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the georgetown herald wednesday june 20 1945 a letter from j w emmerson overseas with the rcaf april 3rd imo pear editor having read somewhere recently that an editor la a person who works day and night sorting the wheat from the chafl then sees to it that the chaff gets printed i decided to send along my contribution of chaff three years have passed since i promised some of my friends in town that if ever i were removed far enough from the scene of my crime i would dash off a little note to your paper and confess to being the person res ponelble for those anonymous ar ticles which plagued the good citlaens of georgetown tor several weeks i believe my good friend w s harker w for bill s tor curly despat ched a letter by pldgeonpost some time ago exposing me whether the pidgeon is still walking or that air mail went by slow boat i dont know but at any rate at long last i confess i hope no one was offended by my articles im sure no offense was in tended although it ma have looked otherwise in my references to george town high school i assure you how ever that i have only the fondest memories of my all too brief stay at georgetown high i sronder how many times former students and tea chers alike where er they may be to day have remembered the times spent there and seen in their minds eye a vision of the old school standing alone and deserted by the roadside in mid summer i wonder if lieut lambert would associate any memories with the verse of john greenleaf whittiers within the masters desk is seen reepscarred by raps official the warping floor the battered seats the jackknife s carved initial however to get back to my good friend bui harker who is more or jess responsible for this long delayed chapter a year has passed since i first met bill at an airforce embarka tkra centre he was a pleasant sort of chap with a cheeerful smile and a pleasing personality and inasmuch i we both spoke english we struck up j malversation by the way what part of the coun try are you from asked bill why tm from ontario i replied oh said bui a look of sympathy coming over his face thats too bad however dont worry about it too much old man i guess we all can t be fortunate enough to come from al berta al whatn i asked raising an incredulous eyebrow where is this place alberta what town is it near why its out west of course brother out west replied bill beaming with pride why i could tell you stories- wait a minute now curb i interr upted do you mean to lell me that there is more of canada piit fort william i do he replied imp laticallv and further more we are quite mod ern out west in alberta hinm i countered modern eh well that may be true but an prov lnce that has shell be comin round the mountain fo their national an them well now i iki ontario tor instance wry hait train down i there that run through every city town villa- andhamlouevenaeor getown of com e the train through our town doesn i luially top inert it just slovs down and tne nimbler passengers j imp off the lew vglle like rmsuf hae to s iy on tj din and wilk bick oi take our loronto street cars for instance now uu il have to idmit tha they are very good yn agrrtd bill 1 11 grant you that your toronto street cars are good all right but then they should be for the horses that pull them come from the west but enough of this useless banter tell me how did a person with your low griae intelligence get m the airforce in the first place well curly my boy thats a long story i replied but since you v e tefced me m tell jou the story in the year of 1940 i left the uni versity of toronto to seek my fortune in the world i had been well liked by professors and students alike while there and all were sorry to see me leave they said it would be hard to find another janitor quite like me for a few months i went into temporary retirement that is i retired until the next job came along while wait ing i returned to my hometown georgetown and accepted a position mowing lawns in the residential sec- tfcpn i always wore my sunday suit to work so passersby would think 1 hved there al length i found employment in a local paper mld after examining my credentials the beads of the ann dec kled that inasmuch as i was a little pi nj in latin they would give me a start shovelling coal with the provis ion ut in due time i could work my jay- p to a wbitecoller job ebov- edlng clay we were happy at oar ejurk and each morning found us rae- fcjfc work to see who would get the fifarf abovel my career was short- fjved bowvrer for one day the super- tattnotnt sent word that my ssrvtoes jfsw ho loafer r since he had fcs hehml ill wlr would do tba nk mb afaasmr i baud tetar where