Daily Diary

No. 33 Service Flying Training School,
Carberry, Manitoba

August 1941

This Transcription of the Operational Record Book of No. 33 Service Flying Training School that was Located at Carberry, Manitoba, Canada was created by the volunteers at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, Manitoba. You can visit their website by clicking this heading.

IMAGE 1522

CARBERRY.
1 August 1941

STRENGTH: Personnel

	Officers	Other Ranks	Civilians
RAF	78	986	–
Service Personnel other Than RAF
RCAF	13	61	–
RCASC	1	4	–
CDC	1	2	–
Civilians	–	–	9
Trainees
RAF & RCAF	–	122	–

STRENGTH: AIRCRAFT.

	Serviceable	Unserviceable
Ansons	24	48

IMAGE 1523

CARBERRY.
1 August 1941

• At the beginning of the football season, the Station had entered two representative teams in the Brandon Military League: and on this day, when the Commanding Officer was invited to ‘kick-off ‘ at the Final Match to decide league honours, he had the pleasure of walking on to a field where twenty-two airmen ( and an Officer, Referee ) of his own Command were ready for action. Played in Brandon before an enthusiastic crowd, this game was the climax of a freshly aroused interest in Soccer in this part of Manitoba. The Brandon District Championship Cup was presented at the end of the match.

2 August 1941

• In view of the fact that, for the first time, Flying Instruction had at last managed to get ahead of schedule, the Commanding Officer issued a notice to the effect that all personnel not engaged in essential services might relax their efforts and pursue recreation from mid-way of this Saturday until the evening of Sunday. This gift of a holiday was also a reward for the pains taken generally to keep the Camp tidy and clean. In the oppressive weather prevailing at this time, the rest was vastly appreciated.

3 August 1941

• Apart from these involved in essential services, a great exodus took place, and for the first time in the Station’s life, the Camp seemed uncannily quiet. Private cars, taxi-cabs, motor-buses, and trains, filled to capacity, dispersed all Ranks over a wide area of the province – from Virden in the West to Winnipeg in the East, and from Neepawa in the North to Glenborough in the South. And a refreshing feature was that no Airman seemed to be at a loss what to do and where to go. A very great deal of hospitality must have been extended by the people of Manitoba on this day.

4 August 1941

• The Station Commander received a visit from Group Captain J.E. Betts Officer Commanding the Royal Air Force Station at North Battleford, who was greatly interested in noting what had been done during seven months to achieve for one of the earliest Camps the smooth functioning and orderly appearance which it now possessed. Naturally, the newer Camps – profiting by the experience of those much older – had, from the outset, some advantages which a Unit such as this had been at pains to acquire.
  Meanwhile the Station Cricket Team, playing in Winnipeg before a highly – sympathetic holiday crowd, shook their opponents to the core without, however, defeating them. In thus defying distance to play such matches the Station’s various teams were undoubtedly securing more than their own pleasure and exercise – they were, in very healthy circumstances and with most valuable
  results, welding the bonds of friendship between British and Canadians.

5 August 1941

• After its holiday the Unit resumed work with a will undaunted by a temperature of 108° in the shade. The reactions of personnel, indeed, were as resilient to excessive heat …

IMAGE 1524

CARBERRY.
5 August 1941
(continued)

• … as they had been to excessive cold – a phenomenon surprising to Canadians.

6 August 1941

• Efforts to increase the pleasant appearance of the Camp, although already successful, were not allowed to relax. The normal method of removing unhelpful elements was applied to a few fir-trees that clearly desired to be apathetic. The Speed-limit was reduced to ten miles per hour to reduce dust. Concrete-mixers were busy in connection with the laying of a firm surface to the M.T. Section’s yard. Grass verges were given a clear-cut edge. Course grass was educated to behave like a lawn. And, in the evening of this day, the Station was further embellished by the presence of one-hundred and fifty damsels from Glenborough and Carberry at an Airmen’ s Dance.

