Daily Diary

No. 33 Service Flying Training School,
Carberry, Manitoba

May 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 1483

CARBERRY.
1 May 1941

STRENGTH: Personnel.

	Officers	Other Ranks	Civilians
RAF	83	974	–
Service Personnel other Than RAF
RCAF	6	34	–
RCASC	1	4	–
CDC	–	–	12

STRENGTH: Aircraft:

	Serviceable	Unserviceable
Ansons	28	14
Harvards	22	9
Tiger Moths	1	1

CARBERRY.
1 May 1941
(continued)

• The month opened with variable weather which, however, did not greatly affect the number of flying hours. A hot afternoon – presumably a foretaste of the type of weather …

IMAGE 1484

CARBERRY.
1 May 1941
(continued)

• … soon to prevail – caused some hard thinking in making provision for summer conditions. Outer windows were detached and replaced by wire-mesh frames. A civilian expert on landscape gardening was to be seen walking about the Camp with an eye on the soil, on dust-prevention, and on the agreeable appearance of the Station. In between rain-storms the marking-out of football pitches and other games areas was begun. At the same time stocks of light games wear were ordered so that an opportunity could be given to the airmen to equip themselves with the essentials required by comfort and hygiene. The Sports Subscription was held in abeyance so that airmen might the more easily afford these things.
  Apart from these matters the Station had clearly reached an age when the troubles of youth were receding, each Section feeling well organised for its work, and a nice blend of war-time effort and peace time graces being achieved.

2 May 1941

• Nor, in the midst of a seven-day weekly working output, was it found impossible to accept the many invitations which continued to arrive. On this day twenty airmen from Maintenance Wing went to Winnipeg as guests of the Associated Mixed Bowling League. They were met at the Station, taken to the respective homes of their hosts, and provided with a week-end of first-class hospitality including Dinners, a Dance, a Theatre Visit, and Motor-coach trips to places of special interest. At the same time invitations to groups of forty airmen were received from small Towns whose roads were now open. Canadian hospitality was unflagging, and the reputation of the airmen as grateful and courteous guests was very high.

IMAGE 1485

CARBERRY.
2 May 1941
(continued)

• During the day a Harvard swung off the runway and damaged its leg and centre flap (c).

3 May 1941

• A notice to the effect that six hundred bottles of the Brandon Creameries seemed to have been temporarily mislaid on the Station suggested that the tastes of Service personnel had undergone a transformation since 1918. An enquiry at the Wet Canteen as to its profits from beer proved, however, to be reassuring. The sales at the Canteens showed that business was extremely brisk also in the non-alcoholic beverages and dry goods dispensed by the Y.M.C.A.
  The R.C.A.F. element in the Station, though more susceptible to comings and goings, showed a steady tendency to increase. Whereas nineteen u/t Pilots were posted to No. 2 I.T.S., thirty-four a/c2’s arrived from No. 2 Manning Depot.
  An Anson piloted by a Pupil sustained slight damage while taxying, and was easily and quickly repaired.

4 May 1941

• This Sunday introduced a change in the Church Parade Routine. The Parade was greatly increased in size and importance, and included the Commanding Officer’s Inspection

IMAGE 1486

CARBERRY.
4 May 1941
(continued)

• … of one of the three Sections. Such periodical inspections were the more necessary in view of the condition of many airmen’s clothing, and the issue of tunics and trousers of Canadian cloth was warmly welcomed by airmen concerned. At the subsequent Church Service the Station Chaplain dealt severely with the inadequate resistance of some personnel to certain dangers encountered in Winnipeg.

5 May 1941

• The arrangements for the provision of trees and shrubs and grass seed now began to show practical results, and load after load of saplings came to the Camp and were instantly planted in pre-arranged spots. Workmen had already been busy with the levelling of the ground and the supplying of rich top-soil, and in the course of three days the appearance of the Station was completely altered. These measures supplied an incentive to Sections to tend the tidiness of their own terrain.

