distributed sandwiches, milk and fresh fruit juice, and even though the
journey from Truro to Toronto passed through some of the most stunning
scenery in North America, these volunteers were generally unimpressed with
the whole experience. SE-42-A reached Toronto on 31 May and things began
to ‘look up’. They were greeted by a welcoming band and within an hour of
their arrival they had been fed, showered and were in their bunks. During
that first week of June 1941, they were fingerprinted, photographed and
issued with temporary American visas. They also received many invitations to
dinner or supper from locals, to stay for the weekend, or take a ride in their
cars. As representatives of the RAF—victors in the Battle of Britain—the
Canadian people treated them like royalty, welcome members of an admired
culture. Preparing to enter the (neutral) United states, uniforms were discarded and the men donned their service-issue gray flannel or pin-stripe
worsted suits. These were generally of the ‘one-size-fits-all’ variety; some men
were swallowed up by them, others burst out all over. Many closet comedians
came-out that day and for some, although their suits were complemented by
black shoes, socks, blue shirts and black ties from their regular uniforms, a
sartorial dignity in-keeping with the adulation of their Canadian hosts was
difficult to achieve. Boarding cars of the Canadian Pacific Railroad on Friday
06 June, the men travelled to the United States by two different routes. Those
bound for the Primary Training School at Camden, South Carolina, travelled
via Black Rock and Buffalo, then across the states of New York and
Pennsylvania to Washington D.C., and finally south. Those bound for
Primary schools in Alabama (at Tuscaloosa), or Georgia (at Americus and
Albany) and Florida (at Lakeland and Arcadia) went via Detroit, Cincinnati
and Chattanooga. At Chattanooga the Alabama contingent changed trains for
Tuscaloosa, the remainder continued on their journey. At about 8.30 am on
Sunday 08 June the train carrying John Augustin rolled to a halt at Union
Station in Atlanta. Those allocated to training schools in Americus and
Albany disembarked and boarded a train of the Central of Georgia line
heading out of Atlanta to Americus and Albany via Macon. That Sunday
afternoon, fifty-three creased and crumpled men of SE-42-A disembarked for
the final time at the railway station in Americus. Training school staff and
citizens of the small town provided vehicles and transported them some nine
miles past bountiful peach orchards on red clay or hard packed gravel roads to
their barracks at ‘Souther Field’,
36 home of the Graham Aviation Co. where
Charles Lindberg made his first solo flight in May 1923. After showering,
shaving and making themselves presentable, supper was served in the dining
hall and if they thought the Canadian welcome was warm, the locals assured
them that, ‘they ain’t seen nothing yet!’
33
17 The GEC Laboratories 1939–1949
421
journey from Truro to Toronto passed through some of the most stunning
scenery in North America, these volunteers were generally unimpressed with
the whole experience. SE-42-A reached Toronto on 31 May and things began
to ‘look up’. They were greeted by a welcoming band and within an hour of
their arrival they had been fed, showered and were in their bunks. During
that first week of June 1941, they were fingerprinted, photographed and
issued with temporary American visas. They also received many invitations to
dinner or supper from locals, to stay for the weekend, or take a ride in their
cars. As representatives of the RAF—victors in the Battle of Britain—the
Canadian people treated them like royalty, welcome members of an admired
culture. Preparing to enter the (neutral) United states, uniforms were discarded and the men donned their service-issue gray flannel or pin-stripe
worsted suits. These were generally of the ‘one-size-fits-all’ variety; some men
were swallowed up by them, others burst out all over. Many closet comedians
came-out that day and for some, although their suits were complemented by
black shoes, socks, blue shirts and black ties from their regular uniforms, a
sartorial dignity in-keeping with the adulation of their Canadian hosts was
difficult to achieve. Boarding cars of the Canadian Pacific Railroad on Friday
06 June, the men travelled to the United States by two different routes. Those
bound for the Primary Training School at Camden, South Carolina, travelled
via Black Rock and Buffalo, then across the states of New York and
Pennsylvania to Washington D.C., and finally south. Those bound for
Primary schools in Alabama (at Tuscaloosa), or Georgia (at Americus and
Albany) and Florida (at Lakeland and Arcadia) went via Detroit, Cincinnati
and Chattanooga. At Chattanooga the Alabama contingent changed trains for
Tuscaloosa, the remainder continued on their journey. At about 8.30 am on
Sunday 08 June the train carrying John Augustin rolled to a halt at Union
Station in Atlanta. Those allocated to training schools in Americus and
Albany disembarked and boarded a train of the Central of Georgia line
heading out of Atlanta to Americus and Albany via Macon. That Sunday
afternoon, fifty-three creased and crumpled men of SE-42-A disembarked for
the final time at the railway station in Americus. Training school staff and
citizens of the small town provided vehicles and transported them some nine
miles past bountiful peach orchards on red clay or hard packed gravel roads to
their barracks at ‘Souther Field’,
36 home of the Graham Aviation Co. where
Charles Lindberg made his first solo flight in May 1923. After showering,
shaving and making themselves presentable, supper was served in the dining
hall and if they thought the Canadian welcome was warm, the locals assured
them that, ‘they ain’t seen nothing yet!’
33
17 The GEC Laboratories 1939–1949
421