Metz, France
Support Unit (SU) Metz

1 Jun 60

Lt. Col. RV Hyde, Director of Armed Forces Postal Services, visited Support Unit to inspect the postal facilities at CFPO 109.

Mr. Peter Simonds, AMC/STelO, arrived at Metz to carry out a siting survey for the SSB Radio Telephone circuit between Metz and Decimomannu, and to asses the feasibility of moving the transmitter and receiver terminals of HF Radio Set CAF 3X from Standbridge, UK to Metz.

A Cross of Sacrifice was unveiled at Choloy Cemetery at a ceremony attended by senior officers of Air Division, the French Liaison Officers attached to the four Wings and Headquarters, and Brigadier General CS Vale, Director Northern Region, Imperial War Graves Commission. A parade under the command of W/C AC Bowes, SOTel, Air Division Headquarters, and composed of a guard of honour and airmen and airwomen from the Wings and Metz also participated in the ceremony.

Major General Walter Panitzki, Chief of Staff, German Armed Forces, and Lt. Col. Karl Huelshoff, 4 ATAF, visited Support Unit Telecommunications as part of their tour of Air Division Headquarters.

Ten members of the French Liaison Mission, Paris, visited Air Division Headquarters and toured Fort d’Ars, including COC and Telecommunications.

With the installation of the new switchboard and the move of the Intelligence Branch to Fort d’Ars, peacetime manning of the bunker is now almost complete. Still to be moved is the radio room presently situated in the basement of the Chateau. A golf driving range was opened near the 61 AC&W Squadron site to enable personnel here to practice their game near the unit. Financed by non-public funds and landscaped by volunteers, this is another example of what people can do to provide facilities for themselves similar to those in Canada.

The dependents summer recreation program began under the direction of Mr. P Chevrier and Miss G Schroeder. An all-day program was organized for children of all age groups and included handicrafts, games, swimming instruction and parties for the teenagers.

F/L TL Hanion, AMCHQ/SOSup, visited the Support Unit Supply Section to discuss logistics disposal procedures and problems as part of his tour of Air Division units.

A memorial service was held for the late A/V/M KLB Hodson, who was killed in the crash of a T-33 jet 5 Jul in Colorado where he was on the staff of NORAD.

48061 F/L DA Peters was presented with a cheque and plaque from the Suggestion Award Committee for his suggestion concerning a single camera assessing computer device which has been adopted and is now in use in Air Defence Command and Air Division.

6011 S/L JS Cooper assumed the appointment of CAdO Support Unit vice 25551 S/L HR Wright who has been transferred to CJATC, River, Manitoba as OC Ground Training School. Another step was made toward the provision of better facilities for the dependents of personnel here when a Little League ball park was officially opened at the Fort Bellecroix area near PMQs. The new field was declared officially open by A/V/M LE Wray, AOC 1 Air Division, who pitched the first ball. A game between the Support Unit Tigers and the 61 Squadron Beavers followed.

40497 F/L AT Bowlby assumed the appointment of PAdO Support Unit on transfer from ADCHQ.

Personnel from Air Division HQ participated in Friends Day held at 2 (F) Wing which saw 15,000 French visitors come to the base for an afternoon of flying and ground displays and sports events.

The Mirabelle Queen from the City of Metz visited Air Division where she and her princesses were met on the Chateau steps by A/V/M Wray and presented with flowers by five airwomen.

The RCAF participated in the annual Mirabelle parade entering a float decorated with 8,000 dahlias representing the joining of Canada and France over a bridge of friendship. Two airmen in uniform and two airwomen in the native Lorraine costume rode on the float which was well received by the local populace.

A Guard of Honour commanded by F/O JH Kingdon-Rowe was mounted for A/M Hugh Campbell, Chief of the Air Staff. Following the guard, the CAS briefed all officers in the Station Theatre. A reception was held at the Chateau attended by senior RCAF officers and French dignitaries. The following day, A/M Campbell visited the Combat Operations Centre, 61 AC&W Squadron and the Military Governor of Metz.

The Chief of Staff, A/C PA Gilchrist, and SPSO G/C CL Olsson, paid a staff visit to Support Unit. A maximum presentation parade was held and the two officers visited all sections during the day.

The dependents school at Air Division HQ re-opened after the summer vacation with a total of 644 students registered. Because of a lack of space at the schools in the Fort Bellecroix area, one wing of a barrack block was converted into six classrooms, a laboratory, commercial room and a library for use by the ADHQ Senior School, and accommodated 115 students.

