Beyond the Call

Chapter 1
Joining and Training

In Vancouver, B.C. on Monday, August 28, 1939, Stanley Park Armoury had been a busy place all day as stores and equipment for the newly formed 9th Fortress Signal Company were prepared for departure to the coastal town of Prince Rupert. At 1930 hours Brigade Commander H.F.G. Letson performed a farewell inspection and, after gratefully noting the speed and efficiency of preparations, sent the entire detachment of two officers and thirty-four other ranks (O.R.s) marching out into the summer evening. Buses transported the men to the C.N. docks where they boarded the S.S. Prince Rupert for the voyage up the coast.^[3] Two of the Signalmen who made the trip were Johnny Douglas and Don Penny, local boys who had joined the 11th Divisional Signals in Vancouver as members of the Non-Permanent Active Militia (N.P.A.M.) in May, 1938. They had volunteered for this new posting only two days earlier. For the 17-year-old Douglas and 19-year-old Penny it must have seemed like quite an adventure, leaving home for “army life” in a small community over 750 kilometres away. It was also the first stop on a journey that would take them across the country and back, and then eventually over the Pacific Ocean to a war and then a life of captivity that they never could have imagined.

Johnny and Don were only two of about 10,000 men who were called out from their N.P.A.M. units. With the threat of war imminent, General Order No. 124 mobilized the militia to guard “vulnerable points” and man coastal defences.^[4] At the time, the Permanent Militia had over 45,000 members across Canada. This volunteer civilian force (similar to the National Guard in the U.S.) was organized into twenty cavalry regiments, ninety-one infantry, 110 artillery field batteries and various support units such as Signals.^[5] Many of the men who would eventually go to Hong Kong with the R.C.C.S. were serving with such militia units before they signed on to the permanent force.

Prince Rupert, along with other coastal defence stations in Vancouver and Victoria, was one of the first locations to be manned under the August 26, 1939 call out. This was big news for the small community. The local newspaper carried a full report on the arrival of ninety-six members of the Irish Fusiliers and a detachment of the Army Service Corps and the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals.^[6] The new 9th Fortress Signal Company had a big job to do, as recorded in the unit’s War Diary:

The work of this detachment was to provide communications within the Area and to the Forts at Barrett and Frederick, from Prince Rupert. This was a hugh [sic] task, especially in the laying of lines to Barrett along the Canadian National Railway right-of-way and on Digby Island from Point Charles to the Fort at Frederick and to the F.O.P. on Digby. These lines were laid for the most part over wild muskeg country in weather when it rained day and night without a let-up. Boots and Uniforms were ruined in no time. After an hour or so in this weather, everybody was soaked to the skin. This wet clothing was taken off at night and had to be put on again in the morning still wet. Through it all the boys never complained and on the sixth day all necessary lines had been installed and communications was [sic]possible between all points.^[7]

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For Don Penny and Johnny Douglas this was their initiation to army life. And in spite of the change in world events that would take place a few days after their arrival, the normal routines for men in the Company and companion units in Vancouver (10th F.S. Coy.) and Victoria (11th F.S. Coy.) would carry on during the months ahead.

On September 7, 1939, Prime Minister Mackenzie King responded to Great Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in an address to the Canadian nation:

For months, indeed for years, the shadow of impending conflict in Europe has been ever present….It is this reliance on force, this lust for conquest, this determination to dominate throughout the world which is the real cause of the war that today threatens the freedom of mankind….

The people of Canada will, I know, face the days of stress and strain which lie ahead with calm and resolute courage. There is no home in Canada, no family and no individual whose fortunes and freedom are not bound up in the present struggle. I appeal to my fellow Canadians to unite in a national effort to save from destruction all that makes life itself worth living and to preserve for future generations those liberties and institutions which others have bequeathed to us.^[8]

No one knew exactly what lay ahead, or how long it would last, but looking back, it’s clear that the country responded positively to King’s appeal. In that first month alone, 58,337 men and women joined up, almost half of them coming from the militia.^[9] General Order No. 135, which officially established the Canadian Active Service Force (the permanent army), also incorporated the N.P.A.M. units that had been called out under Order No. 124. During the first few weeks of the war, the soldiers with these units were gradually attested into the C.A.S.F. on a voluntary basis.^[10] Among those who enlisted during those early days were: Bob Acton, Don Beaton, Ernie Dayton, Johnny Douglas, Gerry Gerrard, George Grant, Howie Naylor, Don Penny, Ron Routledge, and Wes White. One only has to look at the proximity of their assigned regimental numbers to see how, in the autumn of 1939, long before these men were to serve together in Hong Kong, some of their lives had begun to intertwine: Douglas and Penny at Prince Rupert (Nos. K34017, K34027); Acton and Beaton in Victoria (K35409, K 35438); Dayton, Grant and White in Vancouver (K34722, K 34730, K34757); and Routledge, Gerrard and Naylor (P7541, P7563, P7575). Although coming from different provinces (Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.) these three were posted together to the 5th Heavy Battery in Victoria. While manning the guns in the Victoria-Esquimalt area, they also took signals training which eventually led to their transfer to the Signal Corps.^[11]

There were two other early sign-ups who enlisted with other units in B.C. before eventually going to the Signals. Mel Keyworth was a steward at the Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria when he joined a local militia unit, the 5th (B.C.) Coast Brigade. In September, he signed on to the Active Service Force and was posted to the 55th Heavy Battery.^[12] Thomas Redhead enlisted in Victoria when his N.P.A.M. unit, No. 5 Army Field Workshop, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps was called out.^[13]

George Grant and Wes White were school pals in Abbotsford, B.C. When they left Phillip Sheffield High School, they both joined the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) telegraph service, receiving the preliminary training that led them to join the Signal Corps when the war began.^[14] Ernie Dayton was from nearby Chilliwack. After graduating from high school in 1937, he took a commercial radio operating course in Toronto. At the outbreak of war he signed up immediately with the R.C.C.S. ^[15]serving with the 10th Fortress Signal Company in Vancouver along with Grant and White.

Bob Acton had already started to make a name for himself in amateur radio circles before the war. When he signed up he was operating station VESSP in Victoria and was planning on a career in the radio business.^[16] Don Beaton was one of those who had been in the militia. He was also working to earn a little money as a delivery boy for a telegraph company and was glad of the opportunity to have a job that came with more income. In an interview with his granddaughter years later, he recalled his first impressions:

Well, we were moved to…from Vancouver to Esquimalt on Vancouver Island, outside of Victoria. And we were the first ones in, so it was quite a shock ’cause they issued these old uniforms from the First World War. We had…we were given palliasses, which was like a big mattress cover that you filled with hay, and that’s what you slept on and we lived in tents.^[17]

Ultimately, twenty-four of the thirty-three men who would form the Signals contingent in Hong Kong served with one of the three B.C. Fortress Signal Companies in Prince Rupert, Vancouver and Victoria.

