Mont Apica, QC

16 Jun 52

Advance party arrived with W/C EC Briese, CD, to organize the station. (Authority – Organization Order 1001 dated 13 Mar 52)

The CO, W/C EC Briese, CD, welcomed the first contingent of AW’s to arrive at this station. After welcoming them, the CO had a chat with W/C Dunn, Senior Protestant Padre ADC, who accompanied the girls from Bagotville. The CO then departed with F/L Millage for a conference at ADCHQ.

F/L T Lasik plus 5 others arrived from 2400 AC&WU Reserve Unit to liase with the Senior Controller on employment of Reserve Squadrons during their summer employment period from 20 July to 2 August 1952.

Feverish preparations for impending arrival of large contingent of personnel from 2400 Reserve Toronto and other units. – Operation Signpost AC Op Order 7/52.

Transportation arrangements, feeding and accommodation ironed out to welcome visitors.

Reserves arrive and are generally pleased with accommodation and planned activity.

S/L Rutland and his Reserve Admin staff co-operating and taking part in the handling of their own personnel.

Swimming arranged at La Gite. Movies in the MT Section.

Station dance to welcome Reserves.

AVM Miller, A/C Carscallen and party visit unit on liaison duties. Bingo night.

Weather excellent. Swimming again.

Routine – W/C Briese, S/L Rutland and F/L Millage proceeded on conference to ADCHQ.

Wiener Roast and other activities as operations tapering off. Muster parade to thank all personnel for AOC.

Amateur night was a success.

Farewell to Reserves from Sherbrooke.

Farewell to large contingent from Toronto who were transported to Bagotville for a cruise to Quebec.

Radar inoperative. Regular personnel getting time off and leave. Remainder clearing up after Signpost. Personnel beginning to move in families to PMQs.

F/L SS Woods arrived on transfer to assume duties of CAdO.

Preparing for AOC’s Inspection. CO holds conference of Section Commanders.

Inspection of Airmen and Sgts. Quarters by CAdO, SMO and SWO. All in order.

AOC, A/V/M AL James, CBE, CD, G/C Bray, S/L Allison arrive at 1 :45 p.m. After tea and a tour of campsite and inspection of kitchen, the AOC was driven up the hill where he made a detailed inspection of the Ops Bldg. A synthetic exercise was carried out for him. A round table conference attended by AOC, CO and Section Commanders was held and the AOC expressed his appreciation of the efforts of the unit during Operation "Signpost". At approximately 1630 hours the AOC and party departed by road for Bagotville.

Routine. Acute shortage of cooks forces us to send airmen, who act as Civil Personnel Officer, to Quebec City to try and hire cooks and messmen.

News of a requirement for 24 hour operation from Command. This raises problems insofar as MT and feeding are concerned. Our ME is already heavily overstrained. CO due to depart on leave for a few days. He briefs A/CO, S/L AW Bishop, who will take over.

Rains all day. Station Dance at night.

F/L Neff, protestant Chaplain, here from Bagotville. Conducted Communication and Church Service in Airmen’s Lounge. Approximately 15 present. Father Clouthier, RC priest from Quebec City, said Mass for RCAF and Byers personnel. This arrangement is not too satisfactory.

F/L Arsenault, RC Padre from Bagotville, visited Station and discussed Padre matters. F/L McKergow, Command Messing Officer, visited this unit to discuss messing generally. F/O McDowall, Adjutant of Lac St. Denis, visited this unit on exchange liaison.

F/L Neff, Padre (P) from St. Hubert, had talks with A/CO and CAdO. Very warm.

W/C Briese returns. F/O Osenenko appointed office in charge historical records for Ops Bldg. Big horse shoe tournament tonight.

Horseshoe tournament. CO wins. Very warm.

Raining. CO’s inspection of Airmen’s and Airwomen’s Quarters, kitchens, etc. All in order. Mrs. Boyd, Protestant School Teacher, arrives. CO’s meeting at 1100 hours. 200110 LAC JLG Laliberty has complaint. CO handles it.

Visit from Messrs. Filion from St. Joseph D’Alma to CO re Grocery Store. AFAO A24/18 re this matter read to them. (Translated by Mr. Filion’s son). Wiener Roast on hill for married personnel and children. Airmen’s Dance in lounge.

