Diary of Denis Patrick (alias Rupert Bert Patrick), 1941-1945 - Part 13

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 1941

Well today is my lucky day although
particularly fatal for some
The plane which I was supposed to
go to Vancouver on left by a strange
series of coincidences without me
and it also crashed eighty miles
from Vancouver and is still there
in the mountains believed to be a
total loss. There is a possibility that
the occupants (3) may have bailed
out but it is hardly likely - I feel
terribly sorry for those lads - they were
a good natured happy go lucky bunch
still its all in the game - several plans
have cracked up this week
Luck episode no. 2 is that I have the
opportunity of going to Prince Edward Island
for ten weeks to do a special course in
Reconaissance & navigation at the

end of which I am supposed to be both
a pilot & qualified observer. (may be)
at any rate I should get a second class
navigators certificate which would
cost more money than I would care
to pay if bought in civil life
So today is another one where I can
count my lucky stars 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 1941

While turning over the pages of a magazine

featuring Prince Edward Is. - which is to play

such a big part in my future I noticed

this poem - written by the author of

'Anne of Green Gables.'

"Twilight in Abegweit' (L. M. Montgomery).

A filling Western sky of smoky Red.

Blossoming into stars above a sea.

Of soft mysterious [[dives?]] silver spread.

Beyond the long grey dunes serenity

Where the salt grasses & the sea poppies press

together in a wild sweet lonliness.

Seven slim poplars on a windy hill

Talk some soft language of an older day

Taught by the green folk that inhabit still

The daisied field and secret friendly way.

Forever keeping in their solitudes

The magic splendor of our northern woods

The darkness wood [[? ? ?]] us like a perfumed flower.

To reedy meadow pool & wise old trees

To beds of spices in a garden bower.

And the Spruce valleys door austerities

I know their lure of dusk but evermore

I turn to the enchantment of the shore.

The idle ships dream - like at anchor ride

Beside the piers where wavelets lap and croon

One ghostly ship sails outward with the tide

That swells to meet the pale imperial moon

Oh fading ship between the dark and light

I send my heart & hope with you tonight

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 1941

"You are now a qualified pilot says

the C.O." wiping his mustache "but you

have much to learn" / pinning on my

wings" - Our friends from Calgary

came the 105 miles down to see the

big event - we went to dinner

together after the show and had

a hearty meal, after which we

said Cheerio for ever to some of the 

finest friends we have ever met - I

am referring to Stan Eric Bill Jack

& myself.

Our wings party was the next

event and by all appearances it

was quite a show, said to be

the wildest and best yet - The

C G I. got hopelesly full & had a 

fairly whoopee time playing leap frog

over twenty empty cases of beer

the party cost us 350 dollars 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER  25 1941

Quite another gala day - The C.G.I. quite
informally said stand up the following
pilot officers & to every body's amazement
& mine I was among them - we then
adjourned & were duly given white
arm-bands - which apparantly is the
sign for a newly fledged officer - The
C.O then took us down to the mess &
introduced us to the lounge with an
informal toast - of some liquid substance ?
Now that we are on the train
on route for the coast I don't feel particularly
official with a weary bottom.
which doesn't seem to appreciate being
sat upon for such long intervals of the
clock.
The carriages naturally are first class
sleepers and one certainly does it in style
in the forces - The train has a train
of porters all of whom bear the sooty
complexion of one not intended to be
white - in spite of their color they are
very attentive and are only to anxious
to please - waiting on the train is
particularly difficult owing to a lot
of wobbling which seems to be
quite beyond my control – retired
in complete comfort with implicite
faith in the engine driver 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 1941

When I awoke today long after the night
had fled snow was falling fast.
the absence of motion impressed itself
onto me after a time - so I inquired of
one swarthy one - "Wal zer"

he says aha a guess ders a train
[[?]] ub der line - which was only
too [[tone?]] some people were killed &
when two freight trains collided
after a long wait we detrained
and a whole stream of motor cars

took is around to the next
station where after another lapse of
the hour-glass we caught another
train which took us to Swift Current
where we were transfered to sleeper
carriages again - so its night again
and we rattle on and an at the
breath taking speed of thirty miles
per - we called at Regina

which is the capital city of the state of
Saskachewan. we didn't see a great
deal if it but were no doubt it has
some worthy spots.
The meals are served in the dining
car and are all that can be desired
the ticket which his magesty gave
us allows 125 cents per dinner so I suppose
they should be eatable - we are
still twelve hours late 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER  27 1941 

