Joining The Navy
From Uncle Sandy to the RCN: A Journey to Naval Aviation
I was born on my Uncle Sandy’s birthday the year after he was killed in 1943, flying Hurricanes for the RAF against the Japanese over Burma. He was my Mother’s only brother and she did her best to keep his memory alive as I was growing up. My Dad served in the navy during the war and in the early fifties he took me on regular Saturday morning outings to see naval war films like “Battle of the River Platte” followed by lunch at the Naval Officer’s Club in Montreal where I became familiar with all the memorabilia that presently decorates “The Crowsnest” in St John’s, NFLD. These two streams of influence came together when a naval pilot walked into my grade eight classroom, put up some pictures of aircraft carriers, airplanes, and helicopters, and told us that this was what we should be doing with our future. I immediately realized that he was right and rushed home to inform my parents of my decision. They both seemed to be in agreement and we began to investigate how the idea could become reality.
Over the next couple of years I became increasingly familiar with the ROTP scheme which seemed to provide the exciting career that appealed to me and the university education that my parents convinced me was a worthwhile goal. I also researched the Venture plan which really appealed because it offered the opportunity to get in the cockpit sooner, but I bowed to my parent’s logic and set my goal to graduate from high school with a high enough average to join the 1961 recruit class at CMR (College Militaire de St Jean).
After I successfully completed all of the enrollment interviews and tests, I was sent to RCAF Station Centralia in the spring of 1961 for aircrew selection. As most of you remember, we were subjected to numerous trials/tests/interviews during that process ( remember the
psychologist asking you if you loved your mother?). Fortunately it was not all work – there were numerous nascent leaders in that group, especially Herb Harzan, who led us astray on a few occasions. Upon my return to Montreal, the recruiting officer at HMCS DONNACONA assured me that I was classified aircrew and was on my way – as long as my marks stayed high. Unfortunately I suffered a brain fart in my final year physics exam and barely passed, which dropped me out of the running for CMR. However, a telegram soon arrived from Naval HQ offering me a spot in the fall class at VENTURE with the understanding that if my marks were good enough there, I could proceed on to Royal Roads the following year to pursue my degree.
I jumped at the chance and just after my 17th birthday boarded the train that would take me to the west coast and my new life in the RCN.