Clear and warm. 4 new Radar Performance Checkers in. Fix up volleyball net and get games started outside Combined Mess.

Holiday, raining.

Getting ready for school opening.

CO’s meeting prior to TD in ADC. Mr. Laure Bellevue, Supervising Engineer of Department National Health Welfare calls in at 10:00 p.m. for discussion re Water Supply. MO and CE Section not here.

S/L GT Durrell, DCE/AFHQ called re CE matters. Applied for Station Library $150.00, Reading Room $35.00, Annual Library Grant $100.00. A123 passed to accounts.

CO’s inspection of barracks. Airwomen’s Barracks found all right. Room for improvement in Airmen’s Barracks. Liberty run to St. Joseph D’Alma. Station Fund Meeting.

Airmen’s Dance. Sgts. Mess have party for Officers. Cocktail Party at Mr. Bishop’s home. CO returns. PMQ coming along well.

Protestant Padre here. Church service and interviews.

Sunny.

Rainy. Officers Mess meeting at 1400 hours. Barber here. Haircuts to be at the following rates: 75 cents for Officers and Civilians. 60 cents for Airmen. 40 cents for children.

Clear. Station promotion board sits for Airmen promotions – CO as president.

A/C Wray, A/C Long, G/C Ruttan and G/C Bradshaw arrived for a liaison visit with contractor and CO of unit re construction progress.

Grocery Store opens in basement of Protestant School operated by Mr. JL Filion of St. Joseph D’Alma on a contract basis. Landscaping of the lawn areas around PMQs commencing.

Warm and clear.

False Alarm rung in by some child at post #16 PMQ area.

Designation of unit, 201 Radio Station Mont Apica, changed to read 12 AC&W Squadron, Mont Apica. Unit amendment A804 dated 23 Oct 52. F/L Edson, SOSec of ADCHQ visits us re security and provost matters.

CAdO visits Bagotville. The first child (a boy) to be born of RCAF parents at this unit was born in St. Joseph D’Alma to LAC and Mrs. Orman.

Clear.

RC and Protestant Church Services held in play room of Protestant School.

Snowing a bit. Meeting of Sunday School Board held. President F/S Morton, Supt of Sunday School Mr. DG Williams our teacher, and members Mrs. RT Keill, Secretary-Treasurer F/L Woods.

Approximately 8 to 10 inches of wet sticky snow ties things up. Busses can’t climb the mountain – chains become the order of the day. CO’s meeting of section heads.

F/O W Page, Fighter Controller Officer, reported in for contact training prior to his course in Florida. F/O Page is a veteran of the Korean Conflict where he served in the Infantry. Dance held at RCAF Station Bagotville and several of our personnel go to it in the large bus.

Cloudy. Progress is starting on our new recreation hall which we hope to have ready for Xmas – certainly the drill hall portion at least.

Clear. A doughnut machine has been received from Canadian Donut Company, Trenton. The machine is loaned to us for station use and a vehicle of ours coming from 6RD where the machines are made picked it up for us. It is worth about $1,200.00 and has been installed in the Airmen’s Mess.

Cloudy and mild. F/O and Mrs. Robinson’s little girl became caught in the sand and waterhole at the back of PMQ unit #3. F/S Morton pulled her out and the area was promptly covered with plywood to prevent any further accidents. There seems to be a tendency on the part of the contractor to be careless about such matters as leaving manholes uncovered at night or piles of rocks on the roads without warning lights.

Thanksgiving Day – Sunday Routine. Area where the child fell in is being drained and filled, but it is a huge task as the area is at the bottom of a hill where all the water seems to drain to.

F/L Arsenault, RC Chaplain from Station Bagotville is here. A slight earthquake was felt here by most personnel – sufficient to cause hairline cracks in the basement of several PMQ’s. Wet snow.

Mr. Gauthier, local Federal Member from St. Joseph D’Alma, was here to discuss the matter of contract for grocery store with Mr. Filion and CO and CAdO.

Station Fund meeting. The Principal Chaplain (P) for ADC, S/L JC Scott, visited this unit together with F/L Williams, Chaplain (P) to discuss matters at this unit.

