The Icelandic connection - 01.12.2020, Page 10

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ICELANDIC CONNECTION
Vol. 71 #4
going “to permit,” so I parked myself as close
as the enclosure fence and waited. A rumour
was passing through the crowd that the
flying machine would fly, so space along the
fence near the machine was fast being filled.
At this time I cannot remember whether it
was Coffine, Elie or Catherine Stinson who
made the first flight over the Exhibition
Grounds, but somehow I seem to favor
Elie. The flight that afternoon certainly
impressed me no end; each afternoon and
evening I found myself perched up on the
overhead bridge, not too distant from the
Grounds, waiting and hoping that the
weather “would permit”.
However, the urge or yearning to fly
was deep rooted and occupied many of my
conscious as well as sub-conscious hours in
the next few years. The automobile age was
now upon us in full vigour and this in a very
large way was an out for my flying urge. If
I couldn’t fly I could do the next best thing,
and that was to ride in an automobile or on
a motorcycle.These two-wheeled inventions
of the devil proved just the needed diversion
to keep me content during my teen-age
years. Fortunately for me my father had an
automobile in 1912 and I was allowed to
drive it (at age 16) while still in short pants.
But my best piece of good fortune came
when my life-long pal got a motorcycle
given to him by his Dad. My buddy Arni
Eggertson was not mechanically inclined,
so I acted as his grease monkey and
mechanic to keep the motorcycle running.
Needless to say, I practically glued myself to
that machine while it lasted.
World War I was now upon us, I was
at the University of Manitoba going in for
Civil Engineering. News of the part flying
machines were playing in warfare was
appearing in our daily papers regularly. At
this time there was no recruiting for the
Royal Flying Corps in Canada and if one
wanted to join this Service, one would have to
present oneself at Headquarters in London,
England. To this ultimate end, in March
1916 I joined a local Infantry Battalion,
the 223rd Scandinavian-Canadian, with
a promise from the C.O. that I would be
allowed to transfer to the Royal Flying
Corps after we arrived overseas.
Along with two buddies of mine, this
was accomplished, and it was not long after
arriving overseas that we found ourselves
enroute to the Air Ministry in London
where we were accepted as Cadets and sent
to St. Leonard’s-on-Sea for Cadet Training
in September 1917.
(.For earlier 1917 diary events refer to
the authors previous article in Icelandic
Connection Vol. 71, #1 (2019))
1917 Diary
Tuesday September 11th: Arose at 6.
Roll call at 7 am. Breakfast at 8. Measured
for suit in morning. Drilling in afternoon.
Books issued by QM (Quartermastei-). Off
at 4:15 pm. Lecture at 9 pm. back at 10 pm.
Wednesday September 12th: Arose at
6. On fatigue for morning, took picture from
window. Paraded to QM Stores. Rode over
town in RFC truck all morning. Paraded to
Stores for Tunic in afternoon. Got my first
Imperial tunic. Sat around and sang after
tea. Had dinner at 7, spent evening fooling
around piano.
Having completed our course in
England, on October 13 th 1917 we were
packed off to Egypt, to learn to fly.
Monday September 24th: On parade in
morning. Volunteered to go to Egypt with
Frank, Davey and others. I only one picked.
Couldn’t be taken on account of M.O not
having my Medical History sheet. Lectures
all afternoon. Took film downtown, made
few purchases. Sat around played and sang
until 9. Retired at 10.
Saturday October 13th: Arose at 4:00
am. Had breakfast at 4:30. Left for London
at 6:01. Had an hour and a half to spend