Diary of Garth Edward Sommerville Clabburn - 1942-1944 - Part 2

offering to drive you to where you
were heading.
Leave was stopped for some reason soon
after our arrival but the boys went out
regardless over the barbed were fence
came back the same way. This went on
until one night when the station guards
fired many shots at the dark shapes
climbing over the high wire in the
early hours of the morning There were
a few breathless moments, & five fellows
were caught & payed off with about
a weeks pack drill after standown.
A girls club gave us a great evening
At the Chateaux Lawrier pool a few
nights after we arrived, & it was
there what we made many friends.
Aussies seemed to be number one
choice amongst the fair sex in
Ottawa but then that is always
the way girls love something foreign
& from some other part at the world
Col Doughty & I spent a great deal
of time with two French girls who
had a good ear. We used to go
 

swimming together in Lake De Chere on the
shore of which the girls people had a
little summer shack. Annett Pilon was
my companion & Evonne Preton Colin's
& all in all we enjoyed some grand
days together & incidently their French
cooking & dressing were beyond
reproach
Through the Y.M.C.A. Malcome Blunt & I met
the Charming Davis family.  We became vey
firm friends with them all & I spent
all my leave towards the end of the
course at their home. Several times we
went picnicing up in the Gatneau Hills
& at this time all the maple trees were
turning colour & the whole bush was
a riot of color. Margaret Davis & I
spent many evenings together dancing
or swimming at the Chateau & she
nursed me wonderfully well one
weekend when I was suffering with heavy
flu. It was while we were training at
uplands that we did our first night flying
Bill Long was killed in a very heavy
crash soon after taking off one very 

black night. I had been flying earlier in
the evening before the moon had come up
& had found it very difficult to ascertain
my position I think that he must have
felt that his port wing was down after
leaving the ground & over corrected &
gradually flew in a right hand arc
straight into the deck. All the Australian
attended his funeral & he was buried
in a very beautiful place Beechwood
Park, just outside Ottawa.
one afternoon John Clarke & I think it
was Tony Stewart & I were taken along
by Ted Trenchard Smith to the home
of the Australian Commissioner, Sir William
Glasgow. He & Lady Glasgow gave us
a fine afternoon tea & we spent
all the afternoon in earnest conversation
mostly relating to companions between
Canada & Australia They are a charming
couple & we were loath to leave at
six PM. We had to go because we
all had dinner appointments back in
town - Ah those were the days.
Another fine day the Mr & Mrs basely come out
 

to uplands & he had a bit of a talk to
all the boys. Mrs basey was just dying to
say something also but her hubby would
not give her an opportunity
During the early stage of our stay here we
all took part in the filming at what will
be one day a great picture- "Captain
of the Clouds." Warne Bros arrived with
a great stack of technical equipment &
large number at technictians & a few
actors from Hollywood & the whole
course stopped work to assist in the
making of the film. Our chief scene was
a formal wings parade & Billy Bishop -
last war ace acted as chief wing
presenter. During the course of the
fortnights shooting he must have
presented the same five pair of wings
at least thirty times & towards the
end of their stay we had had enough
of being motion picture stars. However
it was extreemly interesting to see just
what a fearful amount of work &
detailed organisation goes into the
filming at a modern technicolor show 

I had the honour to have my voice
recorded on the sound track drilling a
squad of "Aussies" & if it is put in
the film should sound very good for
the marching & halting was excellent
Wed, the final exams in flying & ground
subjects came along all too quickly &
although I did well with the flying
I flopped badly with the ground
subjects. Because of this I failed to
receive my commission, a matter which
worried my close friends for more than
it did me I really think I have had
a better time & have met more manly
fellows amongst the sergeants than
I would have been amongst in the
officer mess. From my Good friend
p/o Gordon Macpherson I have heard few
good reports of the life in the
officer Mess & of the Sergeants Mees
I have nothing but praise. When we
all reach our squadrons there is little or
no line drown between Offices & Sergeant
anyway, so what matter? 