CO’s Inspection. Personnel from 2450 ACWU (Reserve) at Sherbrooke visit us under authority of ADC message A0 101 dated 15 October. The personnel had a long hard trip – the roads being terrible.

Reserve personnel still here on training duties. Some leave tonight.

Reserves still here – not all of them could leave yesterday due to the terrible road conditions – deep wet snow, some decided to stay over a day.

Snowy and cold. Officers Mess meeting.

Airmen’s Canteen Committee Meeting. The roof on the recreation hall is almost complete.

In an effort to secure better barbering facilities we interviewed another barber, Mr. Gagnon of St. Joseph D’Alma. However, barbers are not too keen to work here due to the long drive over bad roads etc. They would sooner stay in their shop and work.

A concert party here from ADC – 34 strong – for the Bond Drive show. They put on an excellent show – dancing – comic acts, songs etc. An "At Home" was held tonight for them in the Sgts. Mess.

Bond Drive Party still here – they put on a show for the children at 2 PM. The Bond Drive Party left by bus for Bagotville at 0200 hours.

202219W P/O VM Chapman reported in as Station Adjutant.

Laying of cement walks going along very nicely.

Donut machine installed.

Snowy and damp. W/C Morton SOAF/ADCHQ here to inspect accounts.

Roof on Recreation Building being tarred. Mild and warm. W/C Morton leaves.

Station dance held. Very enjoyable. Costumes etc. Party from Bagotville visits us for dance.

Rec. Hall roof almost all tarred. Mild and warm.

Rain last night.

Mrs. Labelle CPO reports in. Ladies Auxiliary meeting.

F/L Frayne DRA (P) and S/L Scott, Chaplain (P) ADC and F/L J Neff Chaplain (P), Bagotville, here on visit to discuss religious problems. Cement floor on Drill Hall covered with metal spikes.

Roofing almost all done on Rec. Hall. Basement of RC School finished except for painting. Painting of Drill Hall Portion and RC Basement estimated to start Nov 24^th. Sgt. O’Leary, Hygiene Inspector, inspects station. Mr. Filion and Mr. Gauthier MP of St. Joseph D’Alma here to discuss Snack Bar, etc. Sgt. O’Leary here from ADC inspects washrooms, barracks etc. and made report to CO.

CAdO investigates matter for CO.

Liberty run to Arvida. Dull and damp.

Snowy. Routine.

Routine.

Routine – Sunday School meeting.

Broken water pipes in front of mess quarters. Routine. CO Inspection. News of ME accident.

Work on putting up outdoor skating rink. Liberty run to Arvida for shopping. News of later break in main near combined mess. Weather mild. Airmen’s dance last night. First Protestant Sunday School gets organized, with usual organization problems. Teachers: AW1 Grimley, Mrs. Bell, Mrs. Stubblefield, Mrs. Johnston ad Mr. Williams (Superintendent).

S/L Ockenden and F/L Inglis of ADC here. Female Officers move to PMQ #25 and release 7 rooms in upstairs barracks for more officers. F/L Neff here for Protestant Service – 8 people.

ME accident on hill. F/O Beland to investigate. F/O Torpe, FCO, reported in. Women’s Auxiliary Meeting.

Mild. Rough flooring on drill hall done.

CO back. Mild. Smoker in Officer’s mess Lounge for Senior NCO’s and Officers. Well attended.

6 Reserve Airmen and 7 Reserve Officers arrive for weekend by GMT and taxi from Reserve Unit at Quebec City after rough ride. Meeting in Protestant School to elect a Committee to organize the Cub, Scout and Guide movement at this unit. Cpl. Lloyd of the unit PRTI leaves for Officer Training in London and eventual commissioning as FCO.

F/O MM Bubnick, the Adjutant at this unit, is transferred to North Bay. Her place is taken by P/O VM Chapman who has been Assistant CAdO for a period. An inspection of the Lounge and the Drill Hall reveals swarms of men sand-papering and making ready for painters due on 24^th. The rough floor is completed and apparently 2 weeks are required for it to dry before the final floor is laid.

Rainy and mild. Sunday School at 1100 hours in Airmen’s and Sgts. Lounge. Reserve Unit departs. Mont Apica Sun, local school paper is produced by Protestant pupils.

Painters commence shellacking on Drill Hall walls. Foggy and rainy.

