Parent, QC

The historical record for 14 ACW Squadron commences from the time that the squadron left the drawing board stage and progressed to physical surveys in the field, selection of site and utilization of land for construction of a Main Building to house the radar installation and a domestic town site to look after the physical accommodation and comforts of the personnel who would operate the installation.

The commencement date, therefore, of the history of this squadron is 15 Oct 50 when G/C HB Long of Air Materiel Command, together with Mr. H Asselin, designer, and Mr. JG Chenevert, Consultant Engineer of the firm Surveyer, Nenniger & Chenevert of Montreal, visited the Parent, Quebec, area to select a suitable site for a radar station. It was decided to survey an area three miles south of the town of Parent which was considered a likely location. This decision was motivated by the fact that a fire ranger’s lookout was located at the top of a mountain in that area, and which was generally conceded to be the highest eminence in the immediate vicinity.

This visit was followed by the arrival of two survey teams directed by Mr. G Guay, a surveyor from Quebec City, who arrived on 28 Oct 50 with a party of men from the firm of Surveyor, Nenninger & Chenevert (henceforth in this record the latter firm will be referred to as SN&C). These men were followed in two weeks by a Mr. Paul Smith of the same company who would eventually be the resident engineer of the project. Mr. Smith’s duties were to co-ordinate plans and designs for the proposed construction and to determine suitable locations for the various buildings to be erected. When these survey teams had completed their stage of the operation, the contract for construction was awarded.

The Pentagon Construction Company of Montreal was awarded the contract and on 6 Dec 50 that company sent an advance party to prepare the grounds for the construction crew that would follow. The Pentagon supervisory staff arrived on 8 Jan 51. All these people engaged in the programme found temporary accommodation in the town of Parent and an immediate boom for that town settled in and was to last the next three years.

The first major item of construction was a railway siding and freight shed adjoining the CNR freight yards at Parent. Upon completion of this, the construction company was ready to receive materials to proceed with large scale operations. The first step was to construct a camp for the hundreds of employees who would subsequently be engaged and a site for this purpose was selected at the three mile barrier on the EB Eddy Company logging road south of Parent. The site for construction of this camp was at the north end of a small lake which heretofore had been the summer camp of a Mr. Fortier of Parent. The domestic town site for the radar station would be built at the opposite end of this lake and the Main Building would be erected on the mountain overlooking the small valley. A spell of cold weather, for which the Parent area has been noted through the years, now set in and in spite of the fact that the first wave of construction men were hardy individuals accustomed to outside work, not a man stirred from the town of Parent for over a week in January 1951 when temperatures ranged from 50 degrees below zero to beyond sixty degrees below. After this delay, construction of the employees’ camp moved ahead quickly and by 1 May 1951 the construction camp was in full operation. The camp consisted of a central heating plant, water and sewage systems, work shops, offices, garages, bunk-houses, mess hall, etc., numbering approximately twenty-five buildings of various shapes and sizes. A third company joined SN&C and Pentagon at the camp site when the contract for catering was awarded to Crawley & McCracken Company, Montreal.

An agreement was reached between the SN&C acting for the Government, and the EB Eddy Company for use of the EB Eddy logging road between Parent and the camp under the condition that the EB Eddy Company would not spend more on maintenance than they normally would have to spend. It followed, therefore, that to keep the road in a condition suitable for the heavy volume of traffic which it would bear, the contracting firm would have to add their resources to its maintenance. A frail and poorly constructed wooden bridge spanned the outlet from Mauzer Lake on the connecting road from Parent to the construction camp, and it was necessary that this bridge be strengthened immediately to carry the loads which in the ensuing months would move between the town and the camp. Accordingly, the bridge was overhauled by the Pentagon Company, spans were reinforced with heavy BC Fir and the entire bridge re-decked.

Even before the construction camp was completed, a pilot road had been pushed through to the top of the mountain by March 1951 and a similar road to the proposed town site was commenced in April. These roads permitted the moving of equipment to these two major sites of operation and the initial steps for construction were commenced on 6 Mar 51. From the end of April to late in May 1951 work was retarded by a heavy spring run-off which also crippled communications with the town to such an extent that even graders and bulldozers had great difficulty in fighting through with food supplies. With the coming of spring, construction of foundations for the combined mess, single quarters and maintenance compound got under way.

