THE NEW ERA TERM'S OF SUBSCRIPTION. $1.50 per year in advance, to Can- adian addresses; $2.00 to the U.S. or other foreign countries. No paper discontinued until all arrears are paid unless at the option of the pub - 'Haber. The date to which every sub- scription is paid is denoted on the label. :AADVERTISINO AA.TDS - Transient advertising 12e per count line for first insertion. Be for each aubse •quent insertion. Heading counts 2 lines. Small advertisements not to exceed one inch, such as "Wanted," '"Lost", "Strayed", etc., inserted once for 35q, each sufb equent insertion 15c. Rates for display advertising made known on application. .Communications intended for pub- lication must, as a guarantee of good faith, be accompanied by the name of the writer. G. E. HALL - - Proprietor H. T. RANCE Notary Public, Conveyancer Financial, Real Estate and Fire In- surance Agent. Representing 14 Fire Iasuraace Companies. Division Court Office, Clinton Frank Fingland, B.A., LL.B. Barriaten SelIeiter, Notary Public Q` Successorto W. Brydone, K.C. DR. G. S. ELLIOTT Veterinary Surgeon Phone 203, Clinton IL C. MEIR Barrister -at -Law Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ontario Proctor in Admiralty. Notary Public and Commissioner. Offices ha Bank of Montreal Building Hours: 2.00 to 5.00 Tuesdays and Fridays. D. H. McINNES CHIROPRACTOR Electro Therapist, Massage Office: Huron Street, (Few Doors west of Royal Bank) Hours -Wed. and Sat. and by appointment. FOOT CORRECTION by manipalation Sun -Ray Treatment Phone 207 EDWARD W. ELLIOTT Licensed Auctioneer For Huron Correspondence promptly answered, Immediate arrangements ran be mad% for Sales Date at The News -Record, Clinton, or by calling Phone 203. Charges Moderate and Satisfaction Guaranteed. HAROLD JACKSON Licensed Auctioneer Specialist in Farm and Household Sales. Licensed in Huron and Perth Counties. Prices reasonable; satis- faction guaranteed. For information etc. write or phone 'Harold Jackson. 12 on 658, Seaforth; R. R. Seaforth. 06-012 GORDON M. GRANT Licensed Auctioneer for Huroh Correspondence ' promptly answered. Every effort made to give satisfac- tion. Immediate arrangements can be made for sale dates at News -Record Office or writing Gordon M. Grgnt, Goderich, Ont, gets some more experience under the somewhat different conditions in 'a land where enemies may lurk.. Then he is ready to take over a 300 -mile - an -hour fighter, or to pilot big bomb- ers over GerinanY• In those stories, I have completed the task I undertook, thanks to the hearty cooperation of the officials of the Royal Canadian Air Force, but before than task was finished, I knew many things I hadn't realized at the start. One of these is that while all the recruits want to become Pilots' if they can, the Pilot is not the only iraportant member of. the air ; crew: possibly he isn't even the most im- portant member. Poi that reason, I am writing something about • the training of the Air Observers, Pilots, Observers and Navigators I'sat one day in the office of Mr. W, W. Woollett, civilian manager of the Air Observer School at the great Malton-Airport. "There's a tendency on the peatof the public," observed Mr. Woollett, "to think of the Observer as a man who sits in a plane and looks out occasionally, while the Pilot does all the work and takes all the risks, Per- haps the word `Observer' is at fault. A more accurate "term would be `Navigator.' The time is coming when the Navigator will be the captain of the large planes and the pilot will be on1 i. the wheeisman." Mr. Woollett should know what he is talking about. He was a Pilot him- self in the last war, and has had much' to do with flying ever since. In 1929, he returned from England, and with another Pilot of the Great War, op- erated a company in the North Coun- try. Dominion Skyways Limited, they called it, and their planes flew over much of Northern Quebec and On- tario. Name any place north of the Transcontinental, and he is sure to have been there. When war broke out in September, 1939, Mr. Woollett and his partner, C. R. Troup, were