7 August 1941

• The hard-working Corporals of the Unit now received, after an earlier abortive attempt, a more official and visible status by virtue of the founding of a Corporals’ Club, and permission to use for social purposes the room vacated by the Pupil-Pilots, who now messed in an exclusive part of the Airmen’s Dining Hall set aside for them and found to be quite satisfactory. At the same time, the part of the Supply Depot recently penetrated by the Station Chaplain took on the appearance of a becoming Chapel – with seemly alter, curtains, congenial kneeling-mats, and a dignified cross erected over the porch. The new large structure to house the Works and Buildings Section was also now completed, and work was in progress to accommodate the Equipment Section in an annex to No. 5 Hangar.
  The evening of this day proved to be complementary to the afternoon in flying operations. At 15.30 hours, returning from a cross-country flight with under-carriage retracted, a Pupil Pilot found that he was unable to lower his wheels. He made four circuits to advertise his condition, and put his Anson firmly down with only damage reparable within three days. Later, during night-flying Instruction at Petrel, at 03.15 in the morning of the 8th. August, a seasoned Instructor, after taking-off, was confronted with a sudden situation of such excessive vibration and misbehavior of his Anson that an immediate forced landing was necessary. Despite retracted under-carriage, he accomplished this in a field adjacent to the …

IMAGE 1525

CARBERRY.
7 August 1941
(continued)

• … emergency landing-ground with negligible damage.

8 August 1941

• The investigation of two civilian auditors into the financial affairs of the Unit appeared, on this day, to cease after several days of effort. So far as the personnel finances of Airmen were concerned, miracles were being wrought. On this date, for instance, two Airmen returned from
  leave and casually mentioned that they had looked in on Vancouver Island, met very kindly-disposed new friends in Victoria, were much impressed with their trip through the Rockies, were quite satisfied with the type of dinner offered by the Banff Springs Hotel, had enjoyed come good swimming and equestrian exercise, and had over five dollars worth of photographs recording their movements. They were grieved that the Niagara Falls must be left over for the twelve months of work before they could, in this Dominion, secure another period of leave. But they were amused that, in Vancouver, a crowd of film-fans had abruptly turned their attention from a notorious Hollywood hero to their unpretentious selves.

9 August 1941

• An Assistant Administrative Officer represented the Station Commander in Winnipeg at a Parade of Veterans of the last war, and took the salute at the March past. Apart from this ceremonial event, the Camp was much perturbed by a grave accident to its pet crow. This popular bird was spending the night in Petrel: and, owing to some awkwardness with a bowser, injured a wing. The Station’s emergency machinery was at once brought to bear, and the crow was operated on by the Senior Medical Officer who strapped its hurt wing to its breast. The crow, making hazardous one-engined landings on short flips was of the deepest interest to the entire personnel of the Station – despite its ill humour.

10 August 1941

• The general good-humour of all personnel was very marked at this period, and there was enthusiasm for all the opportunities of recreation offered them. As an example, on this Sunday Evening, the Station Chaplain found himself confronted with a ‘Full House’ for his Social. Moreover, what amounted to a demand for a Debating Society resulted from the informal exchange of views when the normal items of the programme were concluded. In the afternoon, the Station Cricket Team had played against the Australians and New Zealanders comprising the Team of the No. 3 Wireless School, when fresh contacts were made.

11 August 1941

• Amongst the numerous plans to improve the Camp at this time were included the provision of new means of maintaining the cleanliness of Hangars, the siting of leading-lights for the Station and for Petrel, an improved method of starting-up aircrafts’ obstinate engines, the reorganization of Flying and Ground Instruction, the means whereby the sleep of Pupil-Pilots might be enjoyed with the minimum of interruption, the provision of Emergency Rations, Medical …

IMAGE 1526

CARBERRY.
11 August 1941
(continued)

• … Kits, Thermos Bags, Heater Flasks and Bags, Satchel Hold-alls for the Flights, the improved surfacing of Car Parks, the investigation of the possibility of erecting winter garages and attention to the unserviceability of the snow compactum rollers. These were but a few instances of the constant vigilance maintained to improve the Station’s order and efficiency.