my fortunes fared somewhat better and i was welcomed into the fold along- with such gentlemen of the press as gord 8penee bdp kintf ray harley bern armstrong em simpson chubby stapleton and many others after working- here for eight een monttis i decided to buy myself a pair of shoes and go down to the big city one weekend the following saturday afternoon i went down to toronto to see mrs miniver mr miniver was on day shift that week in order to avoid any delay at the box office i had come early to avoid the rush however there was still quite a crowd in line and while standing there i felt one of my garters give way modestly i re tired in search of a place to readjust myself down the street i saw qule a number of young fellows entering a large building so taking it to be th ymca i stepped inside as i straightened up from signing the vis itors book a voice said ok chum you re in the alnorce now just stor through that doo for jour et test but wait mj friend i said hastilj there a been a mistake yes he said looking at more closs y i can ee that iow but wert tak ing what wt can get these days ge moving having arrived in the eye testing department i was greeted by a friend ly medical officer very well my man lie said if ou will just read those letters up there tram left to right hmro i mutiered looking more closelv in uw indicated direction if i were i wee shade closer doc i coiud see tihem well this really shouldn t be done he replied but 111 let you move a little closer again i peered at the letters again i moved forward until finally was only five feet from the chart the doctor who had restrained hlm- cf magnificently al lhe whilc finally gasped in desperation brother if jou cant read that now then jou need an education no glasses however we nn let jou u lough as a pilot and o seven days later havm dfposited my inir in che checkroom sailed down to life as a new recruit tune passed and soon our trainiiil began each morning we were iw ik intd by the swe l lilting tones of the orderly sergeants voice as he tiptoed sof iv down t e ilsle whispering awake iwake- nlghts candles are burnt out and jocund cuj stands tiptoe on the m stj mountain tops the morn in russtt mantle clad walks oer the dew of jon high eastwird hill and so our day begin all daj long we were exposed to gn it qum lues of airforce lore the ins ructors were alwiys helpful mur explaining each difficult theory they asked hopp f ull any ques jons ficfli i v en ng found mt try ing lo pirn enough bout nc subjects to isk i sensible question a lew p m the lights were put out and arte r hit our lime was our own and so it went on at laat i finished my ftnrt frying oo- roast beef on sundays nl were gone our ship wis i h irev alxjiit the stce mi fl t i zc spring 1141 i op rowinc ind n uk bebhing ibuut tin hit blut ud o 11 ind said fmmerson do 301 like fl ini oli yes sir i lx lumod 1 e 1 wanted m flv in tin wors w iy ixijoi mt o f j in t w irst v ty yoip lit continned very well n j 1 can g on anson s luv we i i recall my irst rross jnirj rip in ui nson ui 01 c of my chums ron hall mips in hand nd pane hute hirnesw s on we strode out to our ilrcraft tninu to appear as though we were cilm ind confident in our task at o ir approach the mechmlcs hastily shemlled some ports back into the engine hammered on the cover and stood aside with n look of fondest hope in their eyes ron and i climbed on board started up and with never a backward glance trundled off with both motors gz ing at once we roared into tfie air and set course our journey continued quite favourably for some time until the fair face of ontario below grew decidedly unfamiliar of course we were not lost i hasten bo add just temporarily mtgpuced around and around we flew in ever increasing circles of uncertainty trying to con vlnce ourselves hat wingham was clinton finally by guess and bj divine guidance we arrived back at base and landed on tihird bounce well to make a long story short we eventually graduated and decided to accept the firm s offer of a european tour witti all expenses paid and that my dear bill is how i happen i be here today bill and i shared the same compart ment on the boat along wlui sixty- five ottmr fadowa it w about eight m when we finally moved away from the wfiarf many o us had fa thered at ttie stern of the ihip and aa we alldout of ohe harbour and gath ered speed the sea in our wake wai churned into a green atemg path topped with foam onadually definite objecte on land hleodad into the haze of tt ahorrttne lhe goqa one mr one gave op tot ebaae and wheel- lug and tfnfptd fc by vk fjk afaorw of canada rtiv s we at l r most o us rra firm i the slnday roast week ends in the country the old family jalopy these