DAILY DIARY
25 RADIO DETACHMENT - ST. GEORGE de MALBAIE, PQ
January 15, 1943 to October 31, 1943
15 Jan 43
Regarding telephone communication between Gaspe and St. George, he advised us to get in touch with Mr. Deubreuil, Manager of the Bonaventure and Gaspe Telephone Company. LAC Adams JT, R137958, Sec G Std TOS on posting from RCAF Station, North Sydney, NS. Eleven AC Security Guards were TOS on posting from RCAF Station, Gaspe, PQ. They are on temporary duty at Gaspe.
16 Jan 43
Weather: Quite warm. LAC Cosman W, Equip Asst. "A", arrived at Gaspe. Taken on temporary duty at Gaspe. The roads are in very bad condition.
17 Jan 43
Weather: Clear and cool. Snow is drifting badly. The road between RCAF Station, Gaspe and the town of Gaspe is fast becoming impassable.
18 Jan 43
Weather: Clear, quite warm. A list of equipment we will require when we first move down to St George is being made out. Signalled EAC re special eating out allowance.
19 Jan 43
Weather: Cloudy, cool and snowing heavily.
20 Jan 43
Weather: Blizzard blowing, drifting is terrific. Road from RCAF Station to Gaspe is practically impassable. P/O NC Arnold, Sgt Dooley LR, and Cpl Woods JL struggled into town along the railway tracks to have a talk with Mr AT Freeman, RCAF Engineer at St George, who arrived at Gaspe last night. He stated the Operational Building would be ready by the 25th of January (there is just the linoleum to be laid and the Almatex to be put on). The Mess Hall may be ready by the first week in February. The Power House is awaiting arrival of distribution panels and wiring material - the diesels are mounted. No coal has been delivered as yet.
21 Jan 43
Weather: Blowing a blizzard, gale force, much colder. Saw Army Service Corps regarding Iron or Emergency Rations. Told us they must be applied for through Ottawa. We will need some form of Emergency Rations in case we get down there and get caught in a storm such as this.
22 Jan 43
Weather: Still blowing a blizzard most of the day. Turned calm in the evening. Looks as though the storm has broken. Work has been at a standstill for the past three days due to the storm.
23 Jan 43
Weather: Clear and cool. Some of the material which had been holding up contractor's work was located at the CNR Station in Gaspe, where it had been for some time. Made enquiries regarding a flatcar in order to move panel truck and stake truck down to St George. None on hand at present.
24 Jan 43
Weather: Clear, cool and windy. Train due in from Campbellton on Wednesday night arrived at noon today.
25 Jan 43
Weather: Cloudy, warm, snowed a little.
8 Feb 43
Saw Lt. Hodgson of the RCASC regarding rations.
9 Feb 43
Weather: Cool, snowy. P/O NC Arnold spent the day at the Detachment, proceeding and returning to Gaspe by rail. The Operational Building is complete except for light fixtures. The wiring of the diesels is underway. The Mess Hall is almost finished. Some light fixtures are missing and the floors need sanding and varnishing. The walk-in refrigerator and the range have to be installed yet. The lower steel frame-work of the tower is complete awaiting arrival of the turntable. Raising the 2 1/2 ton turntable will be quite a problem. The contractor has no equipment with which to do it. Figured out diesel fuel oil requirements for the year to be about 700 barrels, 12 barrels of lubricating oil.
10 Feb 43
Weather: Cool and clear. Sent signal ordering Radio Equipment as the Operational Building is ready to receive same. We are not to attempt to raise the turntable. A W&B party will attend to that.
11 Feb 43
Weather: Warm, rained a little. The remainder of the equipment on hand at Gaspe is being packed in crates and numbered ready to go to St. George.
12 Feb 43
Weather: Cool wind. Grant GW, RDF Operator (G) reported to Gaspe with a sore throat. Some 2" X 4" and some 2" X 6" lumber is required to build a ramp to unload the heavy equipment when it comes.