The area chosen for the squadron included three small lakes, one of which had been mentioned earlier, and of the other two, one was situated half-way up the mountain to the Main Building and the other some distance north of the proposed domestic site. These three lakes have come to be known as "Lower Lake", "Upper Lake" and "Disposal Lake", respectively. Disposal Lake would be the location of the sewage disposal plant and accordingly from this point back through the entire domestic site and to the Main Building excavation of sewer and water lines was commenced. Because of the sandy nature of the soil, this proved to be a considerable undertaking; added to the sand problem was the presence of a water table at the seventeen foot level. The construction of water, sewage and steam systems was probably the most arduous undertaking of the entire programme. To surmount these construction problems, the water table was lowered fifteen feet by use of well points. This condition is of particular note for future maintenance. In this regard it should be recorded that from PMQ 18 to PMQ 6 and from man-hole No. 5 to man-hole No. 7 on the north side of No. 2 Combined Quarters, The installation of water lines required drilling through solid rock. Similarly, the water line to the Main Building required excavation of solid rock to a depth of two feet. Also of record, the section of pipe lines from the Upper Lake to the Main Building was excavated two feet in solid rock and back-filled with sand to a depth of six feet.

In November, 1951, erection of the 10,000 gallon reservoir adjacent to the Main Building was commenced and the 100,000 gallon reservoir was placed under construction in January of the following year. The 10,000 gallon reservoir is set in a solid rock excavation.

The first PMQ to come under construction was No. 63 and the date was 15 Mar 52. This was a Class 3 house of which a total of three were to be subsequently constructed. From this time on, the construction programme of married quarters continued on a large scale until the last of a total of sixty-five was completed in April 1953.

In the early spring and summer of 1952 construction commenced on the recreation hall, two schools, receiver station, transmitter station, sewage disposal plant and back-up tower on the mountain. All these buildings were completed and turned over to the RCAF in the early summer of 1953.

In addition to individuals already mentioned as associated with direction of constructing the project, the following also played an important part:

The following firms carried out sub-contracts on the job:

Before leaving the scene of the birth of the squadron, it will be of interest for the record to note the social and economic side effects that the construction of the radar station invoked. Prices of commodities and services in the town of Parent immediately soared, especially those services catering to entertainment and relaxation of a large body of construction workers. The peak work force was in the neighbourhood of 1,000 men and with the high rate of pay and a cost plus project, money was plentiful. The purveyors of alcohol and hotel operators in particular, found their income exceeding their fondest expectations. In a town where previously only one ancient taxi cab operated, now a fleet of thirty modern taxis roared uninhibited on the gravel roads making a small fortune for their operators. Under such conditions it was inevitable that social dislocations would occur and the writers of this chronicle have heard the stories of impromptu battles when gangs of lumberjacks and construction workers met head-on in the town of Parent. The high point of this episode was the night in Parent when a hundred men were involved simultaneously in one huge free-for-all on the main street.

To commence the history of RCAF representation at Parent we must retrace our steps to June 1952 when F/O AA Davis arrived at the site to assume the position of resident engineering officer representing Air Materiel Command. His duties were to oversee installation of the electronic gear in the Main Building and administer personnel operating the diesel electric power plant situated in the Main Building. F/O Davis continued in this role until being replaced some eight months later.

The first "permanent" RCAF staff to arrive was in the person of Sgt. RJ Poole, who arrived on 3 Sep 52, to assume the duties of NCO in charge of diesel-electric power plant in the Main Building. He was joined a few weeks later by Cpl. DH Johnstone and LAC WC Slade. These three airmen have stayed on at Parent after activation of the unit and are "the originals". They were joined in November 1952 by two civilians, Mr. Andre Labonte and Mr. RJ Montgomery, who had been hired locally by the Civil Service Commission to work in the same plant. These were the first civilian employees, and Mr. Labonte is still on strength.