A briefing on personnel policies and activities was given to all officers by W/C JI Davies, AFHQ/AMP/CPers/PC3, who with W/C C Jackson was on a familiarization tour of 1 Air Division. A Guard of Honour was mounted for Major General Robert Taylor III, Chief of the USAF Central Co-ordinating Staff Canada, who visited Air Division Headquarters with six high-ranking USAF and RCAF officers.

A parade was held commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Battle of Britain, with the salute being taken by A/C PA Gilchrist, Chief of Staff, ADHQ. Protestant and Roman Catholic church services were held. At the Protestant service, the Right Reverend FH Wilkinson, Anglican Bishop of Toronto, preached the sermon.

Exercise Flashback commenced. Flashback was the 1960 Joint Atomic Strike and Air Defence Exercise for Allied Air Command Europe in which 1 Air Division units exercised their Emergency Defence Plans. It was played as follows:

Operation Order 26/60 – Exercise Flashback (S960-100 Flashback (C of S)) dated 19 Aug 60 refers.

G/C CM Fawcett of AMCHQ, Mr. LG Crutchlow, Deputy Minister’s Office, S/L NK Young, F/L JT Third and Mr. FJ Corrigan of DDP visited Support Unit Telecommunications to gain first hand knowledge of equipment and facilities prior to the annual Telecom Conference between 1 Air Division and AMCHQ.

W/C SA Banks, AFHQ/DAFS, paid an annual staff visit to inspect the Support Unit Security Services.

The RCAF participated in the Canada Day celebrations at the Foire de Metz. The 1 (F) Wing Pipe Band and the Air Division Guard of Honour were in attendance at a flag-raising ceremony which was climaxed by a flypast of CF-100 and F-86 Sabre aircraft. Prior to the ceremony, a Guard of Honour was mounted on the unit for His Excellency, the Honourable Pierre Dupuy, Canadian Ambassador to France.

Mr. AA Smith, Director of Education for the Department of National Defence, with Captain JD Armstrong and F/L AE Wright, inspected the dependents school facilities at Metz.

In preliminary judging for the annual Miss Grey Cup (Europe) contest, LAW Beth Pokotyle, TTOp, and LAW Kathy Ethier, ClkAdm, were chosen Miss SU West and East respectively. They will represent Support Unit in the final contest Grey Cup (Europe) weekend.

A Disciplinary Court Martial was convened at Support Unit with 20488 W/C DJG Jackson, 1 Air Division COC, as president to try 27269 Cpl. JJM Lebel on charges relating to the embezzlement of public funds. The accused was found guilty and sentenced to release from the RCAF.

4004 S/L SG Hendren was installed as the new mayor of the PMQ Community Council. Twelve new Councillors were also elected, seven from PMQs and the remainder from among the residents of rented accommodation in the Metz area.

The RCAF participated in All Souls Day ceremonies in the city of Metz, laying a wreath there and also at ceremonies for the war dead at Toul and Choloy.

The Honourable Douglas Scott Harkness, PC, GM, ED, Minister of National Defence and Mrs. Harkness, accompanied by A/M FR Miller, Chairman Chiefs of Staff and four members of the press visited Air Division HQ. A mess dinner was held in their honour at the Officers Mess. Saturday 5 November, a Guard of Honour commanded by F/L LH Graves was inspected by the Minister. He concluded his tour at Metz by visiting the RC Chapel, Fort d’Ars and 61 AC&W Squadron.

Remembrance Day services and a church parade was held at Support Unit. Wreaths were also laid on behalf of the RCAF at Choloy Cemetery and in the city of Metz.

In the annual Grey Cup (Europe) football classic, held this year at the Jean Amos stadium in Metz, the East defeated the West 35-8 for the first time in four years. Prior to the game, a parade composed of floats from the Wings and Langar and two bands wound its way through Metz from Fort Bellecroix. Festivities were presided over by LAW Caroline Kulas, a FtrCop from 61 AC&W Squadron, this years Miss Grey Cup (Europe).

The Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, composed of thirteen members of Parliament headed by Dr. John W Kucherepa, member for High Park (Toronto) paid a short visit to ADHQ. During their stay they visited the picturesque St. John the Baptist RC Chapel on the unit.

W/C WM Mills, representing the AOC, placed a wreath on the French Resistance monument in ceremonies commemorating the liberation of Metz in 1945.

Approximately 166 officers and senior NCOs attended a two-day space technology indoctrination course conducted by Dr. AC Arnell, scientific advisor to the CAS, Dr. TR Hartz of DRB and a party of three officers from AFHQ.

(AP Blackburn) W/C
CO, RCAF Support Unit Metz