I had always liked the Navy uniform ever since I was a kid and met the trains in Chapleau, Ontario (early 50's, age 10 through 13)

Being from Chapleau and with nothing else to do, I would go down to the Station and watch as the trains would come through and stop for a station break.  In particular during the early 50's when there were great numbers of service men from Korea coming and going through Chapleau.

I especially enjoyed seeing the sailors with their caps flat aback, get off the train, free and easy, bright and breezy, and immediately look for a liquor-vending Cabby, they seemed like a great bunch of guys and always looking for the girls.

They had such great navy blue uniforms with bell-bottom trousers and White hats and I said to myself I got to get me one of those and be just like that.

So that was my reason for joining the Navy, I liked the look of Jolly Jack.

There I was 129 pounds, 18yrs 5 months old, in HMCS Prevost, London Ontario, February 16 1958, saying I would Fear God Honor the Queen etc. along with three other buddies who went down the road with me, they handed me Twenty dollars and told me to report back the end of the month to begin.

I thought this is great, join the Navy get twenty bucks and then be sent home to vegetate for a couple of weeks, Great navy.

So the 1^st of March, I reported back to HMCS Prevost and was issued a train ticket to Montreal where I was told we would be met by a representative from HMCS Cornwallis who would look after us from that point on.

Great Navy again, a train ride to Cornwallis and looked after all the way.

Left the next day and arrived in Montreal and as we stepped off onto the platform a bell bottomed sailor had us all stand in line and turn out our pockets and suitcases.

He then proceeded to confiscate any sharp objects or illegal items in our possession, there was a lot of booze and penknives confiscated.

We arrived in Cornwallis early in the morning on the 3^rd of March, and piled off the bus to the roadway, knife less and were told to fall in. (What’s that?)

Now it had snowed the night before and then turned to rain so there was about 4 inches of slushy snow on the road and we all were dressed in civvies, and (in my case) wearing penny loafers, we expressed dismay that we would get our shoes wet and dirty if we did that.

I recall a roar from this GI (gunnery Instructor) and immediately we lined up in the slushy water, ankle deep.

We turned right and headed over to a rather unimpressive building where we were given a short arm inspection, hell I didn’t even know what VD or clap was let alone crabs, however that’s another story.

After the short arm inspection we were filed past these two guys dressed in whites who administered a number of shots to each arm, it was curious that he asked which hand I was, I said Right and he gave the Tetanus shot in the right arm, when I asked what for he said you will find out.

Right away I new I was in trouble and a cold sweat started to come over me.

Back onto the road way and we all headed over to kit marking/issue and spent the rest of the morning getting issued everything from underwear to blankets, three great navy blue bell bottom uniforms, a Pusser Port and Starboard hat and everything else between. We then marked them in the appropriate color paint, for the purpose of SEWING LATER I found out, and guess what? We were all issued a great big Pusser Dirk (KNIFE) We all looked at one another and said Go Figure or words to that effect.

After donning our new issue work clothes and packing up our civvies (complete with wet shoes) in a box for delivery back to our home address, imagine my Mom’s surprise when she opened the box from Cornwallis and it contained moldy wet shoes and soiled clothes which she told me were immediately placed in the Garbage.

We then had to carry our enormous amount of kit Two Kit bags plus blankets over to Joining Block where we spent the rest of the morning getting issued bunks and linen etc. I might add that we walked over to the block (the last time we were allowed to walk as a group in basic training) we were told that all things were done at the double in Cornwallis and that was it.

By this time my arm is throbbing and I feel kind of ill, and all we wanted to do was lay down and sleep. However no mercy, we are fell in on the roadway and detailed off into duty watches. I was part of the Quarterdeck division and told we were duty that night. No big deal I thought.

OK so it’s out on the roadway we stay and we did right dress and to the front salute, our arms were like pieces of wire, very stiff, we were yelled at and told we looked like a bunch of muff divers smelling our arm pits, What was a muff diver? Must be a navy trade we were unfamiliar with.

This is were I run into a revelation as I said to the guy next to me "Anyway we only got to put up with this for 8 weeks and we will be done" at which time he said, "think again, it’s 20 weeks" Who Knew?" I had never asked about the length of basic training and somehow I missed that part when they told me at recruitment.

Through a fog of fever due to the effects of the shots we spent the rest of the day learning how to make our beds and properly iron our uniforms, shine shoes, clean heads and all the good stuff life in the block required.