After a detailed inspection and check of the diesel generators, this equipment was placed in operation on 15 Dec 52, and has been running continuously ever since.

In February, 1953, F/O RN Senior succeeded F/O AA Davis as resident engineering officer. On activation of the squadron, F/O Senior remained to become the StelO.

On 17 Feb 53, W/C CC Underhill, F/O JP Hourigan and F/O PR Spurr arrived at Parent as the designate CO, CadO and SSO respectively. They were accompanied by Sgt. JMA Labonte, Accounts, Sgt. AP Gendron, Orderly Room NCO, LAC JAM Guvrement and LAC JAR Roy, ME Drivers, to form RCAF Detachment, Parent. These personnel were followed later in the month by Sgt. AF Sharpe, Supply and LAC LS Emin, Plumber. In the following month LAC CM Savoury, FF, LAC EG Seanor, Med. A, and Cpl. JAM Rousseau, Supply, arrived and until late April these personnel constituted the RCAF establishment at Parent, Quebec.

Shortly after the arrival of this Detachment, the combined mess building was taken over by the RCAF and to relieve the boredom for those on the scene, a combined canteen was organized on 18 Mar 53. To mark the opening of the canteen and also as it presented the first opportunity for those present to reciprocate for the hospitality extended by the local inhabitants, a party was arranged for the night of Saturday, 21 March. This party was intended as only an informal "do" and would be by written invitation. However, the local inhabitants, isolated as they are from what is going on in the "outside world", let their imaginations run wild as to what an Air Force function would be. As a result, the number of people invited steadily grew in order not to offend anyone and word came back to the RCAF personnel of elaborate purchases of evening dresses, etc. Rather than disillusion those who were going to such great lengths, the small party of RCAF personnel kept adding to the programme for the evening. As a result, the final party and the free dinner that went with it would have done justice to any of the large messes in the RCAF. The food for the party was prepared and given free by the firm of Crawley & McCracken, who were mentioned earlier as catering contractor for the project. The company spared no expenses in preparing a wonderful spread. The next morning a great deal of food remained and all the members of the RCAF Detachment dined on it rather than the rugged bill of fare they were accustomed to daily in the camp cook house. Afterwards a quantity of food still remained, and so it was decided to parcel it up and donate it to an encampment of Cree Indians situated halfway to Parent. This was probably the best food the Indians had had in many a moon as they had been scavenging the garbage dump for food from the contractor’s camp. From that time on until the Indians broke camp with the coming spring, the RCAF vehicles passing through their camp were treated as "the great white fathers" and received the joyous shouting and waving of all the "braves". This one episode has been recounted in some detail as it can serve as a criterion of the many pleasant experiences enjoyed by the Detachment in the early stages of 14 ACW Squadron.

In April 1953 the tempo of new arrivals increased and the original detachment was soon submerged under vastly greater numbers who would soon be the nucleus of the new squadron. During this month a party of officers representing Air Materiel Command and Air Defence Command made a visit to iron out arrangements for transferring the detachment from AMC control to ADC. The senior officers in this party were G/C RH Bray, W/C RE MacBride, S/L LB McKergow and S/L SA Bascomb of ADC and G/C LJ Birchall and F/L FE Churchill of AMC. As the cost-plus contract had been terminated by DND on 30 April and there was still a large number of projects to be finished, the chief of which was the recreation hall, a decision was made at Ottawa level that the RCAF would feed the construction workers from 1 May in place of the catering company. Accordingly, feverish activity took place in preparing the mess hall, and at the same time the contractors packed their equipment progressively with a view to terminating operations in the near future. It should be mentioned at this time that RCAF personnel had, from the time they first arrived in Parent, obtained their rations from the catering company and the prospect of going on RCAF messing was looked forward to with great joy. During this period also, combined tests of the various equipment installed by the contractor were carried out and these tests entailed return visits by many of the people who had been responsible for construction in the various stages. This reunion led to many impromptu pleasantries which on reflection now symbolize the climax of construction.

