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NO. 2 OPERATING SECTION
No. 2 Operating Section or Training Section came to Pat Bay from camps all across the Dominion. We were drawn from various units--Armoured Corps, R.C.A., Infantry, etc. After the initial task of cleaning up Pat Bay camp we began training under WO 1 Halliday and his group of instructors. In the next three and a half months we recall our efforts to ensure a week-end pass to Vancouver, the many arguments which occurred in theory class, and Sgt-Major Halliday looking over the rims of his glasses and beginning one of his many tirades with, "You boys think?"
Leaving Pat Bay we took in the night life of San Fransisco and "enjoyed" our cruise on the luxury liner SS Monterey. At Chermside we shared the camp fatigues and enjoyed the social life of Brisbane. In Darwin after a period as common laborers, No. 2 returned to training classes under Lt. Legere. Sgt Vaughan-Smith and Sgt Balcom were the instructors. After guiding us through the intricacies of procedure classes Sgt Vaughan-Smith left us to enter the station and we received two instructors from the Bear Party--L/Cpl "Andy" Anderson and L/Cpl "Rhythm Jim" Vernon. One of the high-lights of the Training Ops stay in Darwin was the section Anniversary party held at the beach. Supper rations, beer and lolly water were taken to the beach and the evening was spent in singing and spinning yarns about the past year.
Our section carried out its own extensive program of sports. In softball, the section had a three team league which operated twice a week. It was an exciting schedule and Jessiman's hard-fought Bludgers came out on top over the Lasthopes and the Sluggers. The players on the winning Bludger team were: Jessiman, Boileau, Murphy, Roberts, Hunter, Palmer, Wilhelm, Wilkinson, Grant, Clark, Kensett, and Vernon. The six team volleyball league provided all of us with plenty of fun and excitement. Tommy Middleton's Winners cane out on top after playing great ball to defeat Corbett's Dodgers in the semi-finals and Campbell's Didahdits in the finals. The Winners lineup was as follows: Middleton (Capt), Clark, Rousseau, Murphy, McNicol, Hutchison, Lawton, Bodman, Lindon, and Scott. In track and field, we visited 3 W.U. for a sports day which included not only track and field events, but also softaball, volleyball and badminton. We won over the Aussies by a narrow margin. Training Section's sports were a complete success. The main idea behind the extensive program was to get everyone "in the act". This certainly was achieved. To Lt. Legere goes much of the credit for organizing this program and for its successful completion.
The year together has brought a lot of laughs for No. 2 Op. and we hope we have not caused too many headaches for the other members of the unit. We have been well represented in the unit activities with members in all four camp clubs. In sports we have more than held our own, winning all three unit championships including the coveted softball league, table tennis and horseshoes.
In looking back over the past year we can see ourselves in future years remembering such instances as: "Hutch's" feeble cry at 7.30, "Time to get up?"; D'Avignon's adventures at Mt. Isa; Tommy Miiddleton's "Come on bones, roll for daddy"; Bill Murray's parcels; 0scar's grin; "Major" Bartholomew's "Two and six? please"; Kensett's love affairs; Jim Groome's great midnight fight; Clark's thoughtful endeavors to make us all better men; Art Johnson's many escapades which he took with a smile; Trumpour's and Montrieul's moustaches; "Boombaw's" record player; Boileau with Clark's guitar; Marshall's celebration on V-J Day and the many other instances in our life together.
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