Salute to the Auxiliary

A feature article on the Air Reserve, part of the 40th anniversary celebration from the April 1964 edition of The Roundel - the defunct RCAF magazine. I recall a photocopy of this article was given to me as part of GMT back in 1978.

I Don't Want No More of Air Force Life song

This is an old Canadian military tune. There are versions for army and navy as well. I have a version of the tune for the Fire Department posted under the title "Gee Maw I Wanna Go Home". The Chorus in the navy version says: "Gee Maw I wanna go, west of Ontario", the feeling being that you're far from any ocean in the prairies, I guess! The lyrics from this version were created by squadron buddy Ken Moores, as we sang them at the annual 400 squadron Christmas Dinner in 1981. The names mentioned were fellow squadron members. This song is dedicated to Ken & all the buds from that time in the early 1980's. "Per Ardu Ad Astra".

RCAF clips from 1942 movie Captains of the Clouds

Hollywood came north to Canada in 1941 (prior to America's entry in the war) to shoot a war movie about the Royal Canadian Air Force in technicolor. The plot of the movie was about a group of bush pilots who decide to join the RCAF as pilots. The film had some great historic scenes at places like RCAF stations Uplands, Trenton, and Jarvis as well as what looks like the CNE grounds in Toronto. The film, Captains of the Clouds, starred James Cagney, Alan Hale, and George Tobias (Abner Kravitz on TV's Bewitched. The film is a tribute to the men of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan pilots and had a wing ceremony conducted by Air Marshall Billy Bishop (The WW1 Ace). I first saw this film many years ago on Elwy Yost's Saturday Night at the Movies on TV Ontario, with interviews & background info. I'm pleased that it is available on DVD, if you'd also like to see the entire movie. "Per Ardu Ad Astra".