Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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SI-QLWYN HOUSI-I SCHOOL MAGAZINE FROM A GUNNER -- oi' BAT'1'iaRi'. Q xv1No. isef. c,1.N. mary. REINF. VNIT. c.A.o. inet-. zo, 1943. 'I' seems like a long time since I last saw you all, and many events have passed since that day. :Xt any rate, Ijoined up last May after taking Ist year Science at McGill. In no time at all I came over here 3 indeed for the last three months I have been in this camp taking my .-Xrtillery training. I came over as Infantry, but finding that branchofithe service did not believe in using what brains I had fno offence, pleasel I transferred to Artillery and at present I am taking a course on Field survey. Ir ends in a month and a half's time, at which time I shall be a qualified forward observation post assistant. My job will be to direct the fire of' my troop or battery in the event of' my ofiicer being rendered useless, which sometimes happens. :Xt present the work is fairly easy, and I managed to chalk up a good mark in my last exam. Next week, we take up Bren gun carrier driving, without the Bren gun. Uur equipment is very varied from celluloid profiormulas to directors. The work is very in- teresting and in line with my ambition - engineering. I had my first leave just two weeks ago. My travels brought me to Glasgow and many other places. I saw the I'niversity of Glasgow, and in Iidinburgh the Castle and .-Xrthur's Seat, all 750 feet of' it. Down to London and a session at the local theatres where many good plays are surviving the war's effects. I hope to be out of' this place in a very short time, doing work of' a different sort. By the way John Iflder is on the same course, and I saw Drummie Birks fLt. Black YVatchI recently. My brother David is back home after a tour of Dieppe, North .-Xfrica and Sicily. .-Xhout the others you probably have heard. Give my regards to the staff' at the school, and a rather belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I. L. THE ROAD HOME Il'.v a f07l'Q' roanf, amz' zz iL't'Il71I' road, ITM' rnzm' lluzl lmdx li-Jam! A -h'f7'Ilg'gfillg will: Il lieaqv load, Ur zzdrffl on Ilia .fea'.ff01zm. ll'.f a Kong road, and a fzceariv road, lTl1e 7'0Il!1' 10 VV0Il7'f7'ft'7I1f.f I Bur il liar been .ra often mfd, ll'.v zz road fha! alien-v.f wldx. J. C. K. H., Form 2. I 131

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FOR THE 5CHooL YEAR 1943-1944 THE STORY OF COMBINED OPERATIONS HE first troops :specifically chosen for raiding were The Independent Companies H. These were raised in a hurry to meet the needs for offensive o erations in Norwa ' I . i and were all volunteers from the British Army. Lieutenant-Colonel D. YY. Clarke, Royal Artillery, was largely responsible for the idea and name of the Commandos. To swim with firearms held above the water, to be familiar with all the weapons of a soldier -from the rifie to the three inch mortar -to be able to carry and use high explosives, are some, only some, of the very many things a Commando has to learn. Be- sides, before an applicant can get into the Commandos, he has to pass a very severe medical test. The first Director of' the Combined Operations Command was Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Bourne, Royal Marines. In 19-10, in July, Admiral of' the Fleet, Sir Roger Keyes, G.C.B., K.C.Y.O., C.M.G., D.S.O., NLP., was made Director, and then in October 1941 Captain Lord Louis lVlountbatten, G.C.Y.O., D.S.O., A.D.C., promoted to Acting Vice- Admiral and given honorary commissions in the Army and Air Force, succeeded Sir Roger Keyes. The first raids that attracted public attention were, firstly, the parachute raid on an aqueduct in the south of Italy on February 10th, 19-10 and, secondly, the raid on the Lofioten Islands on 3rd--fth March and 26th ! 28th December, 19-11. Since then the Commandos have made many raids, but the most noticeable are Dieppe, August 19-10, Casablanca, Oran and Algiers, November 19-12, and very lately the landing in Sicily QRoyal Marinesi. When the time comes, we'll see whether 1'Iitler's crack Storm Troopers can meet the Commandos without trembling! G. S., Form III. A LIMERICK Tbere once war zz man from Berfin, H710 fliougbf making war was no ,rin g He emlzzzied men by milliom, .ind bombed flze riziilizzrzs, How 012 erzrfb rould HE ever win ? D. A. H., Form 1. 1171

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FOR THE SCHOOL YF.-XR 1943-1944 THE CASE OF THE TYYIN D.-XGGERS AN GARDNER was pacing up and down the luxurious drawing room of his twenty-two room country mansion. He was mad, and as the smoke from his twenty cent cigar curled lazily up toward the ceiling, he was thinking of only one thingg Dr. Garret. Dr. Garret was a smart middle-aged man, who loved to show off, especially to the beautiful Mrs. Gardner, who thought him very attractive and clever. She did not, however, show any extraordinary fondness for him, although she considered him one of her good friends. Gardner did not like Garret, for the simple reason that he liked no man who was smarter than himself. He had been watching him now for two weeks, during his visit to his estate, and with each glimpse of him his hatred grew greater within him. He had finally determined to kill Garret, and he was now trying to figure out a way of exterminating him without being caught. Suddenly an idea came to him. The doctor had gone out for Sunday dinner to a neighbour's house farther up the river, and he would probably be returning about 2.30 p.m. that afternoon. He would be going by the river path, and just after entering Gardner's property, the river took a wide turn to the left and came to a small waterfall which was perhaps thirty feet high. The spot where the path overlooked the waterfall was a secluded place, hidden by a group of bushes and trees and far from earshot of any habitation. Gardner knew the place well, and he also knew that if he hid in the bushes he could easily stab or shoot Garret as he was going by. He could then throw him into the waterfall, thereby disposing of him. Garret's body might not be found for a couple of days, and by then it would have drifted miles down the river. But nobody must know that he had left the house. He must make sure that his wife saw him going upstairs to his room after dinner. .-Xt that moment his wife walked in, and told him that lunch was ready. Alright, dear, just wait till I wash. Hurry up, then, or your soup will get cold. During the course of the meal, Gardner kept up a flowing conversation, and allowed none of his intentions to escape. just as they were leaving the table, Gardner spoke to his wife : I think I'll have a sleep this afternoon, Joan, so please don't disturb me till about four. Of course I1Ot, dear. I'l1 be out at the back, reading, so just go right ahead. By the way, Dan, you'd better watch your tie-pin g it's loose. It would be a shame to lose it Oh, so it is. Yvell, so long. Have a good time. He walked upstairs slowly, and made sure that his wife saw him ascend. When he reached the door of his room, he opened it and entered his sanctum to await the hour when he should leave the house. Gardner glanced at his watch, and saw that it was 1.35. He would leave for the river at 2.00. A little early, he thought, but he had better allow time for getting down there. His next problem was what his instrument for the killing would ll9l