asked to form the first Air Observer School. They had it going by the end of May, 1940, and it has been in operation ever since. In all that time, there has not .been oneaccident to students, pilots or planes -not so much as a flat tire on a landing gear. Canada may not have been prepared to go to war, but in our experienced "bush fliers," we had a great asset. The Air Observer School at Melton is operated by a civilian company, Dominion Skyways Training Ltd., un- der an arrangement somewhat Sim- ilar to those whereby Flying Clubs operate the Elementary Flying Train- ing Schools for Pilots, That enabled the R.C.A.F. to take advantage of the experience of' older Canadian pilots, and it speeded up the early stages of the British Commonwealth Air Train- ing Plan. The company looks atter mainten- ance of flying aircraft, buildings and flying in general. It supplies the experienced pilots and the repair men. The R.C.A.F, takes over the ground instruction and the discipline. Squadron Leader G. W. Jacobi is the Commanding Officer, THE McKILLOP MUTUAL Fire Insurance Company Head. Office, Seaforth. Ont. Officers: President. 'Wm. Knox Londesboro; Vice -President, W, R. Archibald, Seaforth; Manager and Sec. Treas., M. A, Reid, Seaforth. Directors: Wm. Knox, Londesboro; Alex. Broadfoot, Seaforth• Chris. Leonhardt. Dublin; E. 1. Trewartha. 'Clinton; Thos. Moylan, Seaforth; W. R. Archibald, Seaforth; Alex McEw- ing. Blyth; Frank McGregor, Clinton; -Hugh Alexander, Walton. List of Agents: E. A. Teo, R.R. 1, •Goderich, Phone 603r31. Clinton; Jas. Watt, Blyth; John E. Pepper, Bruce- R.R. No. 1; R. F. McKercher. Dublin, R.R. No. 1; J. F. Preuter, B•rodhagen; A. G. Jarmuth, Bornholm, R.R. No. 1. Any money to be paid may be paid to the Royal Bank, Clinton; Bank of Commence, Seaforth, or at Calvin 'Cutt's Grocery; Goderich. Parties desiring to effect insur- ance or transact other business will be promptly attended to on applica- tion to any of the above officers ad- dressed to their respective post offi- ces. Losses inspected by the director ANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAYS A Specialized Job The course lasts twelve weeks. A new class comes in every month and another graduates, but there are al- ways three distinct classes at the school at one time. The educational requirments for an Observer are higher than for a Pilot. The course is stiffer and entails more hard work, though it undoubtedly has its share of thrills, even in Canada. The future Observer has a specialized job, and he must make no mistakes. Sometimes, those who start the course as Pilots and fail to make the grade are shifted to the Observers' course. At first, they are disappoint- ed, but Mr. Woollett says that invar- iably they are all glad they changed before they have half -finished their course. The Air Observer must learn sev- eral things, and all of them must be done well. Rather, they must be done perfectly. He must learn to lay out an exact course, smite of wind and weather, that will take him where he is ordered to go. More important he must return again and know when he gets home. He must learn to operate a tricky bombsight, so that his bombs find their target. Ani he must learn to use a machine gun if need be. At the Malton School, he learns to navigate. Everything else is subor- dinate to that. He doesnot have to worry about piloting the plane: that is done by an experienced pilot who knows Ontario as you know your own home. The Observer charts the course for him to steer and the Pilot carries out those instructions to the letter, unless they may• -result in possible danger to the aircraft and the crew. Apart front that, he follows the course the student gives hint, even if he knows it is at right angles to the direction in which he ought to be going. At the end of each trip, he hands in a detailed report. it omits nothing, even noting whether the student became sick, and whether he carried out his exercises in spite of his sickness. A Rainy Day at Malton ' It was raining when I arrived at Malton, but a few planes were up The big