12 Radio Detachment - Bagotville, QC.

1942 - Extracts from Daily Diary - National Archives of Canada

The formation of No. 12 Radio Detachment was authorized by Secret Organization Order #91, dated 23-7-42. The parent Unit for this Detachment was to be No. 1 OTU. The effective date of the formation of this Detachment was the first of August, 1942.

During the summer of 1942, Ogilvie & Company, contractors, began work on the construction of the buildings of No. 12 RD. These were the Guard House, the Power House, and the Operational Building. By the beginning of September, work had sufficiently progressed for No. 3 Training Command to commence the installation of the base and metal work of the rotatable antenna system. LAC Gottselig was in charge of this installation with the aid of hired labour. The metal work of the antenna was completed by the end of September.

On September the 17th, 1942, Pilot Officer TP Boyle arrived at No. 1 OTU, on temporary duty from Eastern Air Command, to see that the shipment of radio equipment from Research Enterprises Ltd. of Toronto, enroute to the Unit, was properly received and securely placed under guard. On September 18th, 1942, 37 cases of this technical equipment arrived from Toronto escorted by Flying Officer SR Smith, officer in charge escort duty. The unloading of this equipment was supervised by Squadron Leader Foley, Senior Equipment Officer at No. 1 OTU, and Pilot Officer Boyle on September 19th, and the equipment was securely placed under guard in a partition of a garage of No. 1 OTU's Works and Building Section. Pilot Officer Boyle then returned to Eastern Air Command.

Pilot Boyle returned to No. 1 OTU on October 27th, having been posted to the strength of No. 12 Radio Detachment as Radio officer and Acting Officer Commanding, and to develop the Detachment and commence installation of the RDF equipment. At this time Pilot Officer Boyle was the only person on the strength of the Detachment.

The first report from No. 12 to Eastern Air Command, dated 5/11/43 contained the following date:-

1. The interiors of the Guard House, Power House and Operational Building are incomplete; the latter having considerable work yet to be done.

2. There is no outside weather proofing for the walls of the buildings.

3. There is no fence around the Detachment.

4. No water and no electricity is laid into the Detachment.

On November 1st, an administrative office for #12 RD was provided in the Administration Building of No. 1 OTU Files were opened, and administration organization of the Detachment begun.

Considerable difficulty was being experienced by Ogilvie & Company, contactors, in obtaining materials for the completion of the Detachment buildings. These were, in general, window glass, ceiling ten-test, outside weather proofing for walls. Sub-contractors responsible for the heating installation and the laying of the floor linoleum, had not put in an appearance, but by November 21st, the sub-contractor for the floor linoleum had commenced his work, and completed it by November 23rd. On November 25th, temporary heating was installed in the Operational building and the Guard House, this took the form of three Quebec heaters.

By November 23rd, Ogilvie & Company had made sufficient progress with the interior of the buildings to allow some of the equipment to be installed. On November 24th, three Diesel generators for the Power House, which had been stored by the Equipment Section of No. 1 OTU were taken to No. 12 RD, one and one-fifth miles by road from the Station, and were laid on their concrete beds. This was accomplished by means of a five ton aircraft crane and a half dozen of the personnel of No. 1 OTU's Maintenance Section.

Pilot Officer Robinson posted to No. 12 RD on temporary duty from No. 1 RDF Maintenance Unit of No. 4 Repair Depot, Scoudouc, NB, arrived with five men the following day. Work commenced immediately on the mounting of the Diesel generators, exhaust outlets, fuel feedings and final mounting of the machinery on their beds. The radio transmitter was placed in its room and the crated receiver was placed on its position. The purchase of wire required between the Operational building and the GCI antenna was arranged. Since none of the facilities of No. 1 OTU were available to make the wooden construction on the antenna, a local contractor was approached, Ogilvie & Company, and a contract was awarded for this work for the sum of $250.00.

On the 28th of November, installation of the screens and di-poles, which comprise the radiation part of the aerial system, began. This work was completed by the 8th of December.

Installation of the equipment was hampered by the incompleteness of the buildings. Painting, electric wiring, window and door painting, and all other interior work in the buildings had yet to be done. By the 7th of December, this interior work was finished while the installation of the RDF equipment progressed at the same time.

