Coversation Tidbits from the 1962 Reunion
These are anecdotes shared by former squadron members during the 418 Squadron reunion held on November 3, 1962.
TED JOHNSON who is now Assistant to Director of Military Relations for De Havilland Aircraft of Canada, was doing a little advertising about the merits of the "Caribou". Ted admitted that the Caribou was rather slow when compared to the Mosquito but was hardly prepared for the character who said, when Ted told of flying a Caribou to the Paris Air Show last May - "What! And you're back already?"
CHUCK REDEKER and MARK ZIMMER were reminded of their bird expedition in which they ran into a flock of birds at 50 feet over the Dutch Coast. They lost most of their glycol, the engines overheated to a dangerous degree, but they managed to scrape back to England. Neither of them have felt like duck shooting since.
During the showing of the pictures which had been obtained from AFHQ Ottawa and also from several individual members of the Squadron a large picture of the legendary JIMMY GIBBONS appeared on the screen. Jimmy, who had done one complete tour and had almost completed a second tour when he was killed in action, was widely known by both ground crew and air crew. He was without a doubt, the most highly respected individual who had ever served on our Squadron, and the spontaneous applause which greeted the showing of Jimmy's picture was a glowing tribute to the memory of this remarkable man.
RUSS BANNOCK, as everyone knows, was one of the highest scoring aces who had ever served on 418. Russ was and still is always most reluctant to make much reference to his outstanding record. He did, however, tell some of us with much relish of his visit to England last year and his meeting with BOB BRUCE who was his navigator for his first tour. Bob is now Professor of Music in the Cardiff University and has written a symphony which he dedicated to Russ Bannock.
Neither SID SEID (who lives near San Francisco) or DAVE McINTOSH (who is with the Parliamentary Press Gallery, Ottawa) was able to attend. Some of the pictures which were shown reminded us of this colourful pair and, in addition to the fact that they flew the most successful single sortie that was ever flown, one other feat stood out. They were the only crew who ever dared to attack a flying bomb (V-1) head on. This was considered suicide in most cases and the C/O was forced to remind them that they were flying with the RCAF and not with the Japanese Air Force.
STEW MAY was re-united with many friends he had not seen since the day in 1944 that he left on a daylight ranger to the Vienna area and was not heard from until after the war. Stew and his navigator JACK RITCH, had crash landed in a field near Vienna and made their way over a period of months to the Russian lines. The Russians (who liked us then) gave assistance to Stew and Jack and they were eventually repatriated to England about the time the war ended.
BILL HASTIE was also renewing acquaintance with friends he had not seen since the night he and STU WOOLLEY bailed out over Kitzingen and were prisoners until after the war. Stu was unfortunately killed in a CF-100 accident near St. Hubert a few years ago.
Everyone present, but particularly the boys of the "Boston" days, were thrilled when JACK DAVIS took the mike and sang for us "Bradwell Bay". The tune for this was stolen from "JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN" but the words were most appropriate.
It was a great surprise to many of those present when they found that DOUG ANNAN and AL MacINTOSH were not involved in any way in the Christmas tree business. They were reminded of their first trip into Nazi territory when in a train-busting attack they struck a pine tree and brought back to England quite a few samples of German Christmas trees which the ground crew had to extricate from the leading edge of the wing. As if that wasn't tribulation enough for one night, a few moments following the meeting with the pine Tree they found themselves being battered from all sides by the anti-aircraft defences of the city of Bremen. When asked how it was that everyone missed, Doug replied, "We went down so low that all the ammunition went over our heads. As a matter of fact, we scraped some paint off the Bremen Cathedral spire as we went by."
One of the R.A.F. types who served with 418 - "DUSTY" MILLER - who was lost on the daylight "do" of Feb. 22/45, was frequently mentioned. One chap recalled that Dusty's navigator, SGT. HOOPER came up before the examining board prior to being commissioned. He was asked some of the usual questions when one reply startled one of the officers into saying, "You talk like a Communist." Whereupon Hooper said, "Yes, I am a Communist!" and proceeded to lecture the flabbergasted group of brass on the merits of Communism. The recommendation for a commission for Hoop was filed so far back in Squadron files that it has never been seen since!
DOUG ALCORN told us that he flew sorties with 12 different pilots during his stay on the Squadron. This is perhaps a record for any navigator. Doug is now engaged in a political campaign and if he wins he will once again be "setting courses" (for Gormley Township this time).
AL SMITH is now a pilot with TCA, flying DC-8's. He says that flying a DC-8 is just as easy as a Mosquito but that we should keep that a secret, as the Pilots' Association would prefer the public, and particularly the airline operators, to continue to believe it takes supermen to drive these fabulous birds.
FRANK MONTGOMERY took a bit of kidding about the time he commanded the Squadron during the C.O.'s absence on leave. Monty was disturbed to find pilots becoming a little careless in landings and take-offs on the field at Coxyde, Belgium, to which the Squadron had just moved. He issued a stern bulletin to all pilots concerning the high cost of replacing a Mosquito and urged greater care. Later that day Monty came in for a routine landing, taxied along the perimeter strip, got a wheel off into soft ground and flipped her up on her nose!
SMOKEY DRAKE flew in from NORAD at Colorado Springs. He declined to say whether he used a "Minuteman" from their underground storage depot for the trip up.
If it's good fishing you're looking for - be sure to drop in at FRED VALENTI'S restaurant in North Bay, Ontario. In addition to being a connoisseur of good food, Fred has made a study of the fishing area of the North Bay District. You will remember Fred's prowess as a hockey player on 418 team in Brighton. He made a career of it after the war, playing in Fort Worth, Texas, New Westminster, and Quebec before finishing up in the Northern Ontario league as the star of North Bay.
The one fellow at the reunion who seemed to have weathered the years the best, was that genial "master of the quids" - RED MERRIMAN. Remember how he looked every time you asked him for an advance so you could go on leave? If you would like to go on another "leave" - Red can still look after your needs. He's the manager of the Royal Bank in Shelburne, Ontario.
"Middle Wallop" -- Now there's a name to fire the imagination! Particularly the imagination of new pilots who arrived on the squadron and were told "There's the runway!" Can you ever forget your first take-off (or landing) at night at Middle Wallop - one should say "series" of take-offs as we used to bounce from hill top to hill top until at last we were catapulted into the night.
Speaking of Middle Wallop or "Center Punch", as the ground crew fondly referred to it, that was the place that BERT LEATHER first got his experience in "pulling a pint" at the local. When 418 inundated the town, it was just too much for the local innkeeper and Bert came to the rescue. You can see him any day after "opening time" at his own pub in Ridgetown, Ontario.
A letter was received from TOMMY THOMPSON following the reunion. Tommy was the capable Adjutant of 418 for several wartime years, and was prevented from attending because of a stroke suffered two years ago. Tommy is vitally interested in all ex-418'ers and would appreciate hearing from any of us.