silver liners of the Trans - TIME TABLE Trains will arrive at and depart from Clinton as follows: Buffalo and Goderich Div. ' 'Going' East, depart 6.43 a.m 'Going East, depart 3.00 .p.nm. Going West, depart 11.45 a.m, Going West, depart 9.50 p.m. London --Clinton Ging South ar. 2,80, leave 3.08 p.m PAGE 7 CONVOY RAIDERS MEET A HAIL OF FIRE British destroyers have recently successfully dealt with many German aircraft which have attacked convoys under escort. This picture shows a member of a destroyer's anti-aircraft gun crew, wearing a blast -proof hel- met, receiving orders from the bridge. Canada and, the even larger American Airline planes were arriving at, and leaving. the nearby commercial air- port, and the little yellow elementary trainers from another R.C.A.F. School were in the air, but the Avro Ansons of the Observer School were being called home from the wireless room. Perhaps that wasn't entirely a dis- advantage. Mr. Woollett was able to spare hours to the visiting newspaper man, and when he had to keep an- other appointment. Duty Pilot Smack acted as guide. All down one side of the control room were wireless sending and re- ceiving stes. Two way conversation can be carried on from anywhere in Southern Ontario. Later, I saw the wireless equipment inside the Avro Anson plane and marvelled at its compactness and efficiency. But that is not all. Recently a direction finding station has been installed. A lost aviator can send in a call for help, and when the answer goes back, it will tell him exactly where he is, and how to get back home in any kind of weather, Laid out on a large table in the centre of the room wasaa map of On- tario. ntario, On it was marked the exercise for the day. Colored pins were stuck in the map at half -a -dozen places and a black thread was wound frbm one to another. This marked the course the planes would be taking that day. It was not a straight trip out and back, but had several turns and angles. The student must learn to navigate such a course accurately, and he should be able to tell to the minute when he will be back at Melton again. He may have travelled 300 miles or more. Similar exercises are conducted at night. Out on the edge of the runway, a long line of Avro Ansons was drawn up, mostly yellow, but some silvery and a few camouflaged. Some of them had seen active service. They are altered, for use in the school. The gun turret is 'removed and some of the windows taken out, Gaits are not needed for protection here, and the plane gains speed and saves fuel as a result of the changes. • Everywhere around the Observer. School at Malton were evidence of similar economies. The oil is all filtered and reclaimed, and when tested, 88% is as good as new. One serious problem at all schools using British or American planes is the obtaining of repair parts. At Melton; most of them are manufactured in a little workshop, A mechanical gen- ius, and a small staff, using machines of their own designing, which look, as the Director put it, "like something out of a Heath Robinson cartoon," make many of the repair parts out of easily obtained materials, saving more money and keeping the planes flying. Planes are overhauled in two huge hangars. After so many hours flying, the Armstrong-Siddley motors are overhauled. Each Avro Anson hat two of these big engines, giving a top speed to the altered planes of 200 miles an hour. At longer intervals, the whole plane is torn down and re- built. That day, there was a visiting plane in one of the hangars, a huge Douglas bomber, belonging to the American Army. A committee from the Air Corps was visiting Canadian schools and gathering • `information. The visiting bomber dwarfed the Avro Ansons, but it was somewhat older and lacked something of their sleekness. The buildings of all Air Force camps are much alike, but two things impressed me at Malton. Though officers, civilian personnel and men all have separate mess halls, their food comes from the same central kitchen. And there is a hospital with space for 25 beds yet it has never had a crash to handle