On 1 May, 1953, RCAF messing facilities went into operation serving RCAF personnel and civilian workmen. However, at the eleventh hour, the arrangements for feeding the construction workers were cancelled and the catering company was given a new lease on life which meant unpacking all their equipment and re-setting up their cook house.

With the coming of spring, in the early part of May attention was turned to the future operational use of the Main Building and a flight test crew arrived from ADC HQ to exercise the equipment. These tests found electronic equipment in good working order and with the arrival of fighter control officers and additional telecom officers, steps were taken to start operation of the Main Building on an early warning basis. On 15 May 53, the squadron was organized and personnel were transferred from AMC control. Also, with the coming of spring, personnel who had been here during the winter months wasted no time in finding out if all the stories of the wonderful fishing in the vicinity were true and many fine catches of trout were brought back to the camp in succeeding months.

In March, F/O DS Berube had arrived to assume the duties of SAO and he was followed by F/L NS Greig and F/L JG Dumais, who were to be squadron CTechO and CopO respectively. The hospital was put into operation also with the arrival of F/L R Murphy, SMO and Nursing Sister MA McIntosh.

To mark Coronation Day on 2 June 1953, a parade was held in front of the flag pole; of lasting interest is the fact that the weather on this day was cold and blowing snow. It would be appropriate, in this connection, to mention that the tall Pine spar, which had been erected as a flag pole, was the personal work of the Commanding Officer from the falling of the tree to its erection. The month of June brought very warm weather and the driest conditions in the bush in the area in approximately thirty-five years. As was to be expected, serious forest fires broke out in the vicinity and at times fear was felt that they might progress to the boundary of the squadron. All man power available in town was commandeered to fight the most serious of these fires, which was some twenty-five miles from the squadron, and twenty officers and airmen from the squadron took part in fighting the fire.

As time wore on, more and more Service personnel arrived and the number of civilian contract people steadily diminished, and by mid July only fifty civilians remained. On 17 July, the first station dance was held on the squadron and it was a combined effort with the Parent Branch of the Canadian Legion. This dance marked the opening of the Recreation Hall and also was a highlight of the efforts made by the RCAF to cultivate good relations with the civilian population. The RCAF Central Band arrived on temporary duty to provide music for the evening and just as the dance was to get underway, the happy setting was marred by the fire siren. It turned out that a fire had broken out in the construction camp and before it was quelled, three "H" type barrack blocks had been destroyed. This fire was fought chiefly by RCAF personnel and with RCAF equipment and the bulk of the remaining civilians stood by as onlookers. This unfortunate incident dislocated the programme considerably but it got underway towards midnight after the fire had been finally subdued and personnel had changed their clothing.

Early in July, PMQ’s were made ready for occupancy and the families of married personnel began arriving. Owing to the predominance of sand throughout the domestic area and the bathing facilities in Lower Lake, the place soon took on the appearance of a summer camp. The prevalence of mosquitoes and black flies soon created a problem, which was effectively controlled by the daily use of a DDT fogging machine and this, together with the oiling of surrounding swamps previously carried out, held the torment of insects to a minimum. Also of interest during July, the squadron carried out its first parade when a request from the Canadian Legion to take part in the funeral of one of its members was fulfilled.

During July the squadron performed its first operational role when it served as an early warning unit during Air Defence Command operation "Tailwind".

During August 1953 the various station committees were organized and it was found that the operation of the combined canteen, which as recorded earlier had been opened in March, had set NPF finances off to a good start by catering to the well paid construction workers. There followed a vigorous new social and athletic life on the squadron which created a cushion for dependents who had moved from more populous centres. Also during the month of August, P/O R Westwood arrived to assume the duties of Adjutant and officer in charge of the airwomen, who were also arriving at the same time. Late in August, Mr. and Mrs. CJ Shaw and Mr. and Mrs. RA Rideout arrived to take up the duties of teachers in the RC School and Protestant School respectively.

