Well after I graduated or, or finished my training, I expected to
stay at this depot, but instead I got transferred to Rockcliff,
the airbase at Rockcliff, which is still in Ottawa, of course.
Into barracks, back into the real air force life again, and I
reported in there. There was no instrument section as such,
because as I said, the air frame people did all the instrument
work. So I was assigned to the workshops, and again, good
training because I learned a bit of machining and everything that
went with it. They, they just hadn't really accepted the
instrument mechanic as a required trade in the air force.
It was developed, you know, with the squadrons that were,
were going overseas. It was an instrument section and a
requirement to maintain the instruments and take them out and
replace them whenever, so on. And that's when it first started
to evolve - the instrument trade, was a real ground trade that
required some attention. I stayed there about, I got transferred
there, I think was in about April, or March. Just prior to going
to it, I had a supplementary course on the Sperry auto pilot,
which was an indication that I had done well on my instrument
training course. They had selected me for this one week training
program on the Sperry auto pilot, which was quite a feather in my
cap, I think and it gave me a lot more, sort of confidence in the
trade. But as I said when I got to Rockcliff, there wasn't an
instrument section, there wasn't a requirement so, I just spent
my time in the workshops. I got there, I think it was March.
But only stayed, I was only there three, three months, quite
reasonably happy, but on May the 10th, I still remember the
day I was called in to the orderly room, and he said,
"AC-1 Snell, you're transferred overseas." And I said, you know,
the usual question is, "When?" They said, "Well, ten days time,
in the meantime you're CB'd," which is confined to barracks.
I had no opportunity to go home on leave. I had been home
on leave right after my course in Calgary in January, but I had
no opportunity to go home as they had, later had any leave.
And for the next ten days it was being equipped with uniforms and
kit to go overseas. And things moved very, very quickly,
ten days went by. I was, went over from Rockcliff, with a unit to
supplement the group of people that were supplementing the
squadron that was already over there, 110 squadron had already
gone over, about February they went over. But they were short
of people, different trades, and there were about fifty of us in
this group, that were going to join 110 squadron, which was
the first squadron that went overseas.