at this sehbol in 20 months, although an ambulance always stands ready, and two crash beds are always kept warm with hot water bottles. In the men's mess hall a full-size propellor hangs on the wall, backed by a square of blue carpet used in Westminister Abbey when the King and. Queen were crowned. On the hub is a silver Avro Anson ,and on the blades are replicas in silver of the Observer's badge, each one bearing the name of the highest ranking graduate in a class. In the office are pictures of the graduates, and scrap books with clippings and more pictures of students -Winston Chur- chill's nephew, the brother of a fam- ous opera star, and so on. Many of them are in Britain now: a few are dead in the battle for freedom. Y HERB'S 14 POINTS TO SAVE FUEL OIL IN FARM TRACTORS The following fourteen points are simple ways by which fuel and oil may be savedfarm'tractors doing regular farm work, suggested by the Dominion Experimental Station, Swift Current, S'ask.:- 1. Keep carburetor cleaned and ad- just main jet clay and night for eaoh load when in operation, 2. Keep valves clean and tappet clearance correct.' 3. Keep spark plugs clean, both points and porcelain. 4. Reduce slippage by proper air pressures and added weight to rear wheels of rubber -tired tractors. 5. Cheek breaker point clearance and advance ignition to a maximum for fuel being used. 6. Retard spark on overload. 7. Operate at as near rated,horse- power as possible. 8. When pulling light draft loads at a low speed operate in a higher gear and throttle motor to required speed, 9. Operate power take -off machin- ery where satisfactory. 10. Draft of ploughs and one ways increase with speed, therefore, operate these implements in larger units at lower speeds. 11. High speed) mouldboatd ploughs operate at one mile per hour faster than slow speed ploughs with an equivalent draft. Thus ploughing may be done more economically with the high speed unit. 12, Make sure the one ways and ploughs are properly lined up and adjustments are correct. Poor hitch alignment results in a higher draft and poorer resultant work. 13. Operte deisel and distillate trac- tors at high temperatures, small gas tractors at lower temperatures of 170 to 180 degrees P. 14:, Lubricate efficently, thus reduc- ing wear which causes loss of power and fuel. BARGAIN FARES TO TORONTO EXHIBITION In effect from many points in Ontario SINGLE FARE . Fox THE ROUND TRIP Gov't Revenue Tax Extra GOOD GOING AUG. 21- SEPT. 6 RETURN LIMIT SEPT. 10 CANADIAN NATIONAL G 0 50/50 WITH 'v Fl: REMEMBER: The slower you drive, the more you save! Gas burned up while standing still totals a staggering gallonage. So never leave your car ---even for a few- minutes -with the motor running. It's just as easy to switch it off and save gasoline. Remember your 50/50 Pledger dont let your motor idle. CHURCH DIRECTORY THE BAPTIST CHURCH Rev. A. E. Silver, Pastor 2.30 p.m. -Sunday School 7 p.m. -Evening Worship The Young. People meet each Monday evening at 8 p.m. ST. PAUL'S CHURCH Rev. G. W. Moore, LTh. 10.00 a.m.-Sunday School. 11 a.m. Morning Prayer. 7 p.m. -Evening Prayer. THE SALVATION ARMY Lieut. Deadman Lieut. Whibley 11 a.m. - Holiness Service 3 p.m. - Sunday School 7 p.nt. - Salvation Meeting ONTARIO STREET UNITED Rev. G. G. Burton, M.A., B.D. 10.00 a.m.--Sunday School. 11 a.m. Divine Worship 9.30 a.m. Turner's Church Ser- vice and Sunday School. 7 pan. Evening Worship WESLEY-WILLIS UNITED Bev. Andrew Lane, B.A., S.D. 11. a,m,--Divine Worship 7 p.m. -Evening Worship. Sunday School at conclusion of morning service. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Rev. B. F. Andrew Sunday School 10 a.m. Worship Service 11 a.m. 3 p.m. Worship Service at Bayfield 2 p.m. -Sunday School. Bayfield. CLINTON MISSION W. J. Cowherd, Supt. Services: Tuesday 8 p.m. -Young 'People. Wednesday 3 p.m. -Ladies Prayer Meeting. Thursday 8 p.m. -Prayer Meeting. Sundays: 2 p.m, -Sunday School. 3 p.m. F'eilowship Meeting. 