Parent, QC

CO’s Trip Overseas - Annual Leave - The Commanding Officer departed for a conference at Command HQ, leaving F/L Greig as Acting CO. In conclusion of this conference, W/C Underhill flew to Britain on 30 days annual leave.

Second Land Line to Sector Installed - On this date, land line DND 593 became operational thereby increasing lines of communication with Sector by 100%. It was now possible to have an uninterrupted flow of traffic information passing between Parent and Sector, thus, permitting the existing operational picture to be presented with a minimum of delay. Fighter handovers were now accomplished more smoothly and efficiently with a subsequent increase in the safety factor.

Cocked Pistol - To heighten the authenticity of the canned exercise, "Exercise Dry Run" scheduled for November and December, a "Cocked Pistol" was called at 1333Z. This code word denoted a synthetic change in the national security, warranting the bringing of all units engaged in air defence to a state of maximum operational preparedness. The time logged to reach this state was 27 minutes; a satisfactory period, considering the distance separating operations and domestic sites.

Operations - General - Operations wise, the "Cocked Pistol" order of 15 Dec was the last situation of note in the year 1954. The only break in the units EW status was afforded by a/c requesting surveillance through Parent’s sub-sector, a request that was becoming increasingly common as DEW Line construction advanced.

Christmas Celebrations - The arrival of the holiday season was heralded by a Children’s party held in the Recreation Hall on the 18^th December, whilst the traditional Christmas dinner was served in the Airmen’s Mess 25 December in the customary manner. The familiar Christmas glow was heightened by the serving of vintage champagne.

New Years Dance - A seven piece "live" orchestra imported from Val d’Or heightened the enjoyment of the New Years Dance. This dance proved to be the gayest and most enjoyable of all station functions to date.

Promotion for CTechO - F/L Greig was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader the occasion being attended by suitable ceremony in the various messes and clubs on the unit.

Operations - General - The earlier days in January were marked by an increase in electronic and communication jamming. This provided much needed practical training for new personnel on the Station, but otherwise, it was a case of "watch and wait".

CNR Round House Fire - The new fire truck received on the unit in December was of priceless aid to the citizens of Parent in general and the CNR in particular when a fire all but totally engulfed the railroad round house. The RCAF were asked for assistance at 0530 hours and returned to the unit at 1315. Cpl. Murphy - Fire Chief - had his onerous task made more difficult by the -25 degrees F temperature which prevailed on that particular day.

CO Returns from Overseas - On the last leg of his return trip to the unit, W/C Underhill deplaned at St. Hubert in a ski-equipped Otter a/c piloted by F/L St. Louis. The weather had been unusual; thaws and frosts had played havoc with the surface of the ice on Mauzer Lake, resulting in two feet of slush under a heavy blanket of snow. The a/c bogged down on landing but clever throttle handling by the pilot and assistance by twenty able bodied Service men on the end of a rope finally brought the a/c to rest on the banks of the lake. Ice on the wings and fuselage was melted by Nelson heater before take off, which was accomplished without any untoward happenings. Hopes were expressed by Squadron visionaries that the inaugural flight of a St. Hubert - Parent plane service had just been witnessed.

Bush Trip - The first organized winter exercise trip into the bush was made with the intention of obtaining some pine wood paneling for the Officers Mess. The weather was a comparatively mild -15 degrees F day when the party set out by station wagon and truck for "mile 50" a spot reported to be abounding in pine trees that had escaped the woodmen’s axe. After camp was set up, the party, consisting of W/C Underhill, F/L Hourigan, F/O’s Hines, MacRury, Richardson, Cpl. Best and LAC Eman, were greatly assisted in their search by Mr. Louis Barret, and EB Eddy representative. Mr. Barret led the party along tortuous winding logging roads to isolated and difficult to locate pine trees.

After felling - largest tree 98’ x 2’ 8" - the trees were cut into convenient 12’ 0" lengths and left for tractor crews - compliments of EB Eddy - to drag to convenient spots on the logging roads where they would be loaded into truck by Air Force personnel nearer summer.

During this foray into the bush a very fine meal was served to the party at a loggers camp. The meal was particularly welcome due to the keen appetites whipped up by unfamiliar exertion and by the natural reluctance to return to the base camp and the chore of preparing food in below zero weather.

Temperature -60 Degrees F - A very cold spell was experienced in the opening days of February; the record low being -60 degrees F at the domestic site. It is on record that the ski tow and run were operating on this date and well patronized.

Helicopters Land at Unit - Two helicopters from Bagotville landed on the ball diamond creating a minor whirl of excitement. The rumor that the a/c would be stationed here was quickly scotched when they returned to Bagotville the same day, taking F/L Southwood, Parent SMO on temporary duty to Mont Apica.

