The next morning the bugle sounded reveille at 6:00 am. A roster was posted on

each hut with a list of men for various duties. Duties were such as wash room and

hut fatigue, kitchen or mess hall fatigue, or special duty assignments.

A recruiting officer interviewed each person. A personal information sheet

was filled out. A choice was offered to each of us to be an Active or Non Active

soldier. I registered for Active service with a preference for training as an aero engine

mechanic in the Air Force. There was no need for additional personnel in this department, so

I was offered the opportunity for training as a driver-mechanic. I agreed.

There was a view in some Christian circles that a believer should not bear arms.

Some young men became conscientious objectors, while others applied to serve in noncombatant

roles because of such views. While respecting their convictions, it seemed to me

that refusing to serve your country when the King had called you, was unpatriotic. The War

could not be won by men who refused to fight. Furthermore, there were two teachers at

Prairie Bible Institute who had served in the first world war. Mr. L.E. Maxwell and J. M.

Murry undoubtedly had an influence on the decision of the young men, like me, who were

called to report for duty.

I received a number of thorough medical exams, and a range of inoculations for

various diseases.

Each of us received an identification number. My number, which I shall never forget

was M104684. This number was stamped on a bakelite disk. The disk had a hole in it so that

it could be worn around the neck with a string at all times. The bakelite disk was light and

had the advantage that it could float.

We were also issued a Soldiers Service and Pay Book. This book contained

important information about each soldier.

contained a summary of the soldier’s

next of kin, training, immunization,

medical classification, medical

treatment, and pay. Pay is listed both in

local and Canadian currency.

The inside cover of the book

The book also contained detailed

instructions on making or revising a will.

Personal Archives

The issue of new military clothing took place on clothing parade. Since it was

November, and approaching winter we were issued warm clothing: two pairs of boots, a

warm overcoat, and a cap.

Other equipment was issued as well, such as: a web belt with brass buckles , a large

back pack, ammunition pouches with harness, one blanket, and a personal kit bag to hold

one’s things.

I had some like minded friends in camp, so I did not feel so alone in this crowd of

new faces – even if they were assigned to different huts. In addition, a sister and brother-inlaw

lived in Calgary, so it was possible to spend some time away from camp visiting family.

Victor and Francis Latimer lived in north east Calgary very near to a bus route from

downtown. John Amlin and I would also go for walks downtown, to get out of the barracks.

When enough recruits were assembled, the men were told about a draft to a new

military base. Where we were going was a secret. In the military, movement of troops is

always kept a guarded secret. In this first move, groups were assembled on a given day and

marched to the CPR rail station not far away from the camp.

On the train we traveled north from Calgary, through Red Deer, and on to

Wetaskiwin. There, the train turned east to Camrose, which was our destination. The camp

was a half a mile west of the town of Camrose.

My group was housed in the first building on the north end of the row of huts. There

was a full complement of buildings there which served as the military base. A large brick

building was the Armory and drill hall. There was also a recreation building. There were

mess halls and kitchens, for both privates and NCO’s. Officers had their own. Of course

there was also a large parade square.

Each building used as sleeping quarters usually had a sergeant and a corporal or a

lance corporal who lived with the men. The arrangement helped to maintain discipline in the

platoons. I selected a lower bunk bed at the west end of my hut similar to the one I had in the

Photo of the

Canadian

Army Training

Camp at

Camrose taken

in 1941

Photo from personal

archives.

Calgary barracks. The nightly appointment with the Lord and his Word was kept. There

were no negative feelings or actions toward me because of what I did. Some of the men

sometimes called me Padre. I didn’t mind that, for it showed they understood what I was

about.

It wasn’t long before we learned that there was a Christian sergeant on base, and that

on Wednesday evening he held a prayer and Bible study. As well, he had two teenage

daughters. We were welcomed into their home. For us Bible school students this was almost

too good to be true. It was a joy to have Christian fellowship at the Asmore home.

As a general rule, training was for five days per week. Parade square drill was an

important and major aspect of the training. The objective was to train the men to respond

quickly and accurately to orders. I liked the parade square workout, and did well. There was

one soldier, however that did not seem to know his left foot from his right and needed to be

removed from the parade square for extra personal training.

Physical education training was a daily thing in the drill hall. Map reading was

another essential part of military education. We learned for instance that there was a north

pole and a magnetic north pole to be considered when using a compass with maps.

Munitions training was to acquaint us with rifles, machine guns, and hand grenades.

At first, these were mostly in lecture form with educational movies from time to time.

In front of hut, left

In full gear with the

Camrose Army base

administration

building in the

background, right.

Photos from Personal archives

Bible Study with Sergeant

Asmore (at right). Sam is in the

front center.

Photo from Personal Archives

For recreation we read, wrote letters, or took a walk to downtown Camrose. There

was a recreation hall on base with games of all kinds. I tried boxing once, but in the first

round I broke my nose, and it still shows.

To leave the base for any length of time a pass was necessary. On national holidays a

weekend pass could usually be obtained. Hours of departure and return were strictly

enforced. Failure to return to base on time was considered to be Absent Without Leave

(AWL). An AWL infraction was seldom overlooked. Penalties could range from extra

fatigue duties, being confined to barracks for a prescribed period, or a term in military prison

for serious cases. The majority of personnel obeyed the camp rules and followed established

orders.

At Christmastime in 1942 some of us received passes to attend Christmas with

family. As I remember, a few of us traveled to Edmonton by train through Wetaskiwin. We

usually booked a bed at the W. M. C. A. for the duration of our stay. Phil Goetz and I used to

take advantage of getting away from base when we could.

Basic army training at Camrose was completed in February of 1943. Before moving

out, a photograph of each company was taken, then the unit was put to work cleaning

barracks, drill hall, mess hall, and kitchen.

When we moved out of camp with full packs, no indication was given to us as to our

next destination. At the train station a full trainload of soldiers was disembarking, on their

way to basic training in Camrose. Our unit boarded that same train for our advanced training.

My group, and that of John Amlin, were sent to the Calgary training center.