With the coming of September, the schools were ready for operation and this phase of activity got away to a smooth start. On 19 September, Air Force Day was observed and residents of Parent were invited to the squadron to inspect the hospital, quarters, mess and recreation hall and to enjoy the recreational events which had been arranged. In the evening a station dance was held at which the music was supplied by the band from RCAF Station St. Hubert. This proved to be the most enjoyable social event held on the station up to that time. The following day Church Parades were held in observance of Battle of Britain Sunday. A novel event in the history of RCAF stations took place on 23 September 1953 with the birth of a daughter in the squadron hospital to F/O and Mrs. A Monty; this event was another first for the squadron. During this period the squadron was visited by G/C HC Ledoux and G/C RH Bray, SPSO and STSO respectively of ADC, and also W/C JEN Labelle and W/C JR Jackson, SOSup and SOMS at that HQ. Later in the month W/C J Morton, SOAF of ADC HQ made an inspection of the squadron. On 14 September, the end of a very pleasant summer was announced by the arrival of the first snow. However, the snow lasted only a day and then a period of beautiful Indian Summer set in which was to last until late November.

On the evening of 8 October 1953, A/V/M AL James, AOC ADC, accompanied by W/C GL Briese, S/L C Allison and S/L HC Freedman, arrived to conduct the AOC’s annual visit. They were met at the railway station by the Commanding Officer and Flight Commanders of the squadron. The following day after a parade of all personnel, the AOC inspected the squadron. A cocktail party was held in the Officers-NCO’s Combined Mess the same evening in honour of his visit.

During November 1953, the USAF calibration team visited the squadron accompanied by S/L C Yarnell, and specialist officers of ADC. This party put the radar gear through its paces, and at the time of their departure it was generally conceded that the radar station was operationally ready for business.

While these events were taking place, various sections were organizing and their operations gradually became routine. Sgt. JA Gladish, Foreman of Works, had been in charge of the CE Section since his arrival in the previous May, and his was probably one of the busiest sections in straightening out the inevitable minor defects left after a major construction job. Cpl. D Reid had taken charge of the ME since his arrival in May and that section had settled down to a steady routine, operating scheduled bus runs, etc. A great workload fell on the orderly room and supply section, which is always to be expected in the opening of a new station. These pains of organization were handled capably by Sgt. AP Gendron and F/O PR Spurr, respectively, who have been mentioned earlier in this narrative. Likewise the operations, telecommunications, hospital and mess gradually worked into normal routine. Cpl. JHL Pigeon NCO i/c Mess surmounted the considerable difficulties through unavailability of civilian cooks and the accounting program created by an overdrawal of rations resulting from the cancellation of the plan to feed the construction workers on 1 May. As we have seen earlier, the central warehouse and canteen got off to an early start and no problems were encountered in their functioning. As time went by, it was necessary to branch out from the original combined canteen and accordingly a combined officers and NCO’s mess was opened in July. Owing to the small number of officers and senior NCO’s it was considered impracticable to open separate messes for both so the present improvisation has been made until such time as numbers permit operation of separate messes. Early in March the problem of obtaining school teachers was realized and after an active advertising campaign with cities from Halifax to Western Ontario, suitable teachers were obtained with little difficulty. The problem of operating a grocery store, snack bar and barber shop was also taken into consideration early in the year, and the squadron was fortunate in finding local people to operate these concessions. The operation of these concessions, after a six month trial, has been very satisfactory and food prices have been brought down to reasonable levels. The station theatre has been operating successfully for some time, although theatre seats and blackout curtains have not yet arrived. Bingo Parties, which are held twice a month, have been very popular and have been a great success both from the entertainment and financial point of view.

No acute problems of accommodation have arisen. As there is no Headquarters administration building provided, a duplex PMQ was used from the beginning which houses the entire administration and accounting staffs. A small bungalow adjoining HQ has been utilized as the female officers quarters. There is no shortage of single accommodation and even at this writing, one officers wing and part of one NCO wing, single quarters, are unoccupied. There has been no problem in providing PMQ’s for married personnel and there are still seven PMQ’s not allotted. The carpenter shop used by the contractor in constructing the domestic site was saved when construction ended and is now being fitted out as a woodworking hobby shop. One of the biggest ventures by the Recreation Committee has been conducted by their Fish & Game sub-committee in clearing Lower Lake of the two various species of fish therein with a view to re-stocking with trout in the spring of 1954. This project was done with the assistance of the Quebec Provincial Fish and Game Department at a cost of $1,300.00, of which Station Fund contributed $300.00 and the balance was carried by the Quebec Government. As mentioned earlier, fishing was a popular pastime in the spring and summer and in the fall a number found enjoyment in the good hunting in the vicinity with the result that two moose and innumerable partridge were brought to camp.