things mean a pleasant way of life these are some of the things every man overseas has been fighting for they wont be his unless all of us make sure when our fighting man comes back his dollar will be worth a dollar to protect his dollar we must reali2e now the dangtrs of care less unneeessary buving we must buy only whit we need neter buy two where one will do we must not evade rationing or price control or deal in black markets if we break the rules our eountry the country he fought for will start on that uncontrollable rocketing- of prices known as inflation prices will rise as prices go up wages try to tag along and never qutte catch up the value of money goes down soon your dollar will buy perhaps only 30c worth of goods and there is no limit to its drop look at greece today the nation is plunged in poverty and depression so lets all make sure our soldiers dollar when he gets back will buy a dollars worth of goods we cant give back to him his lost years or his lost youth but if tie keep up the fight against inflation he can look forw ard to pleasant satisfying uving the canadian wav of life malta this pledge today i pledge myself to do my part in fighting inflation by observing rationing and avoiding black markets in any shape or by ratpacting prlca controls and other anti inflation measures and re framing from careless and unncces an bumr i will not buy two vhcrcon nor will i buy a new v here an old will do by buying vlttory bond and war savlngi stamps supporting tax ation and abiding b all such measures which will lower the cost of hung and help keep prices at a norma level ib lltl mrfw ls mmmr1 oni kio i rift ultkl i sliklit br it t able o ii s ajlfr tor becml 1 1 id in m foot i irs shlninc bright 1 fir ix ow h- k d oil jirj cloud lilec r dim gray iust ii tin moot light drifted sioaij t m hi mini turinc hci it wis hen i in ihom slm nit out o t t larkiiess ihtul th lights of uie ciu f i ibl he first it i nd set i ii ind in is concerned ui ie b tc a ear h is ptv d nice i n- mimotiis ul lnj til en ik ids loi di n sirens iv i ll l oer itor ppi silerj f sk v iv rullins if is f oi ii hi ft net m b rul hiffh 1 xiir trills bt seen- u d munj otln r ml lis too numerous to men aon summer pvitl ind fill hix is cool misty mornlnr- ns upon us at un time we were stationed onl a ftw miles from stmlford on aon ind on eml occoslons wv went boiling on uie avon ptrhaps i should piuse here to toll che unhappy talc of how one of our friends became known by men as vachon of the aion one afternoon we climbed on boird our craft nnd set fooi on the stream des pile the disdiijul looks from swans gliding y who seemed to resent our invasiop we were heartily poling our way upstream in this bargellke im itation of a boat wfctah seemed to tra vel sideways easier than in the cust omary maner when we saw a motor launch having passed our hero happy one side we saw the hero of our uue drama one happy harry vachon draw into the shore in his little canoe in order to avoid uie wash ttie launch having passe our hero happy harry once more set forth from tlie dhore with nrm bold strokes he made his way to midstream i wat ched in admiration and wondered on whait wild canadian rivers he had learned to handle a canoe so skilfully when buddenly to the amarement of ttu concerned including vaohon the taino akrwly rolled over and vaohon slid beneeth the waves what a cal- bmltyl vacjwn in the avon a i watcjiedi it reminded me of hbrarus at tfae bridge no aoimd of ov or iorrow was beard from either bufc bat friend uad foe la dumb nrpclie alood tung wbree bit xt 1hm rtao atocmt this tkae of tfae 7 tek i mi oot oytn jrtth tha te7 cot baatat nr c hi bmk n mj 1 d irki in i furopc 1 iho ipli li nci aorkl i in he confines of 1 i t jipt les iilsh icvent for led io tin m ind si t in 1 ui ind i thf in f inlind ir o i bt inn ti conic i it u c lights o dublin member ii ruistlin howeter onic i it n tlie were t i imi piobtbl cross i l a moon sho wi ii i ndio tx irint o it i fourth ills flxo uie re of s hid to sit ind wtoji uii lights ficc from lew bj oiu selves several weeks later while on lenc i had the good fortune to mot my twa brothers bob and wheldon better known as stcunboat niturallj we had quite a ohxt cxcinaaglng exper lences and recalling incidents at home as we talked stcamoat and i recalled the sage of the blue goose par the benefit of those present steamboat and i wove fact and fancy together to tell the story as you probably recall the blue goose was a bus pressed into service as a war time emergencr to transport local citizens to and from malbon whetther the goose had been made on purpose or not is still a matter for argument her body a large blue box like affair was perched