Frobisher Bay, NWT

Welcome to the 926^th AC&W Squadron, on the southern shore of beautiful Baffin Island. The 926^th AC&W Squadron was formed at Grenier AFB, NH in June 1953 and moved to our present location in December 1953. We feel that we have achieved considerable success in our role in the Northeast Air Command and take pride in having the best squadron in the command. We are the pioneers, and have been successful in ironing out most of the bugs in the equipment, and transferring our site into a thriving little community. Although facilities are limited, much has been done to make your stay on Baffin as pleasant as possible. Much of it is up to you – your tour here is only what you make it. If you sit back and do nothing it will be just time wasted out of your life. However, by taking advantage of opportunities that are present, you can benefit considerably from your experience and have a very pleasant tour of duty.

Protestant services are held each Sunday at 11:30 in the theater by the Chaplain presently assigned to Detachment II. This service was conducted by squadron personnel during absences of the Chaplain and is to be highly encouraged. Catholic services are held periodically when a Catholic Chaplain is available.

Open evenings Monday through Friday from 18:30 – 19:30; Saturday 13:30 – 14:30.

In the PX building: Open each evening from 18:00 – 23:00; Saturday 18:00 – 24:00; Sunday 18:00 – 23:00. Beer, soft drinks, dairy-shake and cigarettes.

In the PX building: Operated by squadron barber assigned – no fee charged. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 13:00 – 16:30; Wednesday and Friday 08:30 – 11:30. By appointment only.

Facilities are available at Detachment II. Laundry or dry cleaning may be turned into squadron supply Monday and picked up Friday. Linen is exchanged each Monday at supply at 1300. Automatic washers and dryers are available in the latrines.

Breakfast 06:30 – 07:45
Dinner 12:00 – 12:45
Supper 17:00 – 17:45
Midnight Chow 23:30 – 00:30 (for shift workers only)

A support aircraft from Goose AB is scheduled on Mondays and Thursdays usually arriving between 17:00 and 19:00 local time. Mail call is held at the mail room as soon after arrival as possible. Mail is usually on the scheduled flights but may also come in on unscheduled flights occasionally.

Anyone requiring transportation to Goose AB check with the First Sergeant in the orderly room. He in turn will make arrangements with Detachment II to get you on the manifest of the next available aircraft. You will be notified as soon as advanced word is received of expected arrival of aircraft, and arrangements will be made for transportation to the aircraft.

Supply channels are long and service is slow due to support problems. A 360 day supply of most items is brought in by boat during the short summer shipping season. Critical items can be requisitioned during the off-season to be supplied by air shipment. However, a minimum two – three month delay can normally be expected on a normal requisition, and unless it is a critical item it may not come in until the following shipping season. Don’t be wasteful of materials or equipment although there may appear to be an abundance on hand. Remember – the equipment you have may have to last you a long time. Take care of it and it will take care of you, and be considerate of the people who will be here in your place next year.

Our MARS station is operating practically every day and each evening until approximately 22:00. Considerable success has been attained in making phone patches through operators in the ZI enabling numerous personnel to talk to friends and relatives at home. This service is free and costs you nothing at this end. However, the person at the other end must pay the telephone toll. The area of contact in the ZI is sporadic and depends on atmospheric conditions, and also upon who is standing by to be contacted. A MARSGRAM can be sent through the MARS system to anyone anywhere in the ZI at no cost to you. A commercial telegram can be dispatched through Department of Transport radio at Detachment II.

When films are available movies are shown at 18:15 and 20:15 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturdays. Sunday movies are at 14:00 and 19:00. Tuesday night is Bingo in the dining hall so there is no movie. There is no movie on the Friday nights preceding Saturday morning inspection, which is presently every other Saturday.

Bingo at 20:00 each Tuesday night in the dining hall.

The library is open each evening from 19:00 to 21:00, and a very nice selection of books is available for your use. Also in the library is a small craft shop where you may enjoy working with plastics, leathercraft, or building models.

Outdoor recreation is practically non-existent during winter months because of severe weather and hazardous terrain. During suitable weather however, a volleyball court and horse shoe pits are available between the quarters areas, and a small basketball court is set up in the motor pool. Two softball diamonds are available down at the lower base, and fishing is good during the summer months. No hunting is permitted at any time, and carrying of fire arms is prohibited.

Ample opportunity is afforded for taking of unusual pictures, and a dark room is set up in the lounge of the north wing for your use if you like to develop your own. The Eskimo village is off limits to all military personnel at all times except when authorized by the RCMP. Tours through the village are conducted periodically during the winter months to allow you to take pictures of the natives. The only restriction to taking pictures on the site is the technical equipment will not be photographed.

Temperatures range from a low of minus 40 in the winter to a high of 65 in the summer. The weather is treacherous in the winter and sudden changes are common, so you should always dress appropriately when leaving the buildings. A high wind can close the roads with drifting snow in a very short time and you may suffer extreme discomfort, loss of limbs or even loss of life if you are stranded somewhere and subjected to prolonged exposure to the extreme cold unless you are properly clothed. Three weather conditions exist during the winter and are kept posted on the squadron bulletin board and in the Motor Pool. Condition I is all clear – no restriction to travel. Condition II is hazardous condition with blowing snow – roads treacherous. Condition III is dangerous condition – roads closed – visibility extremely limited by blowing, drifting snow. Under Condition II or III you are not permitted to go outside unless it is absolutely necessary and never alone. If it is necessary to go out call the telephone operator and inform him of your destination and your ETA. When you arrive be sure to call the operator again and inform him. When you leave your building under Condition II or III and do not arrive at your destination in a suitable length of time a search party will be organized to come looking for you.

The duty schedule for non-shift workers is from 08:00 to 17:00 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 08:00 to 12:00.

The following paragraph will give a clear and concise picture of the Chain of Command of this unit and its relation to higher headquarters, together with the mission of each:

Medical services are provided by Medical Service Specialists and is limited to emergency first aid and treatment of minor ailments. Cases of Extreme emergency are airlifted to Goose Air Base where complete medical facilities are available.

The extreme isolation of this site places great stress on the matter of ground safety and accident prevention, more so than in the Zone of Interior. All personnel must be aware of the principles of ground safety and accident prevention.