No serious security problems have developed and a policy of firm security measures in respect to admission to the camp has paid off. A good start has been made on Ground Defence Training and plans are underway for providing a suitable practice range for this purpose. Three personnel are now proceeding each week to Station St. Hubert for ground defence training.

Religious services are provided by an RC officiating clergyman from the town of Parent who visits the camp each Sunday and during the week as required. Protestant church services are provided by an officiating clergyman who comes from either La Tuque or Grand’mere, but the difficulty of covering the distance of over one hundred miles from these points necessitates that Protestant church services can only be provided twice a month. Church services are conducted in the two respective schools and the schools have been found ideal as an interim measure. Plans are in the formative stage for construction of a log chapel on the station utilizing the raw materials close at hand and the skills of local inhabitants. It is felt that a structure of this description will be very much in keeping with the environment of the squadron.

The acquisition of suitable civilian employees had been a difficult problem from the outset and the only solution to the need for clerical workers was to recruit such help from the dependents residing in PMQs. This turned out to be a happy arrangement to all concerned and the added finances to those resident on the squadron assists in the high cost of living. Of late, the problem with acquiring suitable civilian employees has greatly improved owing to curtailment of operations in the woods and reduction of working staff on the CNR, and it is felt that in future the civilian establishment will be filled satisfactorily and easily.

It has been found that the Recreation Hall has been a worthwhile investment for a squadron situated such as this and the building serves as the centre of activity on the camp. The recreation hall houses under one roof a grocery store, snack bar, post office, barber shop, theatre, bowling alley and sports floor. Advice has been received that the Post Office department will set up a regular Post Office on the camp in place of the present mail room. A Post Office will be of great service as a large volume of purchasing is done by mail order in the absence of suitable shopping facilities close by. To relieve the absence of shopping facilities, a Gift Shop is operated by Central Warehouse, which carries a wide range of household goods, jewellery, toys, etc., and which has, in the short time that it has been operating, proved very popular. Bowling Alleys were not installed in the Recreation Hall, although space designed to accommodate them were provided. In the near future, Station Fund is installing a pair of alleys and it is reasonably certain that they will be well patronized. A six team bowling league has operated for the past three months using two alleys in the town of Parent, and if the interest in this league can be taken as an indication, there is no doubt that the installation of our own alleys will be a success. The sports floor is available for use every day of the week and it is a popular focus of entertainment.

To close out this chronicle of historical interest from the time of inception till 30 November 1953, two items of interest remain. On 25November, F/L KJ Southwood, who had replaced F/L Murphy as SMO, delivered a baby boy, which was the second child born on the squadron. The proud parents were Sgt. and Mrs. RJ Pools. Another item of interest occurred on the night of 28 November when a large number of Arctic geese settled on Lower Lake and their constant gaggling added to the mystery of their visit. Some suggested that the radar had influenced the geese, but such a suggestion was ridiculed by the skeptics. It was decided that when the radar would shut down at midnight on 28 November proof of this explanation would be afforded, and sure enough by ten minutes after midnight the geese had departed. It is recalled that early in the evening the geese had circled the camp continuously for some time, and apparently had landed on the Lower Lake from exhaustion. The fact that they departed as soon as the radar was turned off is indication that radar interferes with their migratory senses.

As at the final date of this narrative, the strength of the squadron has risen to nineteen male officers, two female officers, fifteen senior NCO’s and Warrant Officers, one hundred and nineteen Corporals and below; of the latter, twenty-seven are airwomen. The number of civilian employees is fifty-four.

Signed by
(CC Underhill) W/C,
CO, 14 ACW Squadron