6 May 1941

• The Fifth of the Station Commander’s Conferences was held. These regular weekly Conferences, attended by Officers representing the various interests and departments, served, by the reporting of progress to the Commanding Officer and the interchange of ideas, to knit the Station together.

7 May 1941

• Airmen were informed of the situation as touching Canadian reunion with their wives and families. It was made dear that, although the attitude of the Air Ministry was by no means unfavourable to the project, there were grave difficulties ahead.
  During the evening, the Officers’ Mess – decorated and equipped for the occasion –

(ED NOTE: IMAGE 1487 duplicate of 1486: data for 8.5.41 & 9.5.41 not found)

IMAGE 1488

CARBERRY
10 May 1941

• However, with Flying proceeding normally, there was the more scope for interest in the first -two Trial Matches in ‘Soccer’. While there was readiness to leave such Canadian games as Softball (familiar in principle from its British ancestor ‘Rounders’), the personnel maintained their usual eagerness for Football and Cricket, and were delighted when Brandon and Winnipeg sent invitations to join their Leagues. The desire for exercise daily increased, and a string of horses stabled in Carberry led many Officers and Airmen to resume, or experiment with, riding. One Canadian horse threw three Airmen and one Officer in a single day’s amusement.

11 May 1941

• This Sunday further confirmed the impression that neglect of exercise in many cases had been due to the severity of the winter. This was the first day when it was at all possible to explore the beautiful country south of the Camp, and many walkers were to be found three or four miles from the Station in the country already familiar to many airmen in the works of the naturalist, Seton Thompson.
  A Pupil Pilot had a mishap when his Harvard swung off the runway and damaged its leg and centre flap (C).

12 May 1941

• Maintenance Wing was now busy with a change, in its organisation of Servicing, from the previous method of allocating aircraft to Flights for their exclusive continued use, to the new method of issuing them daily to Flights from a general pool system. This activity was increased by the necessity of preparing the Harvards for their departure from the Station, …

IMAGE 1489

CARBERRY.
12 May 1941
(continued)

• … and by the special vigilance entailed by the unsatisfactory condition of the Anson’s engines. Pilot Officer J.F. Holman was posted to the British Air Commission, Washington.

13 May 1941

• During the night-flying of the night, 12th. – 13th., a Harvard swerved off a runway and sustained damage to a wing-tip and aileron. The Pupil Pilot was unharmed (C). And during the day there were two more accidents – an Anson, when landing, tipped forward on to its nose damaging its tyres and airscrew (C), and another Harvard repeated the performance of the previous night, swinging off a runway and injuring a Wing and Flaps (C). In neither case was there personal injury.

14 May 1941

• During the evening was held the first Station Boxing Match in the converted Drill Hall. No. 2 Manning Depot, Brandon, supplied the opponents. The Mayors of Brandon and Carberry, Members of the Brandon Auxiliary Services and the Patriotic Sportsmen’s Association, the Commanding Officer and Adjutant of the Depot, and other male visitors had an opportunity of witnessing boxing according to Royal Air Force rules. The boxing experience of the Commanding Officer of the Station had enabled the transformation of the Drill Hall to be made into what a newspaper recorded as being ‘probably the finest arena in Canada’.

IMAGE 1490

CARBERRY.
15 May 1941

• The Second Ceremonial Parade for the presentation of flying badges took place at 16.30 hours. Pupil Pilots of No. 8 Course received their badges from the Commanding Officer, Group Captain H.E. Walker. M.C., D.F.C., and many civilian guests were present. These graduates had completed their training on Harvards, and these aeroplanes were now no longer required on the Station. Guests who had been present at the First ‘Wings Parade’ and had not since visited the Station was astonished at the quick change in the Camp’s appearance. The Parade was followed by a Thé Dansant, and groups of visitors were escorted on discreet tours of the Station.

16 May 1941

• Next day the forty-three Temporary Sergeants, remustered as Pilots (Group B) left the Station to be attached to No. 1 “M” Depot, Halifax. Second Lieutenant E.W. March, R.C.A.S.C. assumed duties of Officer i/c Supplies, in place of Lieutenant C.L. Reid, on transfer from R.C.A.S.C. Supply Depot, Rivers, Manitoba.