The situation Don Beaton described was not unique. September’s mobilization caused nation-wide difficulties concerning accommodation, clothing and equipment. Public buildings were being used because of a lack of barracks. Procuring newly designed battledress was not even initiated until after the outbreak of war, so it was many weeks before any new uniforms started to filter through the distribution chain.^[18]

In Prince Rupert, the situation for the 9th Fortress Signal Coy. was much the same. Photos of Don Penny and friends show them wearing uniforms clearly from a different era. In his first letter home to one of his sisters Don wrote:

I went to the show to-nite at the Capitol the show was “The Hardies Ride High.” It was pretty good. I am working on a different shift now from 12 midnite to 8 in the morning. Oh well I get all day off tomorrow. We are all sleeping in the hospital now (the old one). They built a new hospital here and therefore the old one is empty there are about 200 in it now. I was out to dinner on Sunday. Some people asked for two Signals and two Fusiliers to have dinner at their house. Art Rumsey and I went. We sure had a swell dinner. Tell Mother to never mind sending my pants up but ask her to send a belt up to me….^[19]

Over the next two months, additional Signalmen arrived from Vancouver allowing work to proceed on the installation of telephone lines between the various forts, batteries and other strategic facilities in the Prince Rupert area.^[20] In the midst of the mundane notes of the 9th Fortress Signals War Diary listing the tasks undertaken was this rare more personal entry from November 11, 1939: “Our wreath bearer, Sgmn. Douglas, J., our youngest soldier, presented a very smart appearance.”^[21] He and the other Signalmen were part of Prince Rupert’s “Most Impressive Day Of Remembrance In Its History” according to the newspaper headline.^[22]Johnny Douglas’ appearance wasn’t the only thing garnering approval. In January, the recently occupied Signals Barrack Room was inspected.

All windows, floors exceptionally clean, bedding and blankets rolled, room generally great credit to the Unit.^[23]

So, in its first few months of existence, the 9th Fortress Signal Coy. had accomplished a great deal, and its members had begun to establish themselves as competent soldiers.

South on Vancouver Island, the 11th Fortress Signal Company was busy as well. On the first of September the orders came to mobilize and over the next few days the 11th took over control of telephone exchanges from Artillery personnel at Signal Hill, established wireless communications between the forts at Rodd Hill, Albert Head and Mary’s Hill, and set up a system of ship-to-shore communications for the navy vessels at Esquimalt. On September 20th thirty O.R.s arrived from Vancouver (including Signalman Beaton) to add to the unit’s strength – now at three officers and sixty-six O.R.s.^[24]

By December, 1939, recruit training was well underway, including time at the rifle range; and the usual medical exams, re-exams, vaccinations and inoculations became part of the regular routine. Meanwhile, new cables were laid, telephone exchanges installed and all the communications functions at the forts and artillery batteries in the Victoria area were being looked after. On Christmas Day, “1st class Christmas Dinner arranged for Other Ranks which was very much enjoyed.”^[25]

In February, 1940 Charles John Sharp joined the unit, which already included a number of men who would later be in the Hong Kong contingent. Born in Berkshire England, he had come with his family to Canada at the age of nine and had become a well known basketball player in Victoria.^[26]Charlie was a few years older than many of his fellow Signals, and unlike most, he was married. He also had considerable militia experience, having joined the 12th Heavy Battery, B.C. Coast Brigade in 1933 at age eighteen. Now, a year and a half after marrying his fiancé, Christine, he was joining the Active Service Force. He was Taken On Strength (T.O.S.), 11th Fortress Signals, effective 16 February, 1940 and attached to “Recruit Training Depot, Work Point Camp, Esquimalt, B.C.”^[27]

About the same time, but in a small town halfway across the country, another young Canadian had made a similar decision. Jim Mitchell was working in the nickel mine in Falconbridge, Ontario. He and his brothers had heard that if they volunteered rather than waiting to be conscripted they could have some choice as to what unit they would be assigned to. At the time, Falconbridge was guaranteeing it would hold a man’s job until after the war if he volunteered for the services, so Jim decided to enlist.

So my buddy and I – we were working at Falconbridge – we hitchhiked to North Bay to Chippewa Barracks, that’s where you had to go….

We went by bus from Chippewa down to Toronto…an officer was questioning me about what I did, my hobbies…he asked what was my favourite hobby, and I said my motorcycle. And he said, you drive a bike? And I said, Yeah….What type?...A Harley, and I had a Norton and a British bike – I think it was a BSA. And he says, anything else? And I said, I’ve had a long interest since I was ten years old…in radios. He said, what kind? And I said, crystal. So he says to me, you sound ideal for the Signal Corps…I’m going to put you through as a dispatch rider.^[28]

Jim Mitchell was a happy new recruit! What motorcycle enthusiast wouldn’t be – an opportunity to be dressed in uniform riding around southern Ontario, even if the strictures of army life went along with it.

Prince Rupert, B.C. is known as the cloudiest and wettest city in Canada, so it’s not hard to imagine what the route march that took place on April 2, 1940 would have been like. “All available personnel” in 9th Fortress Signal Coy.^[29] were involved, but that didn’t include Don Penny who had been on paid furlough since March 22nd and didn’t return from his Vancouver home until April 5th.^[30] His friend Johnny Douglas just got back from his leave the day before Don left, so he took in the exercise. Perhaps it was the rigours of the march or other weather-related factors, but in any case, Johnny ended up in the garrison hospital for a few days at the end of the month.^[31]

Through the spring months, work continued on setting up new telephone exchanges and installing new lines, including a submarine cable for communication between Fortress HQ in Prince Rupert and the nearby islands.^[32] But as suggested by Signalman Penny’s letters home during the month of June, progress was hampered by a lack of manpower due to repostings and recruiting difficulties.

June 3, 1940

…Things up here have changed since my last letter. We got a telegram from Ottawa saying that they wanted 8 operators and 2 truck drivers to help form the second Division so they put the names of the operators in a hat and drew them out. I wasn’t lucky enough to be going off with the first bunch…. They expect another draft of our fellows to be going in about a month as they are sending veterans up here to look after the forts. We will all be going to Barriefield in Ontario as that is the Signals training camp….

June 16, 1940

…Our unit is awfully short handed they tried to get recruits in Vancouver for us but couldn’t and now they are trying to get local guys.

We are the only ones and a few medical corps in this Barracks now, the rest of the troops have moved down to the new huts….

It sure is turning into an awful war isn’t it. Just tonight we heard that the Germans have come into Paris, but the French will keep on fighting as they are not a race to give in. They haven’t sent any more of our fellows away yet. They said they were going to in another couple of weeks….

June 23, 1940

…We sure are busy up here, we are so short of men and we have to look after this whole building and none of us ever get any time off. We haven’t heard anything more about moving from here but I sure hope it won’t be long before we do. I was never more fed up in all my life than I have been this last month, it’s the same with everybody up here….

June 25, 1940

…Another bunch of soldiers came up this morning on the boat. There sure is going to be some garrison up here. The Irish Fusiliers are recruiting up to war time strength, that is about 900 men and are making their headquarters here….

You asked me what I am doing in your letter. Well [I’m] doing mostly line work now. We are so short of men they have cut right down to a minimum. There are only 2 wireless operators between the forts now. We sunk submarine cable across the bay and boy that was some job. You remember that piece of cable I brought home with me while I was on leave….^[33]

At 10th Fortress Signal Company in Vancouver, the order to mobilize had come at the same time as the one establishing the new 9th Fortress Signals for Prince Rupert. The 10th moved from its Stanley Park Armoury base to the Bessborough Armouries in the Kitsilano district of the city and began the process of developing a war-time signals unit. A full training program was initiated. Code practice, line telegraphy, lectures, map reading and drills were the order of the day. On September 18th the process of attesting members of the unit into the Canadian Active Service Force began in earnest.^[34] George Grant and Wes White were in the first group to sign up. By the end of September the 10th Fortress Signal Coy. had recruited to War Establishment strength. The newly attested soldiers were divided into three sections (No.1 – Operating; No.2 – Line Maintenance; No.3 – Mobile) and settled into a routine of training, telephone line work, rifle drill and route marches. On December 15th their normal activities were suspended temporarily so the Signals could march to Burrard Bridge where they joined the local Artillery units in a grand sendoff for the Vancouver-based Seaforth Highlanders who were headed overseas.^[35]

During the early months of 1940, the training continued but it appears from the War Diary entries that there was more work being done on new installations, particularly at the “Little Mountain” location in Vancouver where new aerials and a radio shack were required. The “Part I Orders” appended to the Diary provide an insight into some of the non-work-related activities and issues that occupied the men of the 10th Fortress Signals during that period:

Feb. 4:

All clothing and equipment to be marked RCCS with the owner’s Regimental number….