Arrived at Winnipeg this morning at 0400 hrs
I had already asked Sambo the swarthy one to
awaken me & sure enough he came &

massaged my palm at 3.30 & said "Arz a spect
yerd bedder be a shaken a large zer" - he
had my boots all polished & ready much to my
delight - Colin came to the station with his
friend Joyce who appears to be a charming kid
very pretty and attractive - her father was there
also and we went straight to their home &
had breakfast - I was delighted at the idea
as I had expected to stay at one of the local
pubs - which cost four bucks per night not
including meals - The folk with whom I am
staying are another extremely nice & hospitable
family & cant do enough for us - I have grown
to like these Canadians as a race they are
generous to a fault- and have a great deal
in common with Australians ÷
In the afternoon we drove out to the
Parliament house and saw the place where
taxes are manufactured - Winnipeg is a large
city of 250,000 people - well layed out - and
at night the city is just a blase of light
Saw the picture "Major Babara" by Bernard
Shaw - a marvellous show, intrinsical &
fascinating - something different from the
ordinary - having the G. touch - characters were
few but were played with a brilliant level
of humor right through it 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER  28 1941

Being without ink I shall adopt
this ancient custom of writing at [[in]]
crayon which translated into the
equaly ancient English means pencil.
Secondly since today is nearly 
Friday I behold the duty of filing
five days activity none to pleasantly -
Colin & I shared a double
bed last night & neither of us greeted

the ultra vilots until a latish hour

when we did it was only because
of nature knocking at our vitals,
that was my case at least I
can only generalise for Colin

all men however are constructed
on a relatively similar principle 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 1941

Col had to go back to camp last night

to be ready for duty next day - he had

already gone A. W. L. one day which

is frowned upon in His Magesty's
R. C. A & - I put in the day seeing the

city & eating in a very wanton

fashion - Col got off duty early

& came to town looking for me

he found me, of course, where he would

expect to find me - wallowing

in my own Ruin - talking to his

girl friend  - in the evening we

played cards while Col made

love - like a true son of

Australia - I lost two bucks

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 1941

Todays question why am I writing

in pencil ? (answer) because I

still love ink - cold clear logic

But what bringeth forth this day

except a headache - Did a lot of

[[lieying?]] today & evidently did a [[line?]]

with the girl behind the counter.

she had big gooey eyes - but

didn't believe all the lies I told

her - so I asked her to come & see

my stamp collection - she came

she saw - & I conquered. 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1 1941

All this scrawl is being written

on the train, the truth of which

nobody would doubt - I had

to say farewell to the dear

folks who took such an interest

in me a complete stranger

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 1941

All today jogling along in the jolly old
train day after day hour after hour
The Meals are superb & the accomodation
just the bees knees.
Nothing seems to be happening however
there doesnt  seem to be any towns
in central Canada, just scrub & lakes
& more scrub & more lakes - no houses
only an odd shack or two with a sadly
misled looking wench draped in the

doorway nursing six or seven infants

& as many pigs fowls & youthful cows

Canada however is on the whole a much
more fertile land than Australia which
boasts some very excellent coastal country

but bad interior spoils our average.

The carriages are the Pullman type with

the consequent negro porters who

appear to be very black & efficient

why we didn't have a more intelligent

type of native to do our daily bit

de Lord only knows. 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 1941

Arrived in Montreal today, all the
G R. boys were at the station at 1100
each with his tale to tell about
what he did.

I toured around the city

for a while, but time was brief.

what I saw of it didnt impress me
a great deal. The people are 60% French
& as all Frenchmen, not particularly
good citizens - All the male gender

of France are chefs hence the large
number of eat shops of various standards

He would have other obligations in

life mostly not good ones either.

After we left this wicked, wicked, city

many maidens came to see the various

escorts off who had apparently spent

some of their leave with them.

At Quebec we saw the jolly old

heights where Wolfe said shoot when

you see the whites of the eyes - [[?]]

the Chatau Laurier stands on a hill

it it is a tremendous place

which towers over the city - French

only seems to be spoken there &

I had to pull out all sorts of faced

to make my self understood.