17 May 1941

• The cheerfully obstinate demand for Cricket was satisfied during this afternoon when teams representing Officers and Airmen, respectively, engaged in a rustic match on the pasture-land of a neighbouring farm. Gopher-holes were regarded as quite natural hazards. The Station was visited by two Group Captains and one Wing Commander who inspected Maintenance Wing – Group Captain R.J. Grant, Group Captain V.P. Feather, and Wing Commander N.C. Pleasance – and the purpose of their visit was an investigation of maintenance difficulties. Anxiety about the Ansons engines seemed to be increasing – but the Flying Hours of the School were …

IMAGE 1491

CARBERRY.
17 May 1941
(continued)

• … now approaching ten thousand without an accident due to engine defect or faulty Servicing.

18 May 1941

• Amongst the many measure taken for improving conditions was the purchase of curtains and cushions for the Airmen’s Mess. A civilian tailor also attended at the Camp daily: and by this time the Barber’s Shop was well established.
  A weekly Sunday evening social was instituted by the Station Chaplain. The programme included community singing, a news bulletin, a talk on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a magic lantern exhibition of photographs taken on the Unit by the Chaplain, classical music on gramophone records, a religious film, concluding with a devotional ten minutes. All then adjourned for tea and biscuits.
  909500 L.A.C. Richardson, A.G., was severely injured when the airscrew of the port engine of an Anson swung back off the compressor and struck him on the back. L.A.C. Richardson is the composer and singer of the famous song, “The Old Sow”.

19 May 1941

• Thoughts of leave now began to occur to many minds – especially in view of the fact that after five months of intensive effort the Station was running smoothly. Plans were also being made for a holiday camp at Clear Lake where airmen could spend periods of pass and …

IMAGE 1492

CARBERRY
19 May 1941
(continued)

• … leave.
  The Maintenance Wing and Flights were reorganised on the “Garage System”. Within a few days a number of troubles were to be experienced with the aircraft – cracked cylinders, valve guides, and exhaust valves – thus lowering the rate of serviceability and making it difficult to estimate the value of the new system at the time. The warrant officers, flight sergeants and sergeants held a dance in their mess, guests coming in some instances from as far as Winnipeg.

20 May 1941

• The increasing funds of the P.S.I, enabled further improvements to be made to the pupil’s ante-room and mess, the Airmen’s mess, and the two canteens, in the way of curtains and comfortable furniture. A soda fountain was rented for the big canteen.

21 May 1941

• A trial Association football match was held with a view to forming two teams for the Brandon Military League. A general meeting was held for those interested in Rugby football.

22 May 1941

• 1258117 L.A.C. Baker, J.H., one of the pupils, was dangerously injured when he was struck on the left arm by an airscrew through failing to leave the aircraft in the proper manner. His arm had to be amputated.
• The Station experienced its first mechanical failure since it started to operate, after approximately 15,000 hours flying which comprised 24,500 engine hours. This was due to a cracked cylinder head. During this period all undercarriages had come down and no engine failures had occurred. The …

IMAGE 1493

CARBERRY.
22 May 1941
(continued)

• … completion of this long period of flying hours without defect is a high compliment to the efficiency of the Maintenance personnel on the Unit.

23 May 1941

• The opening match of the Military Association Football League was held at Brandon, when the Station “B” team defeated the Congos by six goals to one. The Kick-off was taken by Group Captain H.E. Walker, M.C., D.F.C. A Court of Inquiry was held to investigate the accident to 909500 L.A.C. Richardson, A.G. Squadron Leader N.E. Morrison, A.F.C. was posted to No. 32 S.F.T.S. Moose Jaw as Chief Instructor. He was replaced as “B” Squadron Commander by Squadron Leader H. Harkness, from No. 32 S.F.T.S. Twenty airframe mechanics under training were posted to this Unit temporarily pending a course, to relieve a serious shortage of A.C.H./G.D’s on the Station.