8 p.m. Evangelistic Service. "YOUR ROHR STATION" C K It X 920.kcs. WINGHAM 326 meters WEEKLY PROGRAMHIGHLIGNI1 FRIDAY AUGUST 15TH: 6 8.05 a.m. Breakfast Club 6,00 p.m. George Wade 8.00 On With The Dance 8.30 Grain's Gulley -Jumpers SATURDAY, AUGUST 16TH: 8.00 Howard Bedford 9.30 Kiddies' Party 6.30 p.m. Blyth Sports 8.00 Barn Dance The Lords Day Act And Sunday Trading To clarify the interpretation of The Lord's Day Act with res- pect to the purchase and sale of merchandise on Sundays the follow- ing representations, based on a careful review of court decisions, is submitted; Meals and Accommodation Hotels and Restaurants may conduct legally on Sundays the bus- iness of providing meals or accommodation for their customers. The sale of food for consumption on the premises has been declared by the courts to be legal on Sundays, This would validate all serving of meals on Sundays by those equipped for this business throughout the week. For Relief of Sickness Under our Lord's Day laws the Sunday business of drug stores is limited to the sale of drugs, medicines, and surgical appliances necessary for the relief of sickness and suffering. Merchant Trade On Sundays it, is illegal to sell goods to be taken from the prem- ises, whether it be staple groceries, hardware, furniture, meats, bak- ery products, fruits, confectionery candy, cigars, cigarettes, tobac- cos, newspapers, magazines, kodaks, cutlery, toilet articles, station- ery, souvenirs and other lines of merchandise. In each Sunday sale it is required that both the purchaser and the merchant show that the purchase or sale was actually a work of necessity or mercy in each specific instance. Places legally open on Sundays for the sale of meals, medicines, surgical supplies, gasoline or oil, are re- quired to refrain on that day from the sale of other lines of general merchandise included in their regular business during the six legal business days of the week. Wayside markets for the sale of fruits, flowers, vegetables, rugs, souvenirs, etc., are not legally entitled to carry on this business on Sundays. Garages and Service Stations: The Lord's Day Act permits on Sunday "any work of necessity and mercy." Hence only work of that kind may be done on that day. The Supreme Court of the Province of Alberta has declared the sale of gasoline and oil to motorists on Sunday,. and emergency repairs and services, legal under the provisions of the Lord's Day Act. The courts of other provinces in Canada have not pronounced on this subject. The ordinary repair work in garages cannot be re- garded as legal on Sundays, nor the work of washing and polishing GATS. 1 .-..1A.aial.l Jt;4..i I:modal No municipality has authority to enact by-laws to supersede the provisions of the Lord's Day Act. No municipal official has auth- ority to hinder the police in their sworn duty to enforce laws, includ- ing Lord's Days laws, within the bounds of any mums:polity or other police area. The Lord's Day Act seeks to protect the freedom of our Can- adian Sunday as a day of rest for the people of Canada. Our normal needs can be met by purchases on the six legal business days of the week, whether it be food for our tables, smokes for the smokers, or gasoline and oil for motor cars. SUNDAY, AUGUST 17TH: 11.00 a.m. United Church 12.35 p.m, Mail, Bag 1.30 Meloday Time. 6.00 Gt'acie Fields MONDAY, AUGUST 18TH: 12.80 p.m. War Savings Club 6.00 George Wade 8.00 Songs by Sarah 8.30 Ranch Boys TUESDAY, AUGUST 19TH: 10.30 a.m. Church of the Air 6.45 p.m. Howard Bedford 8.00 Captains of Industry 8.30 Piano Ramblings WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20TH: 8.05 a.m. Breakfast Club 6.00 a. m. George Wade 8.00 Sewers Brothers 8.00 Clark Johnson THURSDAY, AUGUST 21ST; 7.45 Hymn Time 10.30 a.m. Church of the Air 6.30 p.m. Baseball Scoreboard V WHAT YOUR WAR SAVINGS STAMPS CAN ACCOMPLISH $5 may, bring down a German plane for it will buy one round at 40 m.m. anti-aircraft shells. $5 will stop a Hun with five mar chine -gun bursts. Ades$ cOMRRS, UF�E NL�DWM• F4 dWmDFouWS NESW DATY ,n,1r R mgvorerit "rrd6L DEPENDS 6YMldH W.OY YQdd toDN AT IT' Cartoon _from chs' London Stmdcy graphic, Nat avallable in British isies,1