Influence
I may have inadvertently had some influence on the results
of a municipal election held in the city of Regina. It was in the last days of
WW11 when British Commonwealth Air Training Airfields across the prairies were
being closed and the aircraft dispersed to new locations.
I was a pilot with Ferry Squadron, based in Winnipeg, whose
job was flying no longer needed training planes to their new homes for
long-term storage. Once we left home we were considered to be on temporary duty
entitling us to $7.50 per day for expenses, added to our regular pay. Most of
the pilots , like me, were tour expired, having returned from overseas after
completing tours of operations.
When there was a
number of planes to be moved, the procedure was to fly the number of pilots
required in a multi-passenger plane, usually an Anson, to the pickup point
where each pilot would then take control of his individual aircraft and
continue on to the final destination.
Often these flights took us to Regina where Ferry Squadron
kept a small detachment of mechanics and refueling personnel. After delivering
our charges it was usual to return to spend the night at our favorite hostelry
the Drake Hotel whose owner, Mr. Black, somehow always managed to have a supply
of alcohol on hand to liven up our usual cards games and parties.
It was this camaraderie that led us to become involved in
Mr. Black’s bid for civic election. With liquor rationing in place, Mr.
Black was hard pressed to run a liquid fuelled campaign and wondered if we
could help.
”Tex Charles”, (all Americans were called Tex) came up with
the idea of flying into the US where liquor was in great supply. Mr. Black
contributed $800 and by using our temporary duty entitlement three of us raised
a further $500
Boarding the Anson that had brought us to Regina, three of
us took off on a cold windy April day for about an hour flight to Crosby, a
small town just across the Saskatchewan-North Dakota border.
Upon landing in a
farmer’s field adjacent to the town, we were met by two members of the Us
Border Patrol who enquired the purpose of our visit. Our uniforms identified us as members of the
air force so when we said we were on a mission to purchase booze for the
officer’s mess, they willingly drove us into town.
Here we found a raging fire, fanned by a strong north wind,
sweeping down the main street. Firefighters were desperately fighting the blaze
occasionally dropping into the liquor store for instant rejuvenation. With the
fire fast approaching, and disaster staring him in the face, the store manager
was so ecstatic when we showed up with a bundle of cash he donated several
extra bottles.
After making our purchases the Border Patrol again kindly
delivered us back to our parked airplane. While waiting for the engines to warm up, bottles were
opened and many toasts proposed to our friendly allies.
Shortly after take-off one of our intrepid flyers
accidentally dropped a lighted cigarette between the floor boards, creating a
possible disaster. The fire extinguisher proved useless, having been emptied by
a common practice often used by ferry Pilots to cool soft drinks on long hot
flights. With no water available and reluctant to pour the valuable booze down
to prevent a possible fire, we resorted to Mother Nature’s resources by
urinating through the floorboards.
I don’t recall how Mr. Black made out with his election
campaign but I do know that all our friends in Regina enjoyed a tremendous
party at the Drake Hotel, compliments of the Crosby Trio. I don’t know the
pilot who next flew the Anson, however, I apologize for the less than pleasant
aroma emanating from the lower bowels
