By Land and By Air

Although I had travelled over 28 states in the USA some five years before, on my trip to Vancouver, I had many things to learn.

When we arrived in Toronto, we were placed in the sheep pens at Manning Depot (the exhibition grounds). The following day we had to take off all our clothes and march around the sheep pen - there were about 50 airmen in each parade. We were all the lowest rank, but it was rather a humbling march as one felt that 4,000 eyes were watching us as we got needles for this and that, and physicals, BP, etc. At the end of two weeks one paid no attention to 50 recruits marching along without clothes. We had to shower, about 50 at a time. After two weeks we were placed in the bull pens - I guess it was where the exhibition of cows and bulls were held. All the beds were in two tiers - I used to climb on the bull rails to get into my bunk. We had white sheets, and pillows with white cases; something the army did not have. There was a small blue stripe at the top of each sheet, and they had to be folded a certain way and all these lines had to line up with the other beds. I liked the top bunk, as if someone sat on the lower bunk, it had to be remade. We were given a bunk card which allowed us to get out and see Toronto in the evenings, but we had to be in at an early hour.

I remember a Cape Bretonner, a large man, about 18 years of age who had done some boxing, but the Air Force was inclined to knock him down a few pegs. One day on parade the Sergeant stepped up to him and said, ”When did you shave?” and he said, ”This morning” and the Sergeant said, ”Hand me your bunk card and stand close to the razor next time.”

This meant that he had to work in the kitchen cleaning up

in the evenings. We marched in all four directions all day in the

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