precariously on her tired old ohasis which seemed to sag under the weight ah i who can forget uie day of the goose s maiden voyage i twas a bright and shining mom and the blue ooose sat contentedly at the top of guelph st hill in order to take adv antage of gravity in it initial a off a goodly crowd had gathered which included several passing cyclists who had mistaken the blue goose for a mobile hot dog stand the scene was set the wor climbed on board the driver turned the crank and the motor coughed into life the blue goose in under way a cheer started up cram uie onlookers and were raised to waltl the cheers ban died in thatr throats and upraised ana are halted fa their tribute the and shudder ed forward seeril ftet no stood si nt md still agiln the motor barked into lift igiln a cheer arost again h indki ixj were r used to wae cruos sluridired to a stop with omi i- oi i lru nii ind clankincs from its in nermost regions afir sewnl filso s ii s h hi ir goose it length git ir vij hit bsanders now hoirse horn m in tin f mi less cleeis iki h n h wi h h i ndkerchlefs n ii d somiwiu fiai i from flapprng in fins rition ind wmhid tjie goojc iti her spetd likch down uie lnghwi i isip h ir in i do ui of blue smoke l fumes over the hill as tju kiose bouncid iioiil fictoi ixumd ill four cylinders clinking awa mcrrh uie occupints cluicd ther cits md lunch ixtils in desperation one of uie bos kept urging the drl er to grciter sptcd b calling cm ion go am faster dm ex can ou go nn faster oh cs i can po raster all lightl nmc the replj is the driver nunrtict oier the wlieel and manoucvcred i goose along at uie breathtaking pi e of twenty miles per hour oh es 1 can go faster alright but ive got stav wlui mj bus and thus did the blue goose queen of the highwa a ertjble gem of mechanical precision silly forth each day what the eventual fate of the blu goose was i don t know the last time i saw her she was standing by an old deserted sen ice station appar entry abandoned by mankind and left to rust away in the wind and rain goose had helped to build and as i sped down the runway and roared into the air to me at least it almost seemed as though the lowly blue goose which had served so faithfully in help ing to make this flight possible had by some magic transformation sprout ed wings and sailed mageaucauy aloft if anyone has enjoyed reading this letter then thank my friend bill har ker for but fo- him it would probably have never been written in closing i will leave you with an appropriate little quotation which be told me shortly after we came over here it wai only recently however that i caught the significance of its meaning it was during a cuatrt to st lo rn prance a few weeka ago as we cr the channel t could ate the coastline of france stretching for scores of mfja on either aide of our petti we ton ed and flew along oa hbrmandy before had been the scene of such mi ter fighting the sky was clear but or fl fern scattered clouds which re- tmbled gigantic balls of cotton in the unubht we were too high to obser7a an acihitj below and all seemed ao calm and serene the peaceful farms and unj illagesthe sikery rivers and scarred towns as we droned ilont high oer france i thought of uie boys who had fought there and itrndi it possible for us to be flying here in comparative safety it wa t jit n i remembered the words bill iiad to d me so long ago if i could once on frit soil stand and all uie world free then to uiat moment i might 6jij linger iwhile so fair uiou art p o j w emmerson ca overseas active service notes wren ethel kimsiiead has been t rmsferred from cornwallis to halifax ns aw2 jean mackenzie has been trans- lerred from st tl omas to trenton i another georgetown boy has joined i the ranks of rcaf personnel serving in india in the person of lac john i hunter who has been in uie far east for the past three monuis john is the son of mr and mrs ken hunter main street north sympathy is extended to fr v j morgan pastor of holy cross church wfrose nephew st patrick b morgan 34 was killed in germany on aprihth sgt morgan was one of five brothers eerving in the armed forces and was the son of mr and mrs joseph morg an of hamilton four brothers carry on the fine record of this family ls kevin r n sgmn michael rcnvr joseph b merchant marine ojs thomas a- ronvr a brothex4n law ojs john denny also serves in tha v rcmra prior to enlisting sgt morgan was employed at ontario forgmgs3snul- ton he bad been overseas about tan months we were sorry to hear that ufsfct major john alexander was injured to a motoregmto accident in germany en may as bis parents 14v and john alexander nbsrmd aba i terday that b had brokasahs leg in two places to to w oaoarej afeliaf