Colder. LAC Cote up before CO as a result of ME accident. New canteen steward due today. WO2 and Sgt and Cpl PPOps report in on TD.

Canteen Steward, AC1 Pichette reports in. Inspect new Snack Bar and Canteen. Should be ready 27 Nov 52.

F/O Robinson of ADC, SO Org visits this unit on TD to study accommodation. He was escorted around men’s and women’s barracks, to the tower, etc. and given a clear picture. First dining-in night held with Officers and Senior NCO’s present. Short speeches by PMCs and CO. Organized games afterwards. Very successful punch.

Cooler. PMQ 4 and 6 which are to be used as offices are completed. #5 is due to be finished shortly. Snowstorm and ambulance leaves for hospital at St. Joseph D’Alma with expectant mother, Mrs. Koroluk and MO as passenger. The snack bar operated on a contract basis by Mr. Filion who operates the grocery store and the Airmen’s Dry Canteen operated by the RCAF both opened tonight. It is hoped that these two institutes will provide a place for younger people to gather and listen to "juke box" as an alternate to the wet canteen. When the hockey rink opens it will prove an ideal spot for coffee and donuts etc. between skates. The boards for the wall of the hockey rink are all up. It is situated opposite the Protestant School. When the ground is completely frozen, flooding will start. Heavy snow tonight.

Colder. Perfect weather although snow here, there is none at Hebertville, 35 miles away. The stretch of 18 miles of gravel between here and the pavement north coupled with steep hills means a constant putting on of chains and the removal when pavement is reached and later reversing the procedures on the return trip from Hebertville to camp.

Clear today, temperature plus 20 degrees to plus 8 degrees last night. Sunday School this morning at 1100 hours. A chair was burnt last night in the Sergeant’s Mess. Liberty run leaves at 1000 hours today with fans for the hockey game at Chicoutimi. Quebec Aces vs. Chicoutimi Senior "A" QHL. Church – 20 in attendance.

Signed by:
EC Briese) W/C
CO 12 AC&W Squadron,
Mont Apica, Que.

15 Jul 52

#201 Radio Squadron, Mont Apica activated. Personnel continuing to arrive. Installation of all equipment continuing. A rush to get operational for exercise "Signpost".

Reserve personnel arriving for summer training. Officers and Airmen from Toronto and Sherbrooke. Start of exercise "Signpost" at 1600Z, Mont Apica not yet participating due to incomplete installation of various equipment.

Mont Apica participating in "Signpost" from 1600Z. Reserve personnel being employed in all positions under "Regular" supervision.

End of "Signpost". Operational GCI continued.

25 intercepts this month.

At 2100Z stand down for Radar Maintenance of approximately 3 weeks. Movements and Operations rooms being completed. Permanent installation of VHF continuing. This to take approximately 4 weeks. Large number of personnel allowed on leave during the shutdown.

Reserves departed for parent units.

AOC visited Mont Apica, town and operational site, duration of visit 3 hours in afternoon.

Commenced 8 hours EW operation, movements and operations room completed, VHF installation continuing.

Commenced 24 hours EW operation, with minimum personnel per shift. Number of personnel due to be posted in. Also to return from leave should help situation.

S/L J King posted in from RU Toronto under training Controller.

Practice GCI started under provisions of. Ops GCI started 7 days a week during normal day shift, 0830 to 1700 hours local. Ops EW during other hours. Five VHF channels now available.

Officers and Airmen from #2450 Reserve Sherbrooke visited unit.

Officers and Airmen from #2452 Quebec Reserve visited unit. Total of 6 VHF channels now available.

12 interceptions this month.

Exchange visit of S/L Tew from Lac St. Denis and F/L Millage to Lac St. Denis.

Visit from Command by S/L Ockenden and F/L Inglis.

Sabre aircraft missing from Bagotville 413 (F) Squadron. This unit alerted to assist in search wherever possible.

Exercise "Turkey Run" cancelled until further notice. USAF Electronics jamming team arrives. Gave lecture of practical demonstration of jamming and countermeasures.

Two Sabres crashed at Bagotville. One pilot bailed out and the second crash landed successfully. Both pilots recovered without injury. Hornet assisted in Search

35 practice and two actual intercepts this month.