During our last week in the camp while
awaiting the wings parade & examination
results of J Clarke & I spent all our time in
the city arranging a lightening dash to
Chicago immediately after the Wing's Parade
We had difficulty in getting passport visas
& U.S.A. money but had it all by the
end of the weeks after putting in some
very had work on very high consular
Officials
the great day of the wings parade
arrived & a fair crowd tuned up to
see the little show. The Davisers' were
present & Margaret looked particularly
charming. Immediately after dismissal they
drove us posthaste to the Chicago
bound train & after many photographs
had been taken & a few lumps in
throat swallowed we were off.
We arrived & stayed four days & night
& then staggered away more dead
than alive. It was the bountious
hospitality of the generous American
that overwhelmed us
My good friend Larry Wood met us 

at the train & drove in to the Lake
Shore Athletic blub which was to be
our home during our stay. This is
one of the most luxurious clubs in
the country & we were encouraged
to have the best of everything. After
a short time Larry left us after seeing
we were all fixed up & had plenty
of dollars & we waited on the
partria for the Arrival of Mrs June
[[?]] xxx & Miss Phoebe Adams Who look
us all around the great city & bought
us many wonderful drinks in places
like the Chicago club & the Pump
Room We bought a few things at
Marshal Fields & had lunch at
the Ambassadors Hotel. It was here
that a photographer took a few
shots of us talking to a couple
of little English blitz refugees the
ladies also took us along to be
shown off to all the dear souls
working like fury in the Red Cross
building I will never forget the
tremendous volume of goods I saw
 

being quickly packed up there for shipment
to England. Those willing workers deserve
unlimited praise for their wonderful services.
After our comparatively hard & plan camp
life the sudden luxurious & rich living
of our wealthy American friends was
a special treat to us & we enjoyed
every minute of the twenty four hour day.
That night we all had a big party
at the Chez Paris night club & it was
a wonderful show. Next morning a
good steam bath & rub down fixed
everything up & we started off on another
round a drinks & eats. This afternoon
we [[golfed?]]at the North Shore Club which
proved to be just number one.
We owe a great deal to Mr & Mrs H.L.
Heffer for they came every where & did
everything right throughout our stay.
Both Larry Wood & Mr. Heffer put their
stashing cars at our disposal gave us
their precious golf clubs & kept us with
everything including money drinks & fags
& we will never be able to repay
their kindness. After golf we will fixed 

up for dinner & dancing with two lovely
girls at the 885 club. This turned out
to be a terrific  night which neither of
us will ever forget I finished up at the
Ches Paris at about 5 AM. After having been
to many places, had many drinks, much
good food & great fun.
I swam in the club pool the following morn
& visited the Edgewater hotel with June &
John in the afternoon. Later on we inspected
Larry & Serina's new beautiful home by
the golf course & said goodbye. We had
a very delightful informal meal back
in Mr & Mrs Heffers city apartment in the
evening where after a few more parting
drinks & many good wishes, we said
goodbye
Chicago & the charming people we met
gave us the one of the finest, fast, &
furious holidays I have ever spent in
my life; & I will be eternally grateful.

Halifax
 The long train trip to Halifax was both
comfortable & interesting the food was
grand & we couldn't look liquor in
the face. The scenery in Canada I
 

will never forget, especially when travelling
through the heavy multicoloured maple
forests close to Nova Scotia. We met many
interesting fellows on the train, especially
ferry pilots who were flying bombers to England
on arrival at the Embarkation Depot there both
John Clarke & I regretted that we had not
stayed a week longer in Chicago for we
would never have been missed, as is
always the way when reporting to some
new R.A.F. station. First & last impressions
of the part of Halifax were exceedingly
poor I found it a dirty & unenthusiastic
place & a very poor advertisement
for the magnificent country that
lies to the West. The Air Force camps
were the only clear & well laid out
centers I found, & we spent one
very pleasant & interesting afternoon
visiting the coastal command
station at the harbour mouth.
It was with Mike Harland that I visited
the C.O. at a Lockheed Sq here His charming
wife made us very much at home &
we all drank a great quantity of whisky
which was very scare in this town. 