The trip is pretty tedious though

& my bottom is complaining of

excess sitting upon.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER  4  1941
Arrived at our destination today after
days & days of bottom grinding - our
train shunted straight onto the ferry
the lines all hook up & everything works
like magic. - the little ferry carted us
train & all plus about seventy motor
cars for nine miles across to the
island where the train just shunted

off onto some more lines and away
we went to St Charlot town
the country side was very pretty
the maple trees with scarlet red
leaves and banks of other trees
tinted yellow wine & green. - everything

looks very peaceful here the
women look like the cows. calm
& placid.
Our new barracks or quarters

I should say are very nice with large

airy rooms plus necessary furniture
I am roomed with [['Chestly']] Clarke P/O

who is a fine lad & we will
get along fine together

The station is all RAF & consequently
English, all the airmen have a
corking account which sounds

very queer, but quite amusing. 

Sunday, October 5 1941

Crawled out of bed and caught a taxi
where four of us visited
ye olde Anglican synagog - The church
was a very beautiful old stone place
aged & stately - Inside were very old fashioned
pews & stained or figure glassed windows
in the centre of the isle a huge bronze
eagle supported on his wings a bible - The
atmosphere was refining old hallowed.
A lady in a black gown played a pipe

organ to the various anthems rendered

by the choir
Later we wandered around the park
which skirts a very large bay, the
grasses were green and the whole

atmosphere extremely pleasant  - At
the end of the park was an old fort
will eight or more ball cannon & a very
sturdily built fort with slots & things
for poking guns out.
We came back in the evening as
there didn't seem to be much doing

in a social way - so we went to
bed and froze for several hours

until the morning sun suggested work
and all that to our unwilling

souls. 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6 1941

Today was our first work day for
a week or two getting back into the

traces broke the old [[sore?]] (mentality) into
a little life - but I found even rather
dim like the proverbial tock H. Camp
All the instructors are disgustingly

English and lay out the super
Oxford stuff - which grates a little at
first but I supposed we will get over
that.
Our course seems to be dreadfully
comprehensive, necessity has reduced the
duration of the course from twelve to
nine weeks, instead of shortening the
studies they have increased them which
ultimately means that we will have
to work back three hours or so every

night until our eyes drop out.
The most interesting studies should
be astro navigation which is entirely
new and a rare gift of knowledge.
It appears that all people who
leave here will eventually go onto
coastal command which is the
pick of the flying services because
of its color & variety of duties
Many it appears have failed on the

course, but with a bit of luck I
should be able to make the grade
without to many let downs
SON O' MINE.  Author Unknown.

I am proud to see you going, Son O' mine,

with love my heart is glowing, Son O' Mine,

Go you forth and do your share,

I'll be with you over there --

When I'm dreaming in my chair,

SON O' MINE--

It is England you are serving, Serve Her Well,

With fortitude unswerving--Time will tell,

If you worthy of her name,

Of her honor, of her fame,

But I know you'll play the game,

SON O' MINE--

Its a sad heart that your leaving,

Never mind!

There are others who are grieving--

Left behind,

But I put my trust in you,

For there's something big to do,

And I know you'll see it through--

SON O' MINE--
We were invited to a
party-dance business tonight so weather
permitting we shall be there
Funds are getting low now & I 

am down to my last fiv three

bucks - what with bank tailors

& everybody to pay, things dont look

to bright - work will probably nail

us soon though I expect & I will

be forced to stay in w'nights

& burn the midnight oil. woe

is me.

SON O' MINE.  Author Unknown.

I am proud to see you going, Son O' mine,

with love my heart is glowing, Son O' Mine,

Go you forth and do your share,

I'll be with you over there --

When I'm dreaming in my chair,

SON O' MINE--

It is England you are serving, Serve Her Well,

With fortitude unswerving--Time will tell,

If you worthy of her name,

Of her honor, of her fame,

But I know you'll play the game,

SON O' MINE--

Its a sad heart that your leaving,

Never mind!

There are others who are grieving--

Left behind,

But I put my trust in you,

For there's something big to do,

And I know you'll see it through--

SON O' MINE--

 

Darling