12 August 1941

• The popularity of the special Tuesday Sports Evening was again demonstrated in the Drill Hall where boxing, Badminton, Table Tennis, Basket-Ball, and Tennis were very active – while, in the Recreation Hall, on this evening of other attractions, no less than two hundred and ninety Airmen were enjoying the normal cinematograph show. As a business background of congenial sound came the accelerating engines of Night-Flying Pupil-Pilots. The Senior Course
  was now in advance of schedule, and during the afternoon some first-rate Formation Flying had been witnessed. During the late afternoon, however, an annoying accident had occurred when a Pupil-Pilot, in a brave effort while landing to avoid an aircraft taxying across his path,
  ground-looped and crashed with damage to his Anson requiring fourteen days for repair.

13 August 1941

• The Station was also full of interesting contrasts in its recreational activities. Whereas, in the afternoon, it was found possible to stage a Cricket Match between the Pupil-Pilots and the Best, in the evening the Classical Music Society held its first meeting, when one hundred and twenty members of all ranks listened to a two-hours’ programme of gramophone recordings of Caruso, Lehmann, Mennukin, Mozart, and Brahms – together with a special personal performance on the Violin of the Senior Pupil-Pilot, accompanied on the pianoforte by Mrs. H.E. Walker – wife of the Station Commander.

14 August 1941

• The Station Hospital, although admitting that the health of Airman and Officers was very satisfactory indeed, was hard at work on the immunization of certain unspecified perils connected with a combination of persons or germs classed as Schick and Dick. The Senior Medical Officer was also confronted with the task of examining by X-Ray photograph the chests of all personnel. At the same time, he had to bear in mind the increasing number of Manitoba cases of Infantile Paralysis, and also some form of Sleeping-sickness referred to lightly by healthy …

IMAGE 1527

CARBERRY.
14 August 1941
(continued)

• … Airmen as Carberry-beri.

15 August 1941

• The units Five-hole Golf Course was now completed – and, thanks to the Winnipeg’s Patriotic Sportsman’s’- Association, five sets of golf-clubs were in and out of the Sports Store. Seven challenges were instantly received to take part in Golf Matches from the four winds of Manitoba Golf.
  In the evening the first Corporals’ Dance was held in their new Club Quarters. The proceedings more than justified the effort that had been made to conform visibly the status of these invaluable N.C.O’s. But the great event of this day was the “Wings Parade” of the sixty-three Graduate-Pilots of the out-going Course. This Course had worked excellently, and had achieved high results. It had been arranged that Wing Commander J.S. Scott. M.C., A.F.C., Officer Commanding No. 2 Manning Depot ( a Unit very close in friendship, and Service relationship) should make the presentation of the Emblems. But during the morning, the word went round that His Royal Highness, the Duke of Kent, might just conceivably interrupt his itinerary and put down on the landing-field to be present at the Unit’s favourite ceremony.
  This he actually did: and turned his gracious visit into an even greater memory by devoting his valuable time to pinning the Emblems to the tunics of every graduating Pupil-Pilot. A photograph of the Station Commander welcoming His Highness is attached to this Diary. (ED NOTE: NOT Attached here).

16 August 1941

• As a result of an informal invitation by the Station Chaplain, the Camp was dignified by the presence of four Padre’s and the Commanding Officer of ‘Rivers’, Group Captain A. Lewis. The four Chaplains were the Senior Presbyterian Chaplain of the R.C.A.F., the Command
  Chaplain of No. 2 Training Command, the Station Chaplain of ‘Rivers’, and the Station Chaplain of No. 2 Manning Depot. Brandon, who, as an old friend, was welcomed by smiles from formally saluting Airmen. These visitors accompanied the Commanding Officer in a general tour round the Camp, and although their particular interest was devoted, naturally, enough, to the Steps taken to improve the appearance of the new Chapel, both internally and externally, it was noticeable how long they dwelt on the perfect garden constructed by one airman, for whom (and for this purpose) much extra work had been done by sympathetic but less expert fellows.
  Late in the evening at 23.45 hours, there was very audibly a crash to the South of the landing field. A Pupil-Pilot – L.A.C. Reader, L.R. – having taken-off, climbed steeply, and appeared to lose control and crashed. He could not have survived this concussion.

