Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 01 November 1941

Service Life In Canada

Mexboro’ Airman’s Picture

Aircraftman Tom Dennett, who before joining the Royal Air Force in September 1940, was district representative of the “Telegraph and Independent” at Mexborough, was recently moved to Canada. He is serving at Charlottetown Airport, Prince Edward Island, off the east coast and in a letter to the Editor of the “South Yorkshire Times” gives an Interesting picture of life and conditions on the other side of the Atlantic.

Hunt For Submarine.

A/c. Dennett after describing the voyage across which was comparatively uneventful apart from a bout of sea-sickness and a bit of business like work by the escorting destroyers when a submarine alarm was raised, goes on to describe his new surrounding as follows:—

“This island. — rich in warlike history and ancient customs and inhabited by an intermixed population is right at the back of beyond About 117 miles long and 20 miles wide, it boasts two townships Charlottetown of 15,000 population and Summerside of 5,000. Outside of these there are only very occasional wooden farmsteads dotted amidst the pine woods and bush-like countryside. The main roads though very wide are of loose sandy soil and rough stones, while the side roads are mere cart tracks along which trundle single-horse or double-horse gigs like those one saw in old-fashioned “Westerns ‘

Along these main roads one comes across little tin mail boxes marked with a family name into which the postman pops the family mail and then pulls a metal bell rope on the post on which the box rests to warn the family (perhaps half a mile away), its arrival.

A Modern Touch.

“In the two towns and along the stretch between our camp and Charlottetown the road surfaces are good and a touch of the ultra modern is introduced by the presence of large luxury limousines, either taxis or private cars, all complete with radio and romping about between 75 and 80 miles an hour. There are hundreds of them.—no bus or tram services—and the airmen always travel in these luxury taxis in groups of five which brings down the fare to 15 cents (about 8d) each way. Motoring and smoking are the only two things which are cheaper here. — otherwise things are much dearer than at home, although of course everything is plentiful as we knew it in pre-war days.

“Charlottetown is a typical ‘small-town’ place one might see on the films, with a wealth of well-kept grass verges and open spaces and numerous leafy trees breaking the streaming sunlight into dappled patterns on ground and buildings. At each side or the main street is a grass verge then the side-walk, then another grass verge, then the wooden stores or dwellings set upon small piles. Although wooden many of the buildings are three and four storeys high, gaily coloured and attractively designed with ornate verandahs and sun-lounges. At night there is a blaze of light,— no black-out here.—and the drug stores, barbers’ shops shoeshine shops, and the cafes throw out on to the side-walk from their unscreened doors and window pools of light and music, either from wireless or 5-cents-in-theslot music boxes. Five cents, by the way constitute the celebrated ‘dime.’ I have perforce already to talk in terms of bucks (dollars) and dimes.

 “Dry” Spot.

“For our recreation and entertainment in town there are two cinemas (charge is 10d). Y.M.C.A, Canadian Legion Salvation Army, indoor skating rink sports hall, but no pubs. The island is ‘dry’ which means there is considerable trade in bootleg liquor, some good (we are told), but most of it terrible. Our camp ‘wet’ canteen is literally the only ‘wet’ spot on the whole island. By a special Government dispensation beer is permitted there. Apart from this notable building our recreation in camp is provided for by a very comfortable Y.M.C.A. with games and reading rooms; tennis and badminton courts in a huge hangar and a concert hall with a camp concert once weekly and films twice weekly. The quarters are the best I have encountered with double tier beds, lockers, tables, and all other facilities of the most modern type. The food is really excellent with an abundance of everything, deliciously prepared. “Winter here is expected daily and is apparently something to write home about. Ten feet of snow is about the usual thing. A camp skating rink is made by the simple process of turning a hose pipe onto the snow on the drill square and the surface immediately freezes. When the ice becomes cut up another dose of the hose restores it.”