CFTA Meaford

[Jon Skagfeld]

Camp Ipperwash...Cadet, E Coy, 1956, Cpl Instr, 1958, 1959...Grand Bend night out in a convoy of about 100 3 tonners to take us in and back. Remember Moneta Menard's bar?...the Fun House (Grope House).

Swim pde at the now-contested Provincial Park. Dating girls from Michigan...Bivouac in the Dunes...Firing Brens, Stens and 3.5 Rocket Launchers as a 15 year old, with pith helmet, shorts, hose tops, boots and puttees.

Battalion pde (1800 sweaty young bodies formed up in column in 10 Coys). Brig TG Gibson driving into the middle of our mass and ordering "Around me, move!" After his address, the word of command was "Reform your Companies"...The expression Cluster**** was then just invented!!!

Leave in Detroit...the BobLo boat...falling in and out of love...first drunk...first (stuff that makes the world go 'round)...first charge report for being AWOL 24 hours.

Awesome memories that live with me to this day.

Aldershot...don't insult a postage stamp by making such a comparison! How many times can a Sec/Pl/Coy attack Mortar Hill?
The heather was a bag drag to traverse. Howinhell did the Watch survive in such primitive accommodations?

Blackdown Park...I know the place intimately. Driver trg down in the Bullpen, cooling a case of beer in the Pine (Mad?) River...roaring an M37/M152/AVGP up the reverse slope only to get completely bogged down...horribly primitive privies, and messing arrangements...BB1 and BB2 (the log cabins) now gone.

Old guy's memories...fade to black...