Another Helicopter Visit - F/O Mesure left by helicopter on this date on temporary duty to Mont Apica. Within the previous few weeks helicopters landing at Parent on practice bush trips had prompted station authorities to inquire if it was intended to install a/c fuel storage space on the unit. Unfortunately a reply in the negative was received.

Airmen’s Mess Dinner - A dinner conducted along the lines of an Officers Mess Dinner was held on this date, and proved to be a successful experiment. Plans were tentatively made to have similar functions at regular intervals throughout the year as another assist to morale.

Second Anniversary Formal Advance Party - Of the original advance party members, only W/C Underhill, F/L Hourigan, FS Cendron, FS Labonte, Cpl. Senor and LACs Gouvremont, Roy and Eman remained to relish the occasion. In this, the second anniversary, Station strength stood at 218 officers and men.

Operations General - The remainder of February was devoted to normal daily routine. The only operational recording of note being that SAC USAF continued their overflies necessitating extra careful surveillance of tracks lest navigational assistance be required.

Operations General - This month provided a repetition of February’s uneventful operational picture; Strategic Air Command providing the only increase in operational traffic worthy of any note. An example of this is a notation on the 3^rd March stating that 15 B-47s crossed Parent’s sub-sector and that no intercepts were attempted.

Weather Balloon Plotted - A paint on a weather balloon on this date was of special interest to controllers, in that the initial plot was picked up at 200 nautical miles, height 35,000 feet and speed 115 knots. These figures helped stress the importance of using winds when computing the final stages of an intercept at extreme altitudes.

Navigational Assistance - Civilian - An example of the importance of defence radar as an aid to friendly aircraft was illustrated by an incident on this date, involving an aircraft FBJ who checked in with Canadian radar at 0155Z. A close study of information displayed on the plotting table, combined with radio telephone contact, eventually placed this aircraft approximately 120 miles north of Parent when the pilot advised the officer on duty that his position was 30 miles south of Parent. Without radar assistance this a/c would have landed, but not necessarily at Montreal, his final destination.

Equipment off the Air - Annual Maintenance - The FPS-3 search equipment was taken off the air at 1345Z, 7 March for yearly maintenance. The operational chore then consisted of monitoring radio frequencies being used by DEW Line bound a/c, and acting as relay points for these a/c on their return trip. Operations were resumed on 12 March at 0530Z, and the Northern Electric employees engaged on overhaul of the equipment left the unit on the following day.

KC-97 - SAC Refuelling - A track, numbered W972 was observed criss crossing over Lake St. John at 0325Z. Natural curiosity prompted the controller on duty to inquire at Sector about the type of aircraft and other pertinent data. He was advised that this track was a KC-97 on a meteorological trip. The controller on duty at Parent was incredulous to say the least, that this type of a/c would be used for meteorological purposes. It was with a sense of gratification that he observed a stream of B-47 bombers track across the radar scope to rendezvous with their supply ship - the previously mentioned KC-97. The tanker a/c turned north and quickly faded from radar view as did the bomber a/c when they descended to refuelling level. This view of SAC aircraft engaged on an air refuelling mission was reminiscent of submarines and supply tenders during WW II but with a vast divergence in speed and operational element.

Transfers - General - April arrived and winter weary personnel prepared themselves for Spring - although the ice on the surface of Lower Lake did not leave until 30 April. Fishing gear was examined and made ready for the hoped for battle with home grown trout in Lower Lake. FS Gendron an enthusiastic angler and also one of the original advance party members was transferred to Chatham where he could cast a legal line into the lake, as were LACs Gouvremont and Eman, two more original members.

Bush Trip - Female Personnel - F/O Patricia Harris, Adjutant, accompanied by several airwomen set out on this date for an overnight bush trip. Their trek was quite difficult due to inexperience in bush travel, and the unaccustomed night noises of the nocturnal prowlers kept most of the personnel awake. A very tired group of airwomen made their appearance the following day, determined that a similar trip, planned for the future, would find them better prepared.

Operation Phillip Morris - The opening days of April were uneventful, comparatively speaking, and it was not until 12 April that anything of operational interest was notated. Sector Command advised that 3 waves of B-47 a/c were anticipated in the stations sub-sector and that surveillance and intercepts would probably brighten up the operational horizon. A total of 33 B-47 bombers made their way through the units sub-sector and were attacked by 445 Squadron under 11 AC&W Squadrons control. There were no hand over of fighter a/c to Parent on this overfly although at least two intercepts in this case resulted in tail chases - and missed intercepts - due to the extreme demands on the radio telephone equipment being unfulfilled.

SAC Overfly - The (exercise) SAC exercise on this date was merely a repetition of the previous days efforts. It was noted that the first wave of bombers were sighted at 2205Z at a range of 200 nautical miles, whilst the second wave was times at 2312Z. Again there were no hand overs and 14 AC&W’s main operational chore was Early Warning, and when, required surveillance for fighters returning to their bases.

