Once again it is long past time to get on with the Memoirs.
The last part was we arrived at Indian Head Sask. After spending a poor first night here sleeping in the drill hall, we moved into bell tents with at least four to a tent.
Here is where the term shit house rumors started. Some fellows would deliberately start a story and see how fast it came back to him.
Right away we had a medical inspection with some members of our battery having measles, so those that never had measles were in one area, sort of quarantine while those of us that had measles as children were in another group. Now there was a little animosity amongst the 76th Bty and we the 60th Bty that had arrived in such a terrible state. Well those that had the measles could drink out of certain water taps and the others at other taps. This is where on the second day, when one of us went to drink out of the correct tap, we were pounced upon by a figure in really short shorts wearing two stripes red moustache, spectacles and roaring that we could not have drink of water out of that tap. We informed him that was the tap designated for our use. Well with a bit of muttering he left , with us all saying what in hell was that all about. That was our introduction to Bombadier George Hegan { now in his 83rd year }.
As I said the rumors started our officers that came with us were in conference it seemed for days. Well the up shot of this conference was to combine the two field batteries into one. Disappointment was the result. The new battery was to be called the 60/76 field battery, with three troops A, B,& C troops and a battery headquarters. Our kindly major Clive Jacobs would be now the battery Captain. The officer commanding would be Major Boulter who was known to quite a few of our battery as he had been a school teacher, having taught in many areas of Southern Sask. Here was the way it went , A troop Capt, Fitzpatrick with Ken Cameron as troop sergt. major . B troop, Capt.Allan Peters Ron Harvey as Troop Sergt Major . C troop, Capt. E Chaloner with George Green as Troop Sergt Major. This is the way I remember it some 61 years later. So I do not know many of the still living will correct it . Orders were posted and the rush to the bulletin board to see what troop you had been assigned to.
Well out of all this there was promotions and I will go on to state what troop I ended up in. It was B troop and the orders listing the promotions stated that on that date I was now an acting Lance Sergeant. Wow, this was a few days before my 19th birthday! The gods and the officers must have looked kindly on me. Looking back on it the responsibility so early in life stuck with me all the years. I often in retrospect think a sense of responsibility was a curse. You were a non commissioned officer, and immediately, you were not a part of that group you were part of just days before, You took on quite a different role, and hoped that it did not get your ego so high that you were going to be despised by the gunners you days before shared a tent with. You now shared a tent with sergeants from B troop who were in most cases older than you with years of militia experience.
I will have to close on this note and assemble my thoughts how the combined battery actually worked out and name fellow sergts. and the remainder of our Days in Indian Head.
Gordie ..........