24 May 1941

• The Station played a cricket match against Winnipeg Select XI in Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg. Wing Commander J. Cox, D.F.C. captained the side. This was the opening match of the cricket season at Winnipeg. A Court of Inquiry assembled to inquire into the accident of 1258117 L.A.C. Baker, J.H.

25 May 1941

• The Winnipeg Girls Pat Band and Dancing Troupe gave an excellent performance in …

IMAGE 1494

CARBERRY.
25 May 1941
(continued)

• … the Recreation Hall in the evening. There was a large attendance.

26 May 1941

• Flight Lieutenant W.S. Barton arrived from No. 1 S.F.T.S. Camp Borden, on posting. Fifteen American pilots who had been granted commissions as Pilot Officers in the R.C.A.F. were posted to this Unit from Picton, Ontario, to undergo training as Staff Pilots for No. 33 Air Navigation School.
  “The Rip Chords”, the newly-formed Station concert party, under the direction of Flying Officer J.F. Sexton, joined with Winnipeg artistes in producing a musical show at the Walker Theatre in behalf of the Lord Mayor’s Fund for Britain. Their performance was given an enthusiastic reception.

27 May 1941

• The Officers’ Mess held its monthly meeting. It was decided that another cocktail-dance should be held in the middle of June.

28 May 1941

• The Station concert party, “The Rip Chords” gave their first performance on the Station. The show was written and produced by Flying Officer J.F. Sexton. The entertainment was on a very high level, and delighted a very large audience. The concert consisted of sketches, singing, dancing, and individual items. The musical background was provided by the Station orchestra, led by A.C. Gerald Death. A dramatic representation of an aerial bombardment in England was a marked feature of the performance. The Station ‘B’ team scored their second win of the football season by beating Hydro at the Athletic ground, Brandon, by one goal to nil. The goal was scored in the last two minutes of play.

IMAGE 1495

CARBERRY.
29 May 1941

• The bad weather during the flying week ending 29th. May, seriously affecting the training of No. 13 and No. 15 courses. The first issue of tropical clothing was made, preparatory to its introduction on 15th. June, 1941. Forty-six airmen reported on the Station from No. 2 Manning depot. The twenty airmen who arrived on this Station from No. 2 Manning Depot, Brandon, on 23rd. May, 1941, returned to their Unit.

30 May 1941

• Flying Officer A. Bevan, R.C.A.F. Liaison Officer, was posted to the University of Manitoba Training Unit.

31 May 1941

• One Flight Lieutenant, one sergeant and fifty men represented the Unit at the Victory Loan Parade at Brandon. Group Captain H.E. Walker, M.C., D.F.C., and Wing Commander J. Cox, D.F.C., were amongst those at the Saluting Base. All Military units in the district took part. During the month many hundreds of small trees and shrubs were planted on the Station. Black earth in large quantities was transported to cover the sandy soil, entailing considerable labour. The Station has improved greatly in appearance.
  During the month thirty-four Harvards were allocated to other Units: 18 to Dauphin, 7 to Yorkton, 6 to Medicine Hat, 2 to Moose Jaw and 1 to MacDonald, …

IMAGE 1496

CARBERRY
31 May 1941
(continued)

• … and eighteen Ansons were received during the month, 14 from Winnipeg and 4 from Edmonton. The bad weather during the month interfered with flying to the following extent:
  No. of days unfit for flying training ……………………….4
  No. of ½ days unfit for flying training ……………………….4
  No. of nights unfit for flying training ……………………..11

STRENGTH, Aircraft:

	Serviceable	Unserviceable
Ansons	42	22
Tiger Moths	2	–

STRENGTH, Personnel.

	Officers	Other Ranks	Civilians
RAF	80	972	–
Service Personnel other Than RAF
RCAF	16	96	–
RCASC	1	4	–
CDC	1	1	–
Civilians	–	–	7
Trainees
RAF & RCAF	–	134	–

H.E. Walker
Group Captain, Commanding,
No. 33 S.F.T.S. R.A.F.