The days following exercise Phillip Morris were uneventful, although it is worthy of note that AW a/c from St. Hubert and Bagotville were coming to Parent for intercept practice. This welcome habit of calling on Parent for practice intercepts had also spread to #1 Operational Ferry Unit operating out of St. Hubert. This latter named unit had been a particularly beneficial influence to Parent as their a/c, Sabre Mk VI had a comfortable range margin and were "good" for at least 18 intercepts before the pilots quit and called off because of fuel shortage.

Bell Telephone Company Stage Show - The Bell Show, sponsored by the Bell telephone Company of Canada and composed of a volunteer cast from Montreal presented a two hour show concert in the Station theatre. The station fund financed the traveling expenses for the cast of twenty, the work of the group being gratis. All personnel on the station enjoyed the show and sincere appreciation was expressed by S/L Greig on their behalf when the Bell group left for Montreal that same evening.

SAC Overfly - Boilermaker - This exercise was engaged in with enthusiasm by all personnel; volunteers even working an extra shift in order to participate. A total of 24 SAC a/c per day for 3 days were forecasted to pass through the units sub-sector, in flights of 4 a/c. When the first wave of SAC aircraft approached three fighter a/c, of 432 Squadron Bagotville were handed over for intercept in the evening. The handovers resulted in 3 Judy’s the all weather equivalent of "Tally-Ho" and a happy feeling among the operations personnel in general. The overfly forecasted for 27 April was delayed for 24 hours and Sector Command advised that this squadron could expect a hand over of 1 a/c fro 425 Squadron, St. Hubert and 3 or 4 from Bagotville. The exercise was delayed another 24 hours until 29 April, when a total of 4 a/c handed over to Parent for control accomplished 6 Judy’s and 2 Tally-Ho’s. 30 April was the last day of the Boilermaker exercise and one fighter a/c was controlled by the unit, resulting in another Judy. The grand summation for the three operational days was a total of 12 successfully completed intercepts with 8 fighter aircraft.

Transfers and Postings - F/L Hourigan, CAdO, and F/O Berebe, SAO, two Station "veterans" were transferred to Station Vancouver. Both officers had industriously assisted in organizing various facilities for outdoor sports and entertainment. F/L RAH Buxton arrived from Summerside to assume the duties of CAdO, whilst F/O JJ Wilson arrived from Chatham to replace F/O Berube, SAO. Of the controllers, only F/L Dumais had not received word of transfer or posting. F/O Monty, controller and training officer was transferred to Falconbridge effective late June and F/O’s Mesure and Robb were notified of their transfer to 5 ADCC Vancouver although, no effective dates were known. F/O Ramsay, the original training officer and current operations officer was transferred to Edgar ADCC and F/O Tjeltveit to station Cold Lake where the Northern Alberta bush will be a test for his search and rescue skills - his extra duties whilst at Parent. F/O Richardson, SIO and Squadron Historian was transferred to Combat Operations Center after an absence of twenty-two months. W/C Underhill received word of his transfer to Zweibrucken Germany effective July. The CO is the one man on the unit who can truly appreciate the changes operationally and administratively that have occurred since the days of (brawling) construction crews and lumberjacks battling on Parent main street, until the present when a well managed station is efficiently filling the gap that existed in the northern radar chain.

SAC Overfly - The opening days of May were an anti-climax in comparison to the final days of April. This period of comparative inactivity remained until 10 May when a message from Sector, forewarning of another overfly was received. The (resultant) exercise through the sub-sector resulted in 1 Judy on a single fighter hand over. A premature scramble and resultant fuel shortage prevented more attacks being pressed home. Worthy of special mention is the signal received from W/C McNair, Sector Commander, commending Station Parent and Bagotville for the laudable efforts of the preceding 14 days.

Unknown Aircraft - Positive Identification by COpO - Identification of tracks picked up on the radar scope by Parent is the chore of Station Lac St. Denis. On this date an aircraft identified as unknown by Lac St. Denis was later re-identified as friendly thanks to the accurate memory of F/L Dumais, COpO. Aircraft returning from DEW Line supply in order to facilitate identification were instructed to fly a certain pattern at a given degree of latitude. The aircraft in question had not been observed to make this maneuver, but in order to ensure that it had not made the identification turns outside of radar vision, radio contact was made. The conversation between the pilot and the controller indicated the former had no knowledge of any identification maneuver requirements, and it seemed as if an identification scramble would have to be initiated. The aircraft captains name, however, struck a responsive chord in F/L Dumais’ memory. After some pertinent and personal questions had been asked and answered regarding the captains family and former military service, Parent was able to advise Lac St. Denis Duty Controller that the aircraft piloted by Captain Murgall was indeed going about its lawful business and was entitled to any navigational assistance required. The above situation dear to the hearts of comic strip artists, illustrates the accuracy of that old adage "Truth is Stranger than Fiction".

Signed by:
(AG Lawrence) W/C