This is Shelsing, girl soldier, in basic training

In full marching kit for 13 kilometers!

The adventures of a girl soldier

On basic training, we had to make the bed "army style" each morning. The other girls and I even ironed the sheets for inspection. But the Orderly Officer didn't like mine, so he tore it all apart and threw it all over my room. When I beefed about it to my sergeant, he said, "you are lucky that your room has a small window, otherwise he would have thown the bed through it!"

My student friend, Shelsing, brought a poster home from UVIC- WE WILL TRAIN YOU ! It souded just like the Reserve Army in my school days. Like me she ended up in the Reserve and loves it. She took two months basic training in Wainright a couple of years ago, along with a handful of girls and a lot of guys. She phoned from camp, "they get us up a five, breakfast at six, and they yell at us all day!"
They also did the battle training course- "the guys helped me over some of the hurdles." (she is a very small girl.) It ended late at night when a big bag was dumped at their feet- a tent! PUT IT UP! And in the dark too.

Our happy troop relaxing after a busy day

With my friends in our squadron- me on left front.

After a long route march with full pack and rifle, we ended up at a dilapitated old army camp, hardly fit for humam occupation, late at night. To our horror there was only one barrack room, with double bunks around the walls. So we four girls slept in our uniforms, but the guys ran around all night in their undershorts. The mens toilet and showerts were on one side, the girls on the other- but NO DOORS ANYWHERE!

parretts