13 Feb 43
Weather: Cold and windy. It may be necessary to use the third diesel for about 10 hours each day if the other feed lines cannot be combined with those feeding the radio equipment due to condensation pumps in the circuits which will cause fluctuations. AC2 Mercer R, R200691, Std Guard TOS from No 1 Y Depot.
14 Feb 43
Weather: Snowing and blowing. Finished packing the equipment. The boxcar is on the siding ready to load.
15 Feb 43
Weather: Cold and windy, deep snow-drifts. Loaded the boxcar in short order using Gaspe's stake truck and our FWD. EAC signalled AFHQ asking release of No.23 Detachment's turntable held at No1 Maintenance Unit, Scoudouc, NB, as ours has not come.
16 Feb 43
Weather : Cold and windy. P/O NCArnold, Cpl Horlock A, Sec G "C", and LAC Cosman W, Equip Asst "A" proceeded to St George from Gaspe by rail. Pay Parade. It is quite cold sleeping in the guardhouse. Some of the men have as many as seven blankets on their beds. Non-arrival of the coal, deep-well pump, condensation pumps and voltage regulators are holding up progress. Hope to have one diesel running by next week. A temporary line will be strung to the Mess Hall to enable the floor to be sanded.
17 Feb 43
Weather: Cold day, clear and sunny. The boxcar containing equipment arrived from Gaspe. We had to dig our way through snow to the boxcar before we could unload it. It took us from 8.30 AM until 6 PM.
12 Aug 43
Weather: Fine, clear day. Quiet except for ration run to Gaspe. Twenty of the men attended a Square Dance put on by the Rev. and Mrs. Parkinson of the Anglican Church at Barachois, the real thing, on the second story of a barn. Operations: PE Maximum range of 95 miles. Activity increased somewhat as compared to last week or so. Eighteen tracks up at one time. Phones were noisy and were cutting out for short intervals during the day.
13 Aug 43
Weather: Foggy day with rain. Really changeable weather in this part of the country. Station practically finished now by the contractors. Just a few odds and ends being cleaned up before the Board of Officers arrives which is due 18 Aug/43. Operations: PE maximum range 150 miles (North Shore of St. Lawrence). A convoy was picked up at 80 miles consisting of 20 to 30 ships. Average activity.
14 Aug 43
Weather: Fine, sunny most of the day. Sgt Doucet, JBM R81515 and AC1 Sedore, LA R196347 W/M's from Station Gaspe here to set up W/T. Show in the evening by YMCA entitled "Ball of Fire". Operations: PE max range 145 miles (North Shore of St. Lawrence). Very little activity. Aerial bolted down for about 10 hours.
15 Aug 43
Weather: Rained heavily most of the day. Church run to Barachois at 0915 hrs. W/T installed by Sgt Doucet. No other activity of interest. Operations: PE max range 36 miles. Very little activity. Nothing outstanding to report.
16 Aug 43
Weather: Fair day, no rain for a change. Regular ration run to Gaspe. Station ball team played army team of Haldimand and lost 4 - 3 in a very close, well-played game. Operations: PE max range. Very little activity. First day of Quarterly Overhaul.
6 Sep 43
Weather: Still no rain, a fine stretch of good weather which is most unusual for this country. This morning a Memorial Service was put on by this Detachment for Sgt Norbert Tapp, Wireless Air Gunner of Barachois who was killed Overseas recently. There were six pall bearers, a firing party of twelve and an attending party of thirty airmen. Very much appreciated by the family and friends of the airmen killled. Operations: Visibility only fair today resulting in very little activity.
7 Sep 43
Weather: Slight rainfall during the night followed by a clear sunny day. LAC Poaps is making a bookcase for library books in the Recreation Hall. Quiet uneventful day. Operations: Max range of PE's 78 miles. Activity only fair.
8 Sep 43
Weather: Still good but slightly overcast. Station looking pretty as 8 CMU work party is nearing completion of job. YMCA show at night "Five Graves to Cairo". Excellent picture but the sound was poor. Operations: Max range of PE's 76 miles. Visibility poor. Fair activity.