Sgmn. White to report for tetanus inoculation on Feb. 5

Feb. 9:

It has been observed that soldiers have been on public streets improperly dressed, creating an impression that soldiers are suffering from a lack of proper clothing. The O.C. [Officer Commanding] is to ensure that all soldiers when outside of barrack areas are properly dressed in such uniform as is available to them.

Feb. 22:

A badminton match is being held between the Irish Fusiliers and 10th Fortress Signals at Seaforth Armouries.

Feb. 27:

Attention of all ranks is drawn to the dance given by the Canadian Women’s Training Corps in the Hotel Georgia on Wednesday, February 28.

Mar. 9:

Staff riders of the DRLS [Dispatch Rider Letter Service] have been instructed not to accept any post-bearing mail for delivery in the Vancouver-Fraser Valley area.^[36]

Recruiting for the unit was also an ongoing process. In April, Jack Rose signed on with the Signal Corps, joining the local unit in his hometown of Vancouver where he had become an accomplished gymnast and diver. After leaving Kitsilano High School he was employed as a messenger boy by the CPR. Delivering telegrams downtown for three cents each did not hold much career promise so Jack took the opportunity to study to be a telegraph operator.^[37] So when he decided to join up, the Signal Corps seemed a natural choice and he soon found himself training to be a wireless operator along with eventual Hong Kong Signals Ernie Dayton, George Grant and Wes White.

It appears that April, 1940 may not have been the best month to pick for joining the unit. Despite earlier admonitions regarding proper military dress, the situation must not have improved much because an order issued early in the month indicated that irregularities in dress and discipline were going to be corrected, “by frequent inspection and constant checking.”^[38] Of particular concern: slackness in saluting; hair not being kept short; improper dress; and wearing the field service cap at an incorrect angle. Just in case there was any confusion about the latter, the following description was offered in an order posted on April 18th :

Field Service Cap must be worn at the correct angle, i.e. the front of the cap should be over the centre of the forehead, one inch above the right eye and touching the right ear.^[39]

After a month of daily parade at 0815 hours, squad drill and numerous inspections there is no indication of whether or not the “problem” had been solved.

Through May and June the regular training program continued with lectures, communications procedures, code practice drill and small arms training. Telephones and lines were installed to area armouries and batteries and alarm systems were set up at the Stanley Park and Narrows North Batteries.^[40] The wartime adage, “loose lips sink ships,” may have been a frequent topic of conversation around this time because it was noted that personnel had been discussing military information in “an injudicious manner.” Specifically, it was ordered that men who were assigned to drafts and anyone who had knowledge about the movement of troops, “will NOT discuss such matters either in quarters or outside.”^[41]

It’s not likely that a new recruit like Jack Rose would have been party to any significant military information during his first few months as a Signalman. The onerous training regime, and getting used to the strict and numerous rules of military discipline and deportment were undoubtedly occupying his mind – and his body, which was undergoing the mandatory series of inoculations and vaccinations, in addition to the rigors of physical training and military drill. The work schedule was busy too, including more alarm system installations and repairs to lines and telephone systems. On one occasion there was what undoubtedly would have been an interesting and sought-after diversion from the normal work pattern: a detail sent to assist a cable party from 11th Fortress Signal Company to pick up approximately 1900 feet of submarine cable being salvaged and loaded on a cable barge. No indication in the War Diary which men were selected for this duty. A more recreational diversion occurred on Tuesday, July 9th when a dance was held for R.C.C.S. personnel at Killarney Hall on Point Grey Road. There was no admission, refreshments and dancing were on offer and a floor show was provided. ^[42]

While mundane daily duties occupied most of the Signals and other soldiers in Canada, on the world front the war was dramatically expanding in Europe. The sense of a developing crisis was amplified by the forced evacuation of allied troops at Dunkirk. In June, 1940, the Canadian government passed the National Resources Mobilization Act (N.R.M.A.), requiring people, services and property to be put at the disposal of the authorities for public safety, defence, etc. Although its scope was wide, the Act did stipulate that no one would be required to serve outside Canada; i.e., this was for “home defence.”^[43] Around the same time, events in Europe and the threat to England led to the decision to set up the 3rd and 4th Divisions of the Canadian Active Service Force.^[44] Between the N.R.M.A. and recruiting for the new Divisions, sign-ups in Canada increased dramatically during the summer of 1940.

Among the thousands of new recruits across the country were five young men who would later become part of the Hong Kong Signals contingent. Tony Grimston left his job as a bellboy at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C. to take a radio telegraphy course in Vancouver. His British mother and father were undoubtedly concerned about the impending danger to their homeland and in July Tony returned to Victoria to enlist with the Signal Corps.^[45]

In Vancouver, the 10th Fortress Signal Company was also adding to its strength. Ernie Thomas had left high school after two years to work in a garage and learn to be a mechanic. On July 17, 1940, the twenty-four-year-old signed his attestation paper and was soon utilizing his trade as a dispatch rider with the Signal Corps.^[46] About a week later in Montreal, two militia men with the 17th Duke of York’s Royal Canadian Hussars stood in line waiting to sign on to the Active Service Force. Their regiment had mobilized the 3rd Canadian Motorcycle Regiment back in May, and on July 26th Bob Damant (D3385) and Wally Normand (D3389) were attested. Soon to become close friends, they would stay with the motorcycle unit for almost exactly one year before, at their own requests, transferring to the R.C.C.S.^[47]

In Prince Rupert, the search for new recruits for the 9th Fortress Signals continued through July and August. Difficulties due to the remote location were mitigated by recruiting assistance from the 10th Fortress Signals in Vancouver.^[48] But some “local” boys were attracted as well. John Little was born and raised in Terrace, B.C., about 150 km. inland from Prince Rupert. He left high school after grade 11 and in the summer of 1940 was working at a lumber and coal yard in the coastal town. He may have been familiar with the work of the Signal Corps in the area, but whatever the case, the eighteen-year-old made the decision to join the armed forces. On August 19th he signed his attestation paper^[49]and began a new career as a Signalman, one of about twenty new recruits joining the 9th Fortress Signal Coy. that summer.^[50] In addition to their strictly military duties the men took part in monthly church parades in the community. They also had opportunities to join up for sports teams such as softball and soccer. In fact, some of the recent recruits were noted in a newspaper report about a Signals softball team win over the Fusiliers: “…the Signals have been reinforced by new talent from the south and are developing into a good team.”^[51] The end of August also marked the one year anniversary of the arrival of the R.C.C.S. in Prince Rupert. A commemorative dinner was held at the “Boston Café” and all members of the Corps who were not on duty attended the event. It was reported to be a night filled with stories, reminiscences, toasts and songs.^[52]

One of the more experienced Signalmen in the unit, Don Penny, had qualified for and was now earning “Tradesmen Pay Group C.”^[53] He was enjoying his job that summer doing line work, as described in a letter home:

I like it just as well as wireless operating as you have to be an operator to be a good lineman and you are always out in the fresh air.^[54]

But shortly after writing that letter he was back on the wireless set.