The installation of the Power House equipment begun on November 24th, and which included the mounting of the power distribution boards, took the installation party the better part of a week to finish, it being completed by December 3rd. The five men who accompanied P/O Robinson were members of another installation party and were posted back to No. 1 Maintenance Unit on December 9th. They were replaced by five men who were now officially known as No. 3 Installation Party under P/O Robinson. This party was the first to be formed to install radio equipment of GCI detachments, and No. 12 RD was to be the first in Eastern Air Command.

Between the 4th and 7th of December, Radio Mechanics, Radio Operators (Ground) and an Oiler Diesel had arrived. These were some 30 personnel. The Radio Mechanics aided the installation party with their work. Since there was no operational work for the Radio Operators, they were given guard duty to perform at the Detachment as well as being usefully employed on various sections of No. 1 OTU.

Wire required between Operational building and the antenna for control of various circuit, was to be B X L cable. This was demanded, rush, from No. 5 Equipment Depot, November 25th. This wire arrived six weeks later and turned out to be B x, which was returned to the Equipment Depot, their error rectified, and the order of B X L cable expedited. Meanwhile, a wooden trough to hold this wire, was laid between the Operational building and the antenna system.

The electrical wiring of the Power House, the installation of which was the responsibility of No. 3 Training Command, was begun the beginning of December. A civilian, Mr. Hill, was responsible for this work and completed it the 14th of December. The plans for electric power for the Detachment included the laying of a 2300 volt, single phase AC underground main from No. 1 OTU to the Power House of No. 12 RD. A ditch for this underground cable was dug by local contract during the first week of November. However, the underground cable did not arrive on the Detachment until the beginning of the new year, and by then the 18" deep ditch had been completely filled in and covered with snow and ice. Power line poles and a step down transformer had to be installed on the Detachment as well. This work was also left by No. 3 Training Command for the new year. It was, therefore, necessary to install temporary wiring between the Power House, Guard House, and Operational building, so that lack of power would not hinder the installation work, and on its completion, the operation of the equipment. Mr. Hill installed this temporary wiring after the installation of the wiring in the Power House. The entire power for the Detachment was to be generated by the Diesel equipment which, since there were three, 20 KVA generators, was a feasible plan.

The contract for the woodwork structures on the rotatable antenna system was awarded to Ogilvie & Company who commenced the work on December 7th, this work took six days to complete.

During the last three weeks of December, radio frequency feeders were installed inside the Operational building. The transmitter and receiver were set up and all necessary adjustments to them made. Wiring between these units was laid in. The thyratron unit, which controls the radiation of the antenna system, was also installed and adjusted, and wiring between it and the receiver was laid in. A large switching unit, to control the feeding of the radio frequency energy to various parts of the antenna system was installed in wooden hut which had been built on the antenna system. The driving motor for the rotation of the antenna was installed as well.

The weather during the month of December 1942 and January 1943 was extremely cold. Temperatures far below zero in conjunction with a high wind being experienced throughout the two months. It will be appreciated that the difficulties encountered in installing the outside wiring of various parts of the antenna were extreme. The installation party were covered with heavy parkas and could only remain outside for short periods of time.

The feeder system to bring the radio frequency energy from the transmitter to the radiation part of the antenna system had yet to be installed. These various feeders which had to be manufactured before mounting, could have been made by the installation party, but it was now the practice of Research Entreprises Limited to prefabricate these feeders and to ship them completely ready for easy installation. P/O Robinson, during his five day New Year's leave, procured these feeders from Research Enterprises Limited in Toronto, on authority from No. 1 Maintenance Unit.

In the Ground Instruction School of No. 1 OTU provision was made for a Dummy Operations Room to be used in conjunction with the Link training equipment. Since there was no Sector Operations building yet constructed, it was felt that the Dummy Operations Room might well be used as a temporary Sector Operations Room for the use of RDF information from the Detachment. Such information was to be used to form interceptions by No. 130 Squadron for training in defence of the target area at Arvida. Plans were commenced for this project, and on January 7th, the proposal to use the Dummy Operations Room in the Ground Instruction School building as a temporary Sector Operations Room was made by P/O Boyle to S/L Manders of Eastern Air Command. This proposal was favourably received and expediting action was taken to procure the necessary equipment. An area map table for use in this room was made under the guidance of F/L Imrie, F/O Troughton and P/O Boyle. F/O Troughton was in the main responsible for this table.