There are many stories surrounding Leapfrog II from Ottawa to Grostenquin that bear telling but one that tickles my fancy occurred during our extended stay in the Prestwick area while awaiting our fog bound 421 Squadron buddies in Greenland.
While our pay was not astronomical, it probably would have sufficed if my spending habits were not so free and easy. The two squadrons who had escaped the clutches of "Sunny Southern Greenland" (430 and 416) had double hopped into Prestwick and were put up in various hotels and establishments around the beautiful Scottish country side. I was very comfortable at the "Marine Hotel" in Troon with golf courses to the front and back and wide variety of living styles to become acquainted with. A trip on a double-decker bus to the Glasgow and Loch Ness tourist traps took a significant bite out of my wallet and after a very few days my spending power had diminished to "Nil". Scotland is beautiful and walking around the countryside is pleasant but it doesn't replace the "beer and skittles" my twenty year old being had become accustomed to.
Somewhere towards the end of our seven day stay, I heard about a tour set up by one of our leaders (Bill Harvey I think) that entailed a bus and a visit to a "Biscuit Factory". Not particularly interested in biscuits but very interested in breaking the "poor boy" tedium, I volunteered for a seat.
The drive was pretty, and the bus was almost full, but the surprise came when it turned out the "factory" was not for producing "biscuits" but the blending of whiskey! Johnny Walker had set up his famous establishment in Kilmarnock and we were going to get a guided tour through the whole place. It turned out the ruse of the "Biscuit Factory" was just to limit the interest as there was only one bus available. We were not disappointed.
I am still not a "Whiskey" aficionado but suffice to say they make whiskey in many different parts of Scotland and Johnny Walker moves them to this factory to blend into the world famous product that we all know about or appreciate. The tour showed us the many huge vats which contained this nectar and at the end we met the Government inspector who did the final testing before bottling. Part of his job had to do with establishing the proof of each vat and calculating the amount of water that was then to be added to make it acceptable for the various countries where it was to be shipped.
The inspector asked us if we had met a Dr Yelland during our travels in the RCAF. Of course most of us knew Dr Yelland who was the Flight Surgeon in Chatham, NB where many of us had done our OTU. He then announced that that gentleman was his son, and would we like to try some of the uncut product currently being tested in his laboratory. All of the samples in the test tubes were well over 100 proof! That was pleasant enough (a burning memory?) but we were then ushered down some stairs, across a narrow alley, and into a small bar with a long curving counter. This counter was lined with alternating bottles of Scotch and Sherry and tin boxes of cigarettes. Flat fifties for those of you who remember those days. The guide then hid the key to the front door on his person and advised that we would not be released from the premises until the entire stock displayed was gone.
Needless to say, I remember the first part of the tour much better than the return home. There is no moral to this story, just another great memory of my first days in the "Old World".
Bill Worthy - 416 Sqn