I am on detached duty now at the large fort at the entrance of the harbour and what a miserable place this is. It is about 7 mls out of Prince Rupert. The big guns are out here, they had to shoot twice the other night at boats for not stopping at the examination vessel. There are only two of us out here and we have a wireless set to work the navy who man the examination boat. When I say just two of us I mean only two Signals, of course there are an awful lot of men out here such as artillery, searchlights, navy and infantry.^[55]

On the first of October, having been with the 9th Fortress Signals for over a year, Don was appointed Lance Corporal.^[56]

For the 10th Fortress Signals in Vancouver, August, 1940 was notable because of a series of breakdowns in the communication systems at Steveston and Narrows North Batteries due to “tampering.” With officers now cautious because of the vandalism, the latest in what could now be viewed as a pattern of somewhat lax behaviour on the part of their men brought swift orders from the unit commander. It seems that personnel had been “bathing along the beach in the university area and leaving uniforms and equipment unattended in cars along Marine Drive.” This was deemed to be a dangerous practice because, “persons might easily obtain this clothing and equipment and make use of same possibly with a view to committing subversive acts.”^[57]

Concerns about inappropriate behaviour continued in September, as recorded in the Part I Orders for the month:

Sept. 2:

…drivers of motorcycles are warned against driving their machines between the huts.

Sept. 19:

The very unsoldierly practice of C.A.S.F. personnel thumbing for rides in Civilian Vehicles must cease.

Police reports have been received to the effect that Dispatch Riders are exceeding the speed limits….Dispatch Riders will obey this order at all times unless given a written order signed by an officer authorizing them to exceed the speed limit.

Perhaps the arrival of seven new motorcycles for the D.R.L.S. on September 9th had something to do with the speeding incidents.^[58] Whether Signalman Ernie Thomas was one of the guilty parties is not recorded, but he did pass the written dispatch rider trades test on the 23rd and effective September 26th he was receiving “Tradesmen’s rates of pay, Despatch Rider Group C.” He completed his riding qualifications a month later.^[59] While working on his motorcycle training, Ernie was also in the midst of a series of inoculations for typhoid and tetanus – three shots over the space of one month.^[60]

A focus of activity for the unit in October was the moving of the Signals Workshop from Seaforth Camp to the Vancouver Barracks, situated in the old Hotel Vancouver. New telephone systems were also installed. October seemed to be a month for fatigue duties – the cleaning of floors and windows in particular. One order, issued on October 12th, offered a not so subtle reminder of the men’s profession and war-time circumstance:

Personnel who have not made out wills since enlistment in the C.S.A.F., or who have married since making out last will, must complete C.S.A.F. WILL FORMS (M.F.M. 10) and turn them in to the Orderly Room by October 17th.

On a lighter note, a dance for the R.C.C.S. was held on October 15th at the YWCA Gymnasium, with dancing, a floor show and refreshments.^[61]

The YWCA held another dance on Saturday, December 21st and an afternoon tea the next day. An invitation was extended to the 10th Fortress Signals for ten men to go to the dance and three to the tea. “Partners will be provided for all men who so desire.”^[62] Wes White began his six-day Christmas leave on the 22nd so it’s unlikely he was one of those who participated.^[63] Ernie Thomas definitely did not. He had been in Shaughnessy Military Hospital since December 9th and wasn’t discharged until the 23rd . That day he began his Christmas leave, returning for duty on the 29th .^[64]The unit’s weekly publication, “The Fuse,” gives us an indication of what was on Ernie’s mind over the holiday season. In the Christmas, 1940 edition, it notes:

We have a number of members lined up for the “Ice Brigade”….To Sigmn. Woodhall, Waugh, Thomas and Green who have been dabbling in the Diamond Market, we take this opportunity of saying “Congratulations!”^[65]

Back in April one of the daily orders noted that C.A.S.F. soldiers required permission to marry from their Commanding Officer.^[66] Ernie was granted permission on January 2, 1941 and was married in North Vancouver the same day.^[67]

In Victoria, through the spring and summer of 1940 the 11th Fortress Signal Coy. was well occupied laying cable, installing telephones and alarm systems and maintaining communications between the forts and artillery positions in the region.^[68] In July, a number of Signalmen from the 10th in Vancouver arrived to join some members of the 11th for specific training prior to being transferred to the new 4th Division Group in Ontario. On September 7th , forty-five O.R.s, including twenty operators, eight linemen and five dispatch riders departed for Barriefield, near Kingston, Ontario, the location of the Canadian Signal Training Centre.^[69] None of the men who would go to Hong Kong were in this particular group; however, in less than a year seven men from 11th Fortress would follow this path on their way to becoming part of “C” Force. One of the seven who would eventually go was Howie Naylor. Although at this time still with the Royal Canadian Artillery, he spent from August 19 to September 27 taking signals training at Fort Macaulay, near Victoria, and on the 28th he “Passed Regimental Signal School, Artillery.”^[70]

In the fall of 1940, Walter Jenkins left his grade 10 class at a Winnipeg high school for a chance to play football with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.^[71] In November after playing two games at the end of the season he signed up with the R.C.C.S. and was posted to Victoria. He was nineteen years old.^[72] Shortly after his arrival, another new recruit came to the 11th Fortress Signals. Ray Squires was twenty-eight when he transferred from the Army Medical Corps, which he had joined about six months earlier. He had been painting houses at the time and “kind of liked the idea” of being in the Medical Corps until he was given the brush-off by an officer after asking a question about a particular medical condition. Being told, “that’s all you need to know” was not the response the inquisitive mind of Ray Squires needed, so he decided to look for another posting. “So I went, I had trouble, but I got out and got to Sigs.”^[73]

It was now December and Charlie Sharp, fresh from a five day leave over Christmas, was appointed Acting Corporal while attending the Signals Training Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta.^[74] His boost in rank must have been necessary for eligibility in the training course for upon his return on January 19, 1941, he promptly “relinquished” his Acting Corporal status. But Charlie must have made a good impression during his course because on February 1st he was promoted to Lance Corporal.^[75]

The 11th Fortress Signals War Diary for January, 1941 includes a detailed description of how the Company had been reorganized in accordance with the new Home War Establishment. The new arrangement included a Headquarters and three Sections. The Headquarters responsibility was for “all routine duties” including: a) Orderly Room; b) Quartermaster Stores; c) Building Maintenance; d) Mechanical Transport Garage; e) Battery Plant. No. 1 Section (Operating) was responsible for the operation of all Signals equipment under control of the Company, including: a) Wireless Station; b) Telephone Exchanges; c) Dispatch Riders and the Dispatch Rider Letter Service. No. 2 Section (Maintenance) handled all the technical maintenance and construction. Its responsibilities covered: a) Telephone Plant; b) Telephone Lines; c) Alarm Systems; d) Wireless Equipment and P.A. Systems. No. 3 Section (Mobile) was primarily a mobile W/T section, but at that time it was also the training section for the Company.