9 Sep 43
Weather: Heavy rain during the night but again a sunny day. Grass already coming up around the Station where seed was planted within the last two weeks. Station ball team play army post at Preval at 2 P.M. and lost 15 - 12. Men of 8 C.M.U. proceeded to RCAF Station Gaspe, PQ concluding temporary duty at this Station ie R223186 F/Sgt Barwell, FW, R216397 AC2 Cusson, JRA, R179335 AC2 Dumoulin, JA, R195893 AC2 Letang, JAR, R201161 AC2 Reiner, M and R201207 LAC Harmer, WJ Operations: Max range of PE's 139 miles. Visibility fair. Test flight showing continuous IFF plotted for 360 miles. Max. range of flight 145 miles. Average activity.
10 Sep 43
Weather: Good, bright, no rain. 10212 Sgt Condon, F Arrived from No 1 Maintenance Unit Scoudouc, NB to trade test RDF personnel. In the evening Group Captain WA Orr, OBE and Flight Lieutenant TA Knowling arrived from RCAF Station, Gaspe, PQ to look over the station and seemed pleased with the way things were operating. Operations: Visibility fair. Max range of PE's 137 miles. Test flight picked up showing IFF and was plotted off the end of the tube. Last range being 148 miles. Plane was Hudson flying at 10000 ft. Fair activity.
28 Oct 43
Weather: Mild with heavy fog and rain. Preparations made for the big wedding and the second mess dinner. Operations: Max. range of PE's 76 miles (Anticosti Island). Activity very light. Poor flying weather all around was the report from filter room. Nothing outstanding to report.
29 Oct 43
Weather: Cloudy and cool with showers. The CTTO F/L Hoy came down from Gaspe to hear our candidates for trade test. His visit was largely in vain however since the preparations made, though careful and on the best available authority, were not the correct ones. It seems no one knows the score on the remustering of Security Guards. The whole crop of them are browned off about it but it seems that higher authority is at war within itself on the matter, too, so definite policy is not available. F/O Healey came down to pay the boys, but forgot half of his acqutance roll, with disastrous results. In short it was a hectic day. Operations: Max range of PE's 37 miles. Activity was light throughout the day. Monitor unit of Tx was repaired after receiving transformer from Scoudouc. Its operation is now normal.
30 Oct 43
Weather: Cloudy and cool. It promised to rain but from consideration for F/S Bates it held off and just blew instead. Everything today seemed subservient to the big event of the week when R81346, F/Sgt Bates FA should marry Adrienne Hammond of Malbaie. It had been carefully arranged that the Army chaplain from Gaspe would come down at five-thirty in an army car to do the job. However at noon he found no car was available and began to feel some concern about the ceremony, while the service padre, a newcomer surely to the service sat in his quarters at the base and wondered at all the strange ways of things in this man's war. The ceremony was a very impressive one and being on the camp, with the recreation hall waxed and decorated and with the whole camp out to see it made for a never to be forgotten occasion. The follow up was quite in keeping. At 1900 hrs. the Y brought down their bi-weekly movie for the boys while the wedding party, Sr NCO's were feasting at the hotel at Point St Peter. At 1045 hrs all re-united in the Recreation hall for a wedding reception and dance. "That's an evening one of the Airmen was heard to say". Imagine in one evening going to a wedding, taking in a movie, drinking three bottles of beer, and attending a wedding all without the cost of a cent. Such is war!.Operations: Max range PE's 37 miles. Activity quite light. Phone to Halifax was faint today. They were cut out for short intervals. Nothing of importance to report.
31 Oct 43
Weather: Cloudy and cool with high wind. Camp was very quiet today as god old routine took control again. There was a Protestant church run in the morning but the RC's all stayed in bed. Operations: Max. range of PE's 37 miles. Visibility fair. Aerials were locked at 178 degrees at 0637 hrs Activity very light. Aerial still locked at 178 degrees.
STRENGTH: Officers - 2, Senior NCO's - 5, Other Ranks - 62.
HEALTH: No sickness to report this month.
(AM DUNN) Pilot Officer,
OFFICER COMMANDING,
No 25 Detachment, St Georges de Malbaie, PQ
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Updated: April 8, 2003