Then at 1600 it was secure, thank you Jesus for that, but wait, the duty watch had to muster and that was me and the other hapless souls. So back on the roadway and detailed off as to our duties that night.

It turned out you had to mount a fire watch in the Barracks and someone had to do that, guess what, I was assigned the Middle Watch (Midnight to 0400) as fire sentry (this did not quite register on me at the time but it sure hit home later that night)

This would not have been so bad if I didn’t feel so damn rotten, I was too shit scared to say anything so it is business as usual, cleaning up the gear, rounds, shining boots till lights out 2200.

At which point all the guys hit their racks in a blissful nights sleep, except the duty watch (Quarterdeck division). I went to bed too but about 1130 a guy was shining a flashlight in my eyes and telling me it was time to get up and to go on watch

The duty watch PO mustered the watch and read the riot act to us. Quote "If I catch any one of you’s guys sleeping on watch you are off to the Center gate Cells." Unquote

So it is now midnight and I am starting my watch, I am again reminded about the trip to cell block if caught sleeping on watch.

Oh I felt so rotten, head ache, muscle soreness, exhaustion, but again to shit scared to say any thing.

Away we went, walking around the block looking for fires and anything out of the ordinary??? (Like what?) All I could see was the rest of the guys sleeping so peacefully in their bunks and me sweating bullets in a delirious fog.

The hours dragged by and about 0300 I had had it, I leaned back against the wall in the brightly lit QM’s position and remembered about going to cells, but said screw it and slowly sank down at attention till I was in a squat on the floor, still upright but out for the count.

The next thing I remember was a searing pain on the back of my head and some movement in front of my eyes, then another jolt of searing pain, again on my head and my eyes focused on a neatly pressed pair of blue bell bottom trousers and a spit shone pair of boots attached to them.

I forced myself to a standing position and to my horror there stood the duty Petty Officer who had threatened cells to anyone Caught.

His first question was "ARE YOU SLEEPING?"

No Sir; I said, just checking the cleanliness of the Deck.

(GOOD!) he said, and pointed to the pair of boots lying on the deck, indicating I was to replace them to the boot rack.

He had taken the largest pair of boots from the boot rack, a size 18 or something like that, belonging to a French kid named Lafleur who had the Biggest feet I had ever seen and dropped them from a substantial height onto my head to ease me awake.

There I stood two great lumps on my head a throbbing arm, a fever induced haze about me, and a brush with going to Cells, and then, having to put those enormous boots back in the rack.

Needless to say, I stayed awake from that point on but I continued to marvel that there was someone with feet that large.

Long about 0330 it was my turn to take the flashlight and go in and shake my relief, I walked up to his bunk and got his attention and said time to get up and take over the watch, he said OK be there soon.

I went back to my post to await his arrival but as the time ticked towards 0400 and no relief I began to worry so I went back to see what was the matter and found him still turned in, when I shook him again and said it was time top get up he told me to (go have sex with myself), he wasn’t moving.

Stunned, I returned to my post and contemplated what to do, and as time was marching on and it was now getting close to my sleep time I went back to his bunk and ask him once again to get up, he indicated (I should have sex and travel at the same time.)

Well I lost it and grabbed the side of his bunk and flipped it over, at which time he came up all mad and angry, to which I yelled "I don’t care how pissed off you are, you are going to get up and stand your watch", I said "come on you Bastard I’ll thump the shit out of you," All this from a 129 pound Skinny kid."

All of a sudden all the lights come on, everyone is up, and the duty PO is standing there and everyone is wondering what the party is about.(Hold me back I said) or I would like to think I said that.

The guy gets up, I leave for my post, and I don’t know what the duty PO said to him but out he comes to relieve me at 0415.

So off to my bunk I go and turn in to blessed sleep, however 0600 comes real quick and the

A-Hole who relieved me arrives at the foot of my bunk waiting for wakey-wakey, fortunately I am aware of him and I am already up before he arrives.

So there I was, One Day into Basic training, it’s the dawn of the second day, I have my much anticipated great navy blue uniform with bell bottom trousers and the promise of a Tidily (non Issue) white hat after joining block, 3 hours sleep, two goose eggs on the back of my head, had a brush with cell block, a sore arm, sick as a dog, made an enemy and only have 19 weeks 6 days to go.

John McKee 37822-H

Assiniboine Division 1/58

P.S.

Life got better after that and it seemed that the Instructors were a little more lenient towards me after that night, or I got used to it, I don’t know which; anyway, guess I had passed my baptism of fire.

John McKee

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