Right On, You Got the Elbow Out!: Wartime Memories of the R.C.A.F.

By Ernest F. Monnon

During World War II, thousands of Canadians left our country to fight for our Allies. Where they went and what they did has always been a question for some. Perhaps this book will give some answers. It deals with the experiences of an ordinary airman, a radio telephone operator, one of the many "ordinary people" who served their country in time of war. Ernest Monnon was a keen amateur photographer, who used to exchange his cigarettes for film and developing, and many of the pictures in the book are his.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Jun 30, 1990
• ISBN: 9781459714557

Ernest F. Monnon

Ernest Monnon was a keen amateur photographer, who used to exchange his cigarettes for film and developing.

Book preview

MONNON

INTRODUCTION

During the second world war, thousands of young men went overseas to fight. My late husband was one of those. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, and this is his story as he told it to me.

The many pictures contained in the book are due to the fact that my husband was an amateur photographer. He used to exchange his cigarettes for cameras and film. Those photographs not taken by my husband were issued by the R.C.A.F. and related to his work.

Many Canadians had seen service in the Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Flying Corps, and the Royal Air Force. Many, reluctant to leave, stayed on and the Royal Air Force became the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.) in April 1926. For many years there was little activity within its ranks, partly due to lack of interest and also due to poor economic conditions. It was not until 1938 when the European situation could no longer be ignored that reality separated it from the Navy. A Chief of Air Staff was appointed responsible to the Minister of Defence. Up until this time, Canada had had little interest in World Affairs. On the home front a Depression enveloped the entire country. We had high unemployment, soup kitchens, etc.

"In the summer of 1939, my brother Henry was home on leave. He had recently graduated from Technical College in Halifax (now the Technical University of Nova Scotia) as an engineer and had then joined the R.C.A.F. I told him that I was saving money to take a trip to Europe and he said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be getting a free trip over there soon enough.’

On that warm day in the quiet mining town of Inverness, Cape Breton, war seemed a very remote possibility to me. In a few months that changed. At the outbreak of war in September 1939, Canada could only muster a handful of trained officers and men and a small number of outmoded aircraft said to be obsolete even before they had been purchased.

Canada had little to offer, but did not hesitate in her willingness to help. There were not even any operational aircraft available at this late date. On December 17, 1939, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (B.C.A.T.P.) was signed. It was the beginning of a triumphant victory brought about by the B.C.A.T.P. The R.C.A.F. not only fulfilled every obligation required, it even took on some added responsibilities. It was necessary for Canada to have a completely trained and fully efficient instructional force, airdrome development and building project, and all of this in the fastest possible time. It was decided that the overseas representative would be limited to one army cooperative squadron to work with the Canadian Active Service Force, part of which was already in England.

This move allowed the full efforts of the R.C.A.F. to center upon the training of the aircrew, the ultimate objective of the B.C.A.T.P. The expanding British training facilities would be needing reinforcements. Experienced aircrew was essential if air traffic was to reach an all-time high. The goal set by the B.C.A.T.P. was appalling to say the least: the training of 25,000 aircrew personnel per annum (the majority of those would be Canadians), the construction of 60 airfields, and the enlargement of the 20 existing ones, the establishment of 70 schools and depots, and the training of nearly 40,000 officers and men to operate them. All this was to be accomplished over a three-year period at a cost of $600,000. Canada’s share was $350,000.

In spite of many adjustments, the original plans were realized and the success of the venture far surpassed the hopes of those who had conceived it. Now, the United Kingdom and other theatres of war had fully organized R.C.A.F. units which were able to undertake all the varied duties of an air force at war.

By 1940, the R.C.A.F. Squadrons manned by Canadian personnel and maintained completely by the Dominion of Canada were now operating units in the larger plan of the Royal Air Force. On February 25, 1940, an organized unit, No. 110, of the Force (Army Cooperation) squadron landed in the United Kingdom.

Note: The statistical information provided here was obtained from The RCAF Overseas, The First Four Years and The Aerodrome of Democracy (see bibliography).

CHAPTER ONE

RESPONDING TO THE CALL

In the winter of 40-41, I went to Montreal for a few months to take some courses and there decided to join the R.C.A.F. My preference was to be a FT Instructor, but apparently they had enough in that