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Like my friend Shelsing, I got in the reserve army early-almost by accident. A gunner from "C" Battery RCHA in Winnipeg
appeared at our high school, in uniform with brass buttons, a bandolier and spurs- very impressive! He offered a signals course,
three afternoons after school each week, in the Brandon armouries with a $36 dollar reward if we qualified. It was big money
in those depression days! I was just getting into radio, in those days, so signed up, with several of my pals. Soon we were
exposed to telephones, lamp signalling, heliograph, morse and semaphore flags and buzzer and other interesting things.
| Soon we were at training camp for two weeks |
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| An 18-pounder gun firing at Camp Hughs in 1934 |
After the six weeks signal course, the hook came. Qualification (and the $36) would be at annual training camp with one of
the local artillery batteries. Soon we were signed up as boy gunners and signallers-issued uniforms- smelling strongly of
moth balls- and began two nights a week training with the 59th Brandon Battery, which proved very interesting. By summer we
were "ready" for annual camp. Two great big horses were brought to our school, after hours, and we were led around,
learning the army's "near" and "off" sides, and, after a few minutes, declared ready for annual camp.
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