Description
Mrs. Sallaway describes her rigorous training to become a driver.
Marjorie Sallaway
Mrs. Marjorie Sallaway was born in 1924 in Courtney, British Columbia. Growing up close to the Tofino Airport gave her the desire to join the air force. Mrs. Sallaway went to Victoria, BC and took a driver’s test and later became a Motor Transport Driver with the Women’s Division, Royal Canadian Air Force. Mrs. Sallaway received her basic training at Rockcliffe base in Ottawa and after three years transferred to Mountain View air base where she remained until her discharge. She held rank of Leading Air Woman. After her discharge from the Air Force, Mrs. Sallaway returned to her home province, British Columbia.
Transcript
We had real stiff training at Rockcliffe and we had men that were in charge of all the flights of the girls and they were very strict and they said, “We’re gonna wear you down to your knees.” We were on that base at Rockcliffe, I guess for a month, month and a half. We saw nobody, you know, but the girls we were with.Interviewer: And then when you came into the service, what did you do? Motor Transport, I learned to drive a truck on Long Beach on the Pacific Coast and between Tofino and Ucluelet there was no connection so you had to drive on seven miles of hard sand when the tide was out to get over to Ucluelet so that’s when I learned to drive and double clutch. The tests I went through in Ottawa... sergeant told me to do this. They wanted drivers. Yes, they were really wanting drivers.