…all men requiring training will be posted to this Section. Instruction classes will be conducted covering:

a) Recruit training
b) Elementary Signal Training
c) Operating ^[76]

As at January 21, 1941, Section postings of men in the 11th who would eventually go to Hong Kong were as follows: H.Q.: Sgmn. Beaton (Quartermaster Stores); No. 1 Section: Acting L/Cpl. Acton; Acting L/Cpl. Routledge; Sgmn. Grimston; No. 2 Section: Sgmn. Kurluk; No. 3 Section: Sgmn. Jenkins; Pvte. Squires; Sgmn. Sharp. Movement between Sections appears to have been fairly common. In February, newly appointed L/Cpl. Sharp moved to No. 3 (Mobile), Ted Kurluk went from his line maintenance position in Section No. 2 to Headquarters, and over the space of two weeks, Walt Jenkins was moved from No. 3 to No. 2 and then to Headquarters.^[77]

Also that month, Tom Redhead, who had joined the C.A.S.F. in February, 1939 with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, became “attached” to the 11th Fortress Signals, posted to Headquarters.^[78] On the 24th , Don Beaton passed his Standard Motorcycle Test and just over a week later he successfully completed his final exam for the Q.M. and Q.M.S. Correspondence Course.^[79] He later recalled,

I worked in the Quartermaster Store for six months or so. Yeah, I didn’t care much for that, so…a couple of my friends were running a motorcycle school for dispatch riders so I volunteered for that and I got into it and…became a dispatch rider.^[80]

Tom Redhead had also been busy with his training program. On March 3rd he was posted to No. 3 Section and began his Recruit Training Class. On the 16th he was officially “Taken On Strength” in the Company and passed his recruit training on March 28th . Now “Signalman” Redhead, he was posted back to Headquarters and promptly given a two-week furlough, returning on April 20th.^[81] Also in April, Sgmn. Ray Squires married his girlfriend, Marianne Dobbin, who was working for Royal Trust in Victoria.^[82] No indication in the War Diary of him being granted time off.

For the men of the 11th Fortress Signals, May, 1941 began with a special operation. A “Secret Order” issued on May 2nd set out the parameters for the exercise:

Information:

Reliable information has been received…that an unfriendly power contemplates raiding the Defended Forts of Victoria and Esquimalt.

Two suspicious merchant vessels are reported steaming in the direction of Juan de Fuca Strait and are expected in this area at 0400 3 May 1941.

A period of emergency has been declared by the G.O.C. in C. Effective immediately all leave is cancelled….

As part of the operation, communication links were set up throughout the region and a group of passwords and codewords was established.^[83] Unfortunately, the War Diary gives no more details on how the exercise was carried out or its level of success.

During the month of May, Section assignments included the first appearance of three men who had come to the Signal Corps from their earlier postings with the Royal Canadian Artillery. Gerry Gerrard, Mel Keyworth and Howie Naylor were all assigned to No. 1 Section (Operating) on May 12th . Two days later another former artilleryman, Ron Routledge, was put on the Duty N.C.O. roster as an Acting Corporal. Towards the end of the month, Signalmen Kurluk and Jenkins were posted to No. 2 Section (Maintenance) and on the 30th Ted Kurluk started work as a member of a “cable splicers party.”^[84]

Of course, it was not all work for members of the 11th Fortress Signals. Order No. 66 on May 26th stated, “Immediately after each morning parade (Company), Sections will engage in Volley Ball Games, in accordance with the undermentioned schedule.…” This first slate of games continued until June 16th with No. 3 Section the clear overall winner. That same day, Charlie Sharp was promoted to Corporal, and soon joined Ron Routledge on the Duty N.C.O. roster. ^[85]

On June 18th , Sgmn. Beaton was moved to No. 1 Section, which included the dispatch riders. Six days later, he and thirteen others were placed on 48-hour embarkation leave, prior to being posted to 4th Divisional Signals. At 1345 hours on June 27th all fourteen left for Kingston.^[86] Included in the group were seven eventual “C” Force participants: Bob Acton, Don Beaton, Gerry Gerrard, Tony Grimston, Mel Keyworth, Howie Naylor and Tom Redhead. Among the friends they left behind were six others with whom they would be reunited four months later on board a ship bound for Hong Kong.

In Vancouver, 1941 began for the 10th Fortress Signal Company with a mobile cooperation scheme that involved both the Army and Air Force. The Company was reorganized, as had taken place in Victoria, to meet the requirements of the Home War Establishment. There was some shifting of assignments, including Sgmn. Ernie Dayton who was placed in Duty Section No. 3. Within a month, however, he was moved to No. 1 Section, joining Jack Rose and Wes White. Ernie Thomas had been completing his dispatch rider testing and was posted to No. 2 Section. The first two months of the year also seemed to be a time for re-inoculations. Signalmen Dayton, Thomas and White were among the many recipients.^[87]

In March, the new Signals Office in Vancouver Barracks officially opened. The training regime, now familiar to all the men in the unit, continued with the addition of sessions on the Ross Rifle – mechanism, cleaning, aiming and firing. On March 19th there was a Signals tactical exercise with “mythical defence forces in the Vancouver area.” Diversions from the work and training routines included a Canadian Corps Boxing Tournament that involved men from all throughout Pacific Command, and a YWCA dance on the 25th .^[88] Wes White missed much of this military and recreational action because he was in Vancouver General Hospital for almost two weeks with an undisclosed ailment.^[89] Ernie Thomas was also away earlier in the month on a two week furlough, the first since his marriage at the beginning of the year.^[90]

On April 1, 1941, Lloyd Fairley joined the Canadian Active Service Force in Vancouver and a few days later was posted to the 10th Fortress Signals. “Bud,” as he became known to his Signals comrades, was born and raised in Merritt, B.C. He had completed four years of high school^[91]and gained a reputation as a brilliant hockey player at the intermediate level.^[92] After leaving school he became a qualified telegraph operator, and when he made the decision to enlist he was an Assistant Agent and Telegrapher with the C.P.R.^[93] Now, at age twenty-one, he embarked on a new career, and was immediately immersed in military life: on April 18th he was sent with a group including Wes White to the indoor range at Bessborough Armouries for rifle practice; later that day, a route march; his first tetanus shot on the 19th ; assigned to Church Parade with Ernie Dayton on the 20th ; shooting practice with the whole unit at Blair Range in North Vancouver on the 22nd and 23rd . A full first couple of weeks!

Among the other recruits to join the 10th Fortress Signals that spring were Roland D’Amours and Art Robinson. D’Amours had lived in Ottawa and then enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the Far East before returning to Canada.^[94] Now in his late twenties, he decided to leave the American forces (which were still not at war) and join the R.C.C.S. in Vancouver. Art Robinson was considerably younger like most of the newer recruits. After attending John Oliver High School in Vancouver, he took a job with Murphy and Chapman’s Stationery, but left his job as a clerk to sign up with the Signal Corps.^[95] There were now eight members of the 10th Fortress Signals who would eventually be part of “C” Force: Art, Rolly, the two Ernies (Dayton and Thomas), Bud Fairley, George Grant, Jack Rose and Wes White. All but Fairley would remain in Vancouver until October when the contingent departed for Hong Kong.

Up the coast in Prince Rupert, the 9th Fortress Signals War Diary for January, 1941 reported that the “Morale and health of unit is excellent.”^[96] Perhaps Christmas furloughs, like those taken by two of the youngest Signals, Douglas and Little (both eighteen at the time) had something to do with the good spirits.^[97] It seems that such leaves were well-earned because the men had been working hard and their accomplishments achieved over the past year were substantial, a fact that ultimately did not go unnoticed.