17 August 1941

• The usual Sabbath calm descended on the Station, except for the Flying – which was particularly active. Course 22 was now comfortably ahead of schedule but Course 24 was …

IMAGE 1528

CARBERRY.
17 August 1941
(continued)

• … unfortunately behind. Maintenance was experiencing difficulty in securing spares – especially cylinders.

18 August 1941

• An unusual, and deplorable, accident occurred on the tarmac. At 20.15 hours a Flight Mechanic was engaged in ‘sucking-in’ an engine of an Anson which had no Pilot, no chocks, and whose instruments were active, the aircraft taxied round in circles. Injured the Flight-Mechanic when he endeavoured to mount it, and finally struck another Anson (in which were seated an Instructor and his pupil) causing damage to itself requiring seven days for repair, and to the other Anson – fourteen days of repair. The Flight Mechanic was not seriously injured.

19 August 1941

• It seemed especially sad, after all the pains taken to make a holiday Camp at Clear Lake, that the plan should be marred by a fatal boating accident. When their craft overturned in a squall, two Airmen were flung into the water and one of them, L.A.C. Doeherty, D. after a struggle, sank and was drowned.
  On the same day, fifty-two Pupil Pilots arrived with every sign of energy and enthusiasm.

20 August 1941

• The Station saw the departure of thirty-five Sergeant Pilots to No. 1 ‘Y’ Depot, Halifax; ten to 31 G.R.S., Charlottetown, and ten more to No. 33 A.N.S., Hamilton, Ontario. There seemed to be a new meaning in the Training now that the Casualty Lists showed that some of the Station’s earlier trained Pilots were by now actively engaged in operations. Realising this, the Airmen turned with a greater feeling of justification to their ‘Harvest Festival’ Dance held in the Recreation Hall which was decorated with stocks of wheat borrowed from a near-by Farm. Square dances peculiar to the country were quickly learned and enjoyed in the company of seventy dancing partners.

21 August 1941

• The same mingling of routine, diversion, and sentiment, characterised this day – which comprised the funeral of L.A.C. Doeherty, D., with the usual help of No. 2 Manning Depot, …

IMAGE 1529

CARBERRY.
21 August 1941
(continued)

• … at Brandon; the examination of several airmen for duties as Aircrew; the defeat at Football of an Army team from Shilo (10-0), and great activity in Flying.

22 August 1941

• The most notable event of this day occurred not on the Station but at Shilo Camp, where the Station Commander inspected and addressed, the graduates of the Army Refresher Course of Instruction.

23 August 1941

• An effort was now made to form a Station Military Band. Most of the necessary instruments had already been acquired, and an energetic Officer was charged with the duty of Selecting and training volunteers.

24 August 1941

• A refreshing situation arose at the popular Sunday Evening Social when a large room used for this gathering at last and finally refused to hold the great number of all Ranks who sought admittance. There was no alternative to the removal of a portable dividing wall between the Room and the Small Canteen. Those using the Canteen promptly joined in the Social.

25 August 1941

• Nine civilian officers of the newly-forming Canadian Air Cadet Corps arrived on the Station for a six-days Course. They were given lectures on various aspects of Ground Instruction, were kept busy in observing many sides of Royal Air Force activities, and had at their disposal the experience of an Officer who formed a Squadron of the Air Defence Cadet Corps in an English School about three years previously.
  A notice in Daily Routine Orders called attention to the first appointment of Honorary Flight Lieutenant A.A. Boone as Part-Time Chaplain to assist the Station Chaplain in respect of ‘Other Denominations’. Sunday Good Conduct Badges were also awarded. And a special notice revealed the fact that Sergeant Proom had been mentioned in Dispatches for Gallant and Distinguished Service.

