Trinity College School - Record Yearbook (Port Hope, Ontario Canada)

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TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD 9 sides of the ship were painted, it was then impossible for any light to enter or go out. Light-traps were built at all doors leading to the open deck. Smoking or striking matches on deck was forbidden between dark and dawn. We had to carry lifebelts wherever we went, no matter where or when. The torpedoing of the Athenian came as a blow to almost everyone on board, as she had left Liverpool only two hours after us, and was following the same course. The passengers became suddenly apprehensive and con- scious of the danger which might be lurking nearby. That night some slept on deck, with their lifebelts on, and some slept not at all. That night and the next day were the most dangerous part of the voyage, as at any minute we might have been torpedoed. Since no chart was posted showing our position, we were at a loss as to where we were at any time. The course zigzagged to such an extent that on this westward voyage we were sometimes, as we could see when the sun came out, headed due east! We were overjoyed when we saw the Hshing boats of the Grand Banksg and four days later the familiar skyline of New York presented the most welcome picture the Weary passengers had seen for two weeks. It meant that we had emerged from the Valley of the Shadow. -M.L.A.P. ll x 1- f iiio xg 'I l-. , Qi sag nr

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8 TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD pi it . . . 5 Contributions On September lst, the T.S.S. Vandyck was due to sail from Liverpool. The boat-train which pulled out from Euston Station in London was crowded with passengers for America, for once again a crisis was upon us. Everyone felt the danger which was at hand and all hoped that they would be in safety before it broke. The ship left the dock and anchored in the Mersey. Orders had arrived from the Admiralty to paint her grey, and immediately great activity was to be seen on board The crew set to work to paint the masts, funncls and ventilators, and on each side of us was a tug bearing six men armed with paint brushes attached to long poles, with which to paint the sides. As it was night, the work had to be carried on in darkness. Not a light could be seen in the whole of Liverpool, while high overheard the balloon barrage floated. Early next morning we sailed from Liverpool, grey from the tip of the mast to the waterline. That day was uneventful. The next night, by means of a loudspeaker which was mounted on thc deck, we learnt that war had been declared. During the day, the stewards had been busy covering thc- portholes with black-out paper and tightly fitting pic-rcs of wood. As they had been painted over when the Q .

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10 TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD SAME OLD S.M. He'll always be the S.M. to me. To-day, we call him Lieutenant Batt. It doesn't sound right. Every morning now, shortly after eight hours, fond recollections of the S.M. flood my mind. I am on the drill square of the Seaforth Highlanders' training grounds. Directly in front of me I see Mr. Batt's counterpart. He is patient, kindly. He is a P.T. instructor. His voice at times rises a trifle as his brogue cuts through the salty mist of this seaport in September. But I think of the S.M. And as these 29-year-old back muscles creak protestingly, and these palsied hands tremble at an inferior hips firm , I breathe a silent prayer of thanks for Mr. Batt, and his three-year contribution to my physique. We go through our paces spiritedly, methodically. Al- though these muscles which cut such fancy capers during school days now whine and creak, I'm not afraid. I look straight ahead at my instructor. Instructors, especially physical instructors. strike no terror in the heart of McPherson. For I have worked under Batt. That, to me, is like having an auto mechanic say he taught Henry Ford. I hope every student can grasp the portent of these words. Someday, and I clon't wish to be prophetic, a certain percentage of you boys will be on a drill ground. You'll be in the army. It will be all new. Except one thing. And that one thing will cause you to thank Mr. Batt just as fervently as I do now, even though I am 3000 miles away. The P.T. will be the same in the army. And, mark my words. if you have worked under Batt, your worries are over.