The arduous work of laying and maintaining submarine cables in the difficult tidal currents of Prince Rupert Harbour, and the tremendous task of building land communications through country unsurpassed in Canada for its difficult terrain were accomplished by the 9 Area Signals Coy (formerly 9 Fortress Signals), in a manner well in keeping with the traditions of the Royal Canadian Signals.^[98]

But although much had been done, the need for repairs and installation of new lines and telephones to the area batteries continued. L/Cpl. Don Penny spent two weeks attached to the Irish Fusiliers who were manning the Dundas Point battery. His assignment was interrupted on January 22nd by the onset of measles, an illness that put him and two other Signalmen in the local military hospital until the end of the month. His condition, however, did not prevent him from being promoted to Acting Corporal.^[99] Unfortunately, he probably did miss participating in the artillery exercise on the 31st that had Signals personnel communicating with the target vessel and Battery Observation Post at Pt. Frederick.^[100] Another reminder that the country was at war came in the form of an order warning all ranks,

…against communicating, either verbally or in writing, any item or information respecting Naval, Army or Air Force matters which may be of value to the enemy.^[101]

Signalman John Little was assigned to the Mobile Section. He was also called on for Fire Piquet duty approximately once a week during January and early February.^[102] This involved checking all the fire buckets to make sure they were full of water and, of course, keeping an eye out for any sign of fire.^[103] His assignments for the rest of the month included three shifts of guard duty. The month-end report of the unit – “February Parade State” – showed Cpl. Penny as an Operator Sigs, Sgmn. Douglas as an Exchange Operator and Sgmn. Little as a Driver.^[104]

During the month of March it was Don Penny and Johnny Douglas who were given the Fire Piquet assignments – each drawing that duty three times. Douglas also did a stint of “Kitchen Fatigue.” The highlight of the month was likely the air raid drill on the 20th . The alarm sounded at 2050 hours and resulted in a complete blackout of the whole city of Prince Rupert. All the Signals personnel were assigned to their posts for the drill.^[105]

Through the next three months the unit continued to install new lines and equipment and maintain wireless communication schedules both within its area and to more distant stations. The local spring soccer league was in full swing, providing a recreational diversion for a number of the R.C.C.S. men, including Don Penny, who scored a goal in the Sigs 5-0 drubbing of the Air Force team.^[106] On the 22nd of May, his nineteenth birthday, Johnny Douglas returned from a sixteen day furlough. On the 30th he was attached to the Rocky Mountain Rangers who were now manning the Dundas Point Battery. On June 1st , Don Penny obtained his qualification as “Operator Sigs Group B” and was now a full Corporal.^[107] On the 24th , Don, John Little and six other men from the unit left Prince Rupert for Kingston, Ontario and their new posting to 4th Divisional Signals. Ten days later, Johnny Douglas was also on his way east.^[108]

The Canadian Signal Training Centre (C.S.T.C.) at Barriefield, just outside Kingston, moved into its new building, Vimy barracks, in 1937.^[109] When the mobilization of Canadian forces took place in September, 1939, Signals were concentrated at Barriefield, and the training and selection of men for assignment to the mobilized Divisions became the focus of activity. Officers and O.R.s came from all parts of Canada, creating a greater awareness within the Signal Corps of its national scope.^[110] At the peak of its wartime activities there were about 5500 men stationed at Vimy, most there for training, others on staff at the Centre.^[111]

On June 26, 1941, the 4th Divisional Signals was reorganized and concentrated at Barriefield. The first parade was held on the Company Parade Ground, June 30th at 0800 hours. Unit strength was four officers and thirty-seven O.R.s, including Bob Acton, Don Beaton, Gerry Gerrard, Tony Grimston, Mel Keyworth, John Little, Howie Naylor, Don Penny and Tom Redhead.^[112] Part I Order No. 5 on July 1, 1941 set out the daily routine:

0600 Reveille
0700 Breakfast
0800 Unit Parade
0830 Sick Parade
1215 Dinner
1330 Unit Parade
1715 Supper
2045 Retreat
2245 Tattoo Roll Call
2300 Lights out^[113]

Men were to be assigned to Fire Piquet and Fire Brigade duty, as well as kitchen detail. The order also directed that any soldier suffering from V.D. must report himself sick. No context or explanation was given for the latter, so we are left to draw our own conclusions.

Not surprisingly, the daily routines commenced immediately: Cpl. Penny was on the Orderly Sgt. Roster; Fire Brigade Group No.2 brought together, for the first time, Penny, Beaton, Grimston and Gerrard; Sgmn. Little, Redhead and Naylor were on the schedule for Fire Piquet duty. Orders were also issued regarding no gambling and a restriction on swimming in the St. Lawrence River near the barracks, due to “severe pollution.” A “Camp Standing Order” was issued directing all ranks proceeding on foot to or from the Kingston area to use the sidewalk and not the highway. ^[114]

Personnel were divided into two groups for training, based on their previous military experience. Most of the unit was in the “advanced group;” i.e., having had six months or more service. The training program for July included sessions on bayonet, rifles, small arms and anti-tank techniques. No. 1 Training Coy. included eight men who would go to Hong Kong: Cpl. Penny, L/Cpl. Acton, Sgmn. Gerrard, Redhead, Grimston, Little, Naylor and Beaton. On July 18th Johnny Douglas, Bud Fairley and Mel Keyworth were added to the Company and the rosters for fire duties.^[115]

On July 23rd , James Horvath joined 4th Div. Signals. He had enlisted with the Active Service Force on June 26th after being attached to the C.S.T.C. from Winnipeg. Now, two months shy of his 22nd birthday, he had joined the group of men who would become his friends and “C” Force comrades.^[116] The next day there was a Commanding Officer’s Inspection with thirteen officers and 118 O.R.s on parade, reflecting the growing strength of the unit. Training programs for the rest of the month were disrupted by the required inoculations for many 4th Div. personnel. Other diversions during the month included the movie, “I’ll Tell the World” in the Knights of Columbus Hut, a Canadian Legion bingo tournament and variety show and a YMCA bridge and euchre tournament (theoretically with no gambling).^[117]

Gerry Gerrard remembers going to Barriefield, “to teach new recruits” and to receive more training.

We got to Barriefield and they brought out a deal where all non-combatant troops had to take infantry training. They brought in a Sgt. – I think he was from the Sutherland Regiment – and we had to take a course with him. We had our rifles (Lee Enfields – you never let go of that one), bayonets and so on….

Some had revolvers – dispatch riders had revolvers. We all had some training with revolvers but we never fired them, just learned how to look after them and so forth.^[118]

Early August saw more rifle training, including firing practice at an outdoor range. Penny, Beaton, Gerrard and Grimston were assigned to Reel Shed No. 4 on the Fire Brigade. When the Part I Orders came out on the 6th of August, there were new postings listed, including three new dispatch riders. Bob Damant and Wally Normand, newly arrived from #4 District Depot in Montreal, were placed in No.1 Training Coy. The third, Sgmn. Jim Mitchell, was posted to No. 2 Training Coy. He joined Johnny Douglas and Bud Fairley on Fire Piquet duty for Aug. 10-11 and Normand was with Mel Keyworth for the same duty for the 12-13th .^[119]

On August 13th a “Warning Order” was received at Vimy Barracks advising that a group of Signals, identified as Serial 926, would be moving to Debert, N.S. on the 20th . The next day, preparations for the transfer began. An advance party of one officer and five O.R.s departed by rail on the 19th and a senior officer left the same day in a DND staff car to make all the necessary arrangements for the motor convoy en route. ^[120]

On August 20th at 0800 hours the M.T. convoy departed Barriefield for Debert Military Camp. It comprised thirty-one vehicles and two motorcycles, three officers and ninety-seven O.R.s. The trip would take six days.^[121]Gerry Gerrard was in No.1 truck. He remembers that the convoy stopped at different military camps along the way. At the Citadel in Quebec, the Canadian army was holding German prisoners of war. “We had to be finished breakfast by 7 o’clock, that’s when the prisoners ate.”^[122] Another memory from that trip was that the trucks had to be washed every day. On one occasion in New Brunswick they had to do it numerous times – an effort by their N.C.O.s to keep the men busy so they would miss an opportunity to spend the afternoon in the local town.