After that night I almost signed the pledge
for the strong scotch on and empty tummy
knocked me for a six & I staggered
all the way back to camp very much the
worse for wear. The trouble was that we
all put, or attached too much importance
to spirits while in Halifax - the reason
being that it was very difficult to buy
or even find the stuff anywhere consequently 

when the Sq/Ldr brought out
several great bottles of the best Haig
we indulged too heavily & paid heavily
also. My head rang like a bronze
bell for the ensuing week.
At last the draft came along but not
until I had collected a very nice
letter silk scarf & woollen sweater
at the post office from Margaret in
Ottawa
We all marched to the great ship - Andes
2600 tons, with the band playing &
all the town out to see us
aboard for a couple of days we
stayed aboard alongside the
wharf & I with several others managed
 

to rush ashore just before she sailed &
collected a heap of mail for the boys from
the Embarkation Depot. This was a good
move for had we not picked this up we
would not have received these letter
for perhaps a month after. There were
over 4000 souls aboard the Andes &
six fast ships made up the convoy. It
was all troops & I think a whole
Canadian conor division was afloat.
We were a fast convoy & maintained
a steady 18 knots. It was with a
twinge at regret that I watched
the great & hospitable Canada sink
beneath the horizon, for she had
been very good to us, & I thought
as I watched her fade away that
that is a county that I must
come again to some future day.
We were a happy band aboard &
the riotous mid Atlantic weather
failed to damp spirits. The food &
living conditions were worse than
awful but we managed to get
along. Eight destroyers escorted us 

all the way across & every now &
then a couple of long range A/C
would turn up to see how things
were going. We heard later that
ships had been sunk in convoys
ahead & behind us but luck was
good to us & after an uneventful
trip we sailed up the river on
dreary morning & gazed out on
bomb shattered Liverpool with
its almost deserted streets & crumbled
buildings
For two days we stayed aboard
& each night went on deck to
look at the blackout. After
leaving the ship we went for a
drive around the city to have a
look at the bomb damage & believe
me it was a very pathetic sight.
Grass was growing in many of
the side streets & hundreds of
homes & large buildings had
been blasted & burnt. Needless to
say life went on as usual &
nobody seemed to worry but
 

train trip down to Bournemouth in
the Sth of England was very interesting.
All the boys were gazing out & identifying
 all the different types of British
A/C we had heard so much about
but had never seen in the flesh.
The beautiful English countryside was
just as I had always pictured it
& I was sad when night fell &
we had to draw the blackout blinds
for I could no longer gaze out
over the countless little green fields
& picturesque thatched farm cottages.
While passing through the large
city areas I was almost ashamed
to think that my mother country
could sanction such countless
acres of dreadful slums. I
decided there & then that even
though this was a pretty & old -
world country that there were
far too many people living in
it already & that I would not
stay any longer than I possibly
could. 

Good meals were served & greatly
appreciated on the train & we
arrived at Bournemouth in the
dead of night & in the midst
of the most [[?ffic]] blackout. This
blackout is a thing that nobody
ever gets used to, & I am sure
that its continued existence will
bight deeply into the moral of
all participants after a couple of
years.
Bournemouth proved to be one at Englands
greatest seaside resorts & it is a
town composed intirely of hotels guest -
houses & bath chairs. We dossed down
in one of the large guest houses that
had been taken over by the Air Force
& had a fine view from our room
for out to sea & over the great
masses of barbed wire & tank
traps ranged along the sea
front as far as the eye could
see. Air crew were arriving in
England at too great a rate
for the poor old struggling English
 