26 August 1941

• Now that the Sports Ground presented a less rock-like surface there was renewed interest in Rugby Football. In contrast to these exercises, the Padre’s Confirmation Classes were quietly going ahead. There was also a good deal of liveliness as touching Postings.

27 August 1941

• There was much attention being paid both to Tennis and Golf at this time, and Station Championships were being fought out. Cricket and Football retained their great popularity. Basket-ball was again coming into its own. Boxing training was beginning again. The new Miniature Rifle Range was heavily engaged. And there were plenty of opportunities for many other sports and pastimes. Preparations for the Winter were also in hand in such matters as …

IMAGE 1530

CARBERRY.
27 August 1941
(continued)

• … Education Classes, Reference Library, and the provision of as many interests as possible to beguile profitably the approaching Season.

28 August 1941

• An innovation with regard to Sundays was now announced – the basic idea being to
  break the monotony of the seven-days’ working week which had been in progress for some months. Flying and work generally, was to cease at 10.30 hours. Sections were to parade for an inspection of their best blue uniforms; Church Parade would follow; and personnel would then disperse for their mid-day meal. Subsequently, at 14.15 hours, the Airmen in the Parade Ground, and Officers near their Quarters, were to be provided with Physical Exercises for about thirty minutes. This effort was to be followed by complete freedom – and, if desired, voluntary organised games – for the remainder of the day.

29 August 1941

• Course No. 28 arrived, not unwelcome, but far too early; as no provision for their Training could be attempted until the 13th. September. A syllabus was rapidly made by the C.G.I, however, to ensure that these Pupil-Pilots should be so occupied and exercised that, by the date of their entering their Course Proper, they would be recovered from their long month of travel, rendered fit, and (by sundry lectures and Classes) made even more enthusiastic for the weeks of specialised training to follow. Despite their desire for acting rather than for preaching it is only fair to state that in the minds of Flying and Ground Instructors the uppermost wish was to give every chance to all Courses whether disruptive by being late in arrival, or de trop by being too early.

30 August 1941

• True to Royal Air Force traditions, attention given to work was subconsciously illumined by the prospect of a Dance given by the Sergeants’ Mess in the Evening. The Senior N.C.O’s and the Officers were, very happily, brought by the force of circumstances in to healthy and fruitful1 relations – partly by the fact that for normal cinematographs shows they shared the same gallery-seating in the Recreation Hall, partly by the fact that they enjoyed a communal tennis court, and would also share an Ice Rink now being constructed, and partly by …

IMAGE 1531

CARBERRY.
30 August 1941
(continued)

• … the co-operation required in games. The spirit of the Station generally was excellent and this was comforting in view of the confining effects of the Winter now to be faced.

31 August 1941

• On this last day of the month the new Sunday regime came into force. A combined Service of over six-hundred personnel was held in the Recreation Hall, when the Sermon was preached by Squadron Leader J. Rossie-Brown. The stiffness resulting from the Physical Training Class was a matter that could be held over for the next month.
  No. 22 Course had completed Night Flying and were well ahead of schedule; No. 24 Course were now in a better position, having reduced their ‘hours behind’ to nine-hundred; and No. 26 Course were merely a shade behind their schedule.
  .

STRENGTH – PERSONNEL

	Officers	Other Ranks	Civilians
RAF	76	994	–
Service Personnel other Than RAF
RCAF	3	67	–
RCASC	1	4	–
CDC	1	3	–
Civilians	–	–	8
Trainees
RAF & RCAF	–	246	–

STRENGTH – AIRCRAFT

	Serviceable	Unserviceable
Ansons	36	36

H.E. Walker
GROUP CAPTAIN, Commanding,
No. 33 S.F.T.S. R.A.F.