The convoy arrived in Debert at 1850 hours on August 25th and the men settled in to their new routine:

0630 Reveille
0730 Breakfast
0815 Sick Parade
0830 Training Parade
1215 Dinner
1330 Training Parade
1715 Supper
1800 Staff Parade
2000 Retreat
2130 Staff Parade
2215 Tattoo Roll Call
2230 Lights Out

An order was issued regarding the Conduct of Troops:

1. Practice of soliciting rides in private motor vehicles is prohibited.

2. Personnel will not walk more than two abreast on any sidewalk or street in Truro and will not loiter on sidewalks.

3. Loitering around railway property prohibited.…^[123]

Now with schedules and conduct covered, the assignments for Fire Piquet, Stores Guard Duty and Orderly Sgt. were also posted in the daily Part I Orders.

One of those detailed for guard duty was Sgmn. Larry Dowling. A native of Saskatoon, he had moved to St. Catharines, Ontario with his parents soon after the outbreak of war. He later got a job working in the pay office of McKinnon Industries, a chain cable company owned by General Motors.^[124] Now in his early twenties, he had joined the Signals Corps and was training to be an operator. Larry was assigned to No.1 Training Company which at the beginning of September included fifteen men who would be part of “C” Force: Cpl. Penny, L/Cpl. Acton, Sgmn. Beaton, Damant, Douglas, Dowling, Fairley, Gerrard, Grimston, Horvath, Keyworth, Little, Naylor, Normand, and Redhead. Sgmn. Jim Mitchell was posted to Section 1 of No. 3 Training Coy.^[125]

A comprehensive training syllabus was issued. Signals classes on operating, instruments, wiring and electrical theory, field cable laying, Morse code, semaphore, and motorcycle riding and maintenance were included. Route marches and battlefield techniques – rifle and machine gun practice, gases/cape drill, bayonet and pistol use – were also on the list along with map reading and first aid.^[126] It was a full program designed to prepare men for overseas service. And although the men of 4th Divisional Signals didn’t know it, plans had begun to send some of them, not to Europe as most of the men at the Nova Scotia camp thought, but on a mission across the Pacific Ocean to the Far East.

In August, the recently retired General Officer Commanding, British troops in China, had stopped in Ottawa on his way back to Britain. General Grasett, who was born in Canada, met with Canada’s head of the military, General Crerar, and discussed the need for additional troops for the Hong Kong garrison. Now home, he made his case for reinforcements to the British Chiefs of Staff and suggested Canada supply the necessary battalions.^[127] Months earlier, Prime Minister Churchill had rejected a similar request from Grasett.

If Japan goes to war with us there is not the slightest chance of holding Hong Kong or relieving it. It is most unwise to increase the loss we shall suffer there. Instead of increasing the garrison it should be reduced to a symbolic scale. We must avoid frittering away our resources on untenable positions. Japan will think long before declaring war on the British Empire, and whether there are two or six battalions at Hong Kong will make no difference to her choice. I wish we had fewer troops there but to move any would be noticeable and dangerous.^[128]

Whether it was the suggestion to use Canadian troops or some other reason, Churchill changed his position completely and on September 19, 1941 a telegram was sent to the Government of Canada requesting two battalions for the defence of Hong Kong.^[129] It was a fateful decision, one that would have devastating results for hundreds of Canadian soldiers and their families.

In Debert, N.S., the same day the request was sent to Ottawa, Part I Order No.82 was issued by 4th Div. Signals. Within the Order were two new postings of interest:

Postings: To No.1 Training Coy:

Sgmn. W. Allister
Sgmn. H. Greenberg^[130]

Hymie (“Hank”) Greenberg had been sent to the C.S.T.C. in Barriefield after spending four months in the Manitoba Volunteer Service near his home of Roblin, Manitoba. He arrived at Vimy Barracks two days after the convoy left for Debert, was promptly given a three week furlough and told to report to the East Coast camp.^[131] Will Allister graduated from high school in Montreal, went into commercial art and then into acting. He had been working as an actor in the U.S. but returned home in 1940.^[132] He spent four months in “basic training” prior to being posted to Debert. He later wrote about his experience.

Debert, a camp in the middle of nowhere, a thousand miles from home, a place where hundreds of identical grey huts, humped and soggy under interminable rain, sat mired to their haunches in mud….

Nothing to do but train by day and drink by night….We were training to be first-class-Signals-Operators. As an Operator I was a disaster. Even third class was pretty remote for me since you had to send fifteen words per minute in Morse code. First class did twenty-five to forty. My top speed was a lightning eight.

Every night Hank and I sloshed two miles through the blackout to the nearest tavern, where we killed the dull hours guzzling beer. We talked, comparing our different backgrounds, his on the prairie, mine in show biz….He played hockey on his small hometown team, and baseball, and the violin – all described with the same contagious zest.^[133]

Although local taverns offered the usual recreation for many of the soldiers (Bob Acton too remembered regularly going into town with Don Penny to drink beer),^[134]there were other social opportunities as well. Movies were shown at the camp and civilian visitors were allowed. “Civilian Visitors including ladies will be admitted to camp only on Saturday and Sunday between 1200 and 2100 hours,” proclaimed one of the September orders.^[135] A group of Signals apparently took advantage of the opportunity, as a photograph taken at Debert shows a number of the men including Acton, Gerrard, Grimston, Keyworth, Naylor and Penny posing around a table with three young ladies. A “Souvenir Folder” of postcards of Debert Military Camp includes images of “War Services Huts” affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, Canadian Legion and Canadian YMCA. Another card shows the “Harmony Grill, a popular place in Debert Village,” offering “Meals, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers.” In a note to his Mother accompanying the postcards, Don Penny wrote on September 18, 1941:

Here in this folder are a few pictures of the Camp. I am getting more used to the joint and its surroundings but I still maintain that there is no place like the West.^[136]

Not a surprising assessment, given Will Allister’s description of the place.

The training program continued during October as did the Fire Piquet assignments, often bringing together pairs or groups of Signals who would soon be going to Hong Kong. Bud Fairley, Gerry Gerrard, Tony Grimston and John Little were on duty one night, Howie Naylor, Wally Normand and Tom Redhead on the next, and Will Allister and Don Beaton one night later.^[137] Gerry Gerrard remembers that part of the training program included simulated war exercises, with messages being transmitted, dispatch riders deployed, and communications sent back and forth.^[138]

On October 13th one of the new arrivals in Debert was Georges (“Blacky”) Verreault. He had joined Bell Telephone as a lineman after graduating from high school in Montreal, a job he held for two years before enlisting with the Signal Corps in the spring of 1941, shortly after his twenty-first birthday.^[139] As it turned out, his posting to Debert would be short-lived.