R.A.F. organisation to handle & we had
to wait around for 14 days before being
sent away on a weeks leave We all
had plenty of money & Andy Peacock, Peter
Ewing & I had a great deal of fun
drinking at the Walmer & Bath Hotels, &
generally giving the girls the glad eye
meeting old pals. One evening I
met all the Pilot Offices of our course
who had taken much longer to cross
the Atlantic. I was very glad to meet
up again with such fellows as Macpherson
Blunt Clarke & we pushed off on a
bus trip to Salsbury one cold day.
No, -  it was Pete Ewing & I who
discovered that beautiful old town
built around its glorious cathedral
first, & I returned a second time
with Mac & some other fellows & proudly
showed them this old gem of the
English countryside.
Another day & popped down to Thomey
Island in the hope of seeing John
Lander but his squadron had
moved the day before. To fill in 

time I spent the day rambling around
all the bombed areas of South
Hampton & Portsmouth. I had some
long & interesting yarns with various
postmen & other fellows & they
told me what a great deal of
good had been done despite
the loss of life, in clearing of
the terrible slummy areas. I
was inclined to agree with
them after viewing row after row
of dingy little cramped houses
which before the air raids had
been the shelters of thousands
upon thousands of the poor
workers of England. These places
were now comparatively deserted
& I hoped that the vast majority
of women & kids had gotten out
into the clean countryside. Later
on I saw hundreds of ladies
with little children scattered
about through every little village
in England & came to the
conclusion that their enforced
 

withdrawal from the slums had
done far more good than harm.
Peter Ewing & I packed a small
bag & pushed off to London. We
arrived at Euston after a
fast & uneventful trip & wandered
about with our mouths open as
does every stranger arriving in
this great maze of human
conglomerated history. Our first
move was to stroll over Waterloo
Bridge & then along the Strand.
We had a small flutter of excitement
every time we heard names of
streets that to us had always
been advertisements in "Punch" or
corners & pages of the "Illustrated
London News". We finally found
Australia House & a very kind
lady there sent us along to Edgeware
Rd, to a Forces Club which
proved very clean & cheap.

It was a great thrill to drive through

Hyde Park & past Buckingham palace

for the first time, & I will never
*Used the typical

old London cabs

of which there

were thousands but

still not enough.* 

forget walking down Oxford Street
& gazing at what used to be John
Lewis's large store. All that was
stand of this great Emporium was
a few rusty twisted girders.
We laughed ourselves sick at
Flannagan & Allan in George Black's
Review "Black Vanities" in the
afternoon. That evening I think
we went to a show called "Up
& Doing" with Cyral Richards
& had another good laugh
The following evening we took
out a couple of A.T.S. girls
from the N.Z. club & had
much fun & a few drinks at
the Universial Brassier at Picadilly
Circus. I arranged a meet with
my cousin & another nurse & we
met outside Australia House on
the third evening. We had made
the service club in the basement
At Australia House our headquarters
& used to return there every lunch
& afternoon tea time for a fine
 

free meal of tea sandwiches & cakes.
I am afraid we rather overtaxed the

dear ladies hospitality, however we

appreciated their kindness no end.
 One afternoon we took in Westminster

Abbey & the House of Lords.

The doorkeeper here proved a most

likeable fellow & we had a long

yarn to him as he was pushing

the various Lords off in their

old cabs. After this duty had been

duly performed he showed Peter & I

around the old cloakroom which

contained the hat pegs & with the

name above it right back to

the beginning of time. I saw

names like Lord Nelson & Drake

Disraeli & The Prince of Wales.

This fellow also showed us the spot

where Guy Fawkes had his head

knocked off & where they used

to try them in one spot &
burn folk in another in the good

old days.

We ambled round St Paul's & gazed

 

*With this doorkeeper

we talked

a great deal

about the

enevitable change

in the social

structer of

England. It

struck us as

funny to be

discussing the

finer points 

of socialism

whilst inbetween 
putting

old Lords into

their cabs.

Still I thought

while standing

there that had

these been strong

men we would

not have been

at war nor

democracy

threatened.*