The Canadian Government had decided on September 27th to consent to the request from Britain for two battalions to go to Hong Kong. On the 29th , Prime Minister Mackenzie King sent approval in principle to the Dominion Office in London and nine days later the British Chiefs of Staff authorized the operation to proceed.^[140] In the meantime, General Crerar recommended to the Minister of National Defence that the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada be selected for the mission. An additional request from Hong Kong came on October 11th for a brigade headquarters composed of “various specialist details including a signals section.” This was immediately approved in Ottawa.^[141] On October 15th a special order was issued for a headquarters unit for what was now designated as “C” Force, to consist of sixteen officers and eighty-three O.R.s. It would include chaplains, clerks, drivers, and personnel from the Signal Corps, Army Service Corps, Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Ordnance Corps, Pay Corps, Provost Corps, and Postal Corps. The Signals section was to be comprised of one officer, twenty-two operators, six dispatch riders and four linemen.^[142]

In the midst of another diversion for some of the men in Debert – the B.C. provincial election, for which all personnel from the province were granted voting privileges – a warning order for Serial 1300 (the “C” Force group) was issued. The 4th Divisional Signals was ordered to provide four dispatch riders, fourteen operators and one lineman for this unknown assignment.^[143] Don Beaton recalled:

By that time I was instructing motorcycle riders and this guy came in one day, and we were covered in mud and crap and one guy had run through a drugstore window, one of the pupils. So I was fed up, and there was a notice. They wanted twelve people for overseas duty, volunteers. So we decided, twelve of my friends along with me, to take a whack at it.^[144]

On October 17th , personnel for Serial 1300 had their medical checks and were inoculated. They were ordered to report by 1300 hours on the 21st to the Area Commandant, No. 3 District Depot in Ottawa.^[145] Some, like Bob Damant were given a few days embarkation leave. ^[146] Don Beaton described the general feeling:

…we thought, seeing we were sitting on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, we were going to England. But the next thing we knew we were back on a train and we were shipped back to Ottawa. And then we were outfitted with tropical clothing and all that, but nobody knew where we were going. So then we got back on the train and ended up in Vancouver.^[147]

On the 19th , the selected group got on the train in Debert and headed for Ottawa, as recorded in the unit’s War Diary.

Cpl. Penny in charge of the party. In transferring personnel to Serial 1300 this Unit lost 19 trained tradesmen, including 10 key instructors or potential instructors.^[148]

The train arrived in Ottawa the next day and the men forming “C” Force Headquarters were brought together at Lansdowne Park.^[149] Don Penny wrote in a letter home,

Just a note to let you know that I am in Ottawa now. We are waiting here doing nothing but having Medical reboards.

We were all issued special summer uniforms so I guess we will be going somewhere to the far east.

It sure is a funny set up here. There is no infantry or artillery but just a few from each technical unit. The 4thdiv Sigs sent their best operators and D.R.s and they have been practically drawn dry of them.

There is 19 of our fellows and I am in charge of them. This should be a good unit as there is I guess about only 75 in the whole unit.

When we go we will probably be leaving from Vancouver and I most likely will be able to see you all there.^[150]

Back in Vancouver, it had been a busy summer for the 10th Fortress Signal Company. Training of personnel continued with code practice, map reading, first aid and the usual drill and route marches. Maintenance and repair work on the lines, telephone equipment and alarm systems at various area batteries were part of the regular routine.^[151]On July 11, seven O.R.s including Bud Fairley left on posting to 4th Divisional Signals. On the 16th , Wes White, who was attached to the 85th Heavy Battery on Yorke Island, received a promotion to Lance Corporal.^[152]

In October the unit provided communications for an artillery exercise, the only diversion from the usual training and maintenance operations. Two weeks prior to being transferred to Serial 1300, L/Cpl. Ernie Dayton and Sgmn. George Grant were awarded good conduct stripes.^[153] Grant was having a good month – October 20th was his wedding day.^[154] It seems likely that the timing of his marriage was related to the fact he was being posted to No. 11 A. District Depot the next day. Being Taken On Strength No. 11 A.D.D. was the intermediate step in being posted to Serial 1300 and then to “C” Force, orders that were now in place for his fellow Vancouver Signals Rolly D’Amours, Ernie Dayton, Art Robinson, Jack Rose, Ernie Thomas and Wes White.

The July, 1941 Nominal Roll for 11th Fortress Signals in Victoria showed five men who would go to Hong Kong: Acting Corp. Sharp in H.Q. Section, Corp. Routledge and Sgmn. Squires in No.1 Section, and Sgmn. Jenkins and Kurluk in No.2 Section. In August, Charlie Sharp qualified as a transport driver and was the N.C.O. in charge of the M.T. Section.^[155] He was also confirmed as a full Corporal.^[156]

By September, another eventual “C” Force member had joined the unit. Lionel (“Lee”) Speller was a born and raised Victoria boy who had become well known for his athletic abilities, participating in soccer, boxing, wrestling and bicycle racing.^[157] When he left high school after grade ten he trained in the shoe making and shoe repair trade.

And that was my trade right until the time I joined up. But I had worked at lots of other jobs in between – truck driving and delivering groceries. And finally I got to be manager, just before the war, of the shoe clinic at the Hudson Bay [Company store].^[158]

He signed on with the Ordnance Corps in 1941 as a shoemaker but after about six months and no sign of a promised promotion he decided it was time for a change.

So Colonel St. Louis, who was head of the Pacific Coast Signals, he was well acquainted with my father…he knew that I was expert on the motorcycle so he said, “Well if you want to come over to Signals I’ll get you in.”^[159]

Now with the R.C.C.S., Speller took training in map reading, revolver and rifle use, and passed the requisite motorcycle qualification. His sporting interests continued as well – he was the contact person in the unit for a soccer team being formed to participate in the Garrison League.^[160]

Charlie Sharp had been on a two week furlough until October 5th . Shortly after his return he was posted on temporary duty up the Island to Campbell River, but was recalled on the 23rd . The Part I Order that day which included “New Section Postings” showed Cpl. Routledge in No.1 Section, Cpl. Sharp and Sgmn. Jenkins, Kurluk and Squires in No.2, and Speller in the M.T. Section.^[161] On October 24th they were all posted to Serial 1300 and three days later the six men were part of “C” Force, heading to Hong Kong.

Also in Victoria at the time, attached to the Officers Training School in Gordon Head, was Captain George M. Billings. He and his wife, Mary, had moved there in June from Kingston where they had been living following his return from overseas duty with the First Canadian Division.^[162] On October 15th , the day the Department of National Defence made official the make-up of “C” Force Brigade Headquarters, Capt. Billings was named Signal Officer for the expedition.^[163]

In Ottawa, the “C” Force train had arrived on Thursday, October 23rd from Valcartier, Quebec with the Royal Rifles on board.^[164] The Headquarters personnel got on and the train left at about 8 p.m. the same day. On the 24th there was a short stop in the northern Ontario town of Nakina. According to Will Allister, [we] “marched around the town to loosen up our legs.”^[165] Don Penny and Don Beaton took the opportunity to send telegrams home. Both had the same message: they would be passing through Vancouver on Monday via CNR.^[166] There was another stop in Winnipeg where the train picked up the Grenadiers, and then off to Vancouver and the ships waiting to transport the 1975 members of “C” Force to their overseas posting.

Photo Gallery

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Chapter 1: Joining and Training - Notes

[3] War Diary, 9th Fortress Signals