16 Dec 50
This afternoon we went out north of Kingston and brought in several loads of Christmas trees and brush for decorating the gym. It became very cold after a while but we had a good gang of fellows and enjoyed the outing. I was so tired and cold when I got back that I hit the pit and had fourteen hours of sleep.
17 Dec 50
After church parade this morning a great mob of characters from two squadron came over and challenged us to a snowball fight. In no time the whole Frigate was up in arms and made a break for the fort where we held one of the ramparts against all attacks. Pretty tired out after it all, we came back and went over for Christmas Dinner. It really was the best meal this year and we did full justice to it with jokes and songs etc. This evening Barry and I went in to St. George’s for the Carol Service, which was excellent. They have a boy’s and men’s choir, which put on quite a show singing twenty-one carols and hymns during the service. We’re going to make a point of going next year. It has snowed steadily for the past few days and there is about a foot of snow on the ground.
21 Dec 50
Exams were over yesterday and today is being devoted to finishing the decorations in the gym. Frances Anne got in on the noon train and we spent the afternoon roaming around the College. The swimming pool is nearly completed now and they are cleaning up the tile. It is the finest pool I’ve ever seen. After dinner we went to a coffee party at Diane MacPherson’s and then went to the dance with Diane and Barry Hercus. It was an excellent dance. The Royal 22nd played for us. About ten of the fellows who didn’t invite girls stood under the arch at the mess and sang carols for the couples arriving (Willy Hough, Tony Hampson etc)
22 Dec 50
About thirty fellows stayed up most of the night and managed to take most of the decorations down. So it didn’t take too long to get all the jobs done today. There was more snow last night so that the taxi had some difficulty getting over to the Frigate. Andy and I took Fran to lunch and then we bugged off for the train. It was very crowded but we had a lot of fun. The last edition of the “Marker” came out—twelve whole pages for the Christmas one. There was quite a gang of us getting off the train at Toronto and quite a few people wondered who the “tall fellows with the Russian hats” were. My fur hat has created quite a sensation at home and everyone is claiming it. There is no snow at all in Toronto and our overshoes, which were so necessary in Kingston, are quite out of place here.
3 Jan 51
Christmas leave so far has been very enjoyable. This year I have been able to use the car so that the long walk up from the bus has been avoided. Fran and I have gone to several parties or dances and I have certainly had a wonderful time. The door decorations here at Thorncrest have been even better than usual this year. There are more new houses going up and more new people around the Village for me to meet. As usual I am almost broke again—the Christmas dance left me almost flat and buying presents emptied the rest of my wallet completely.
7 Jan 51
After a delicious chicken dinner today we went down to the station and once on the train I realized the second term had begun. All the gang seems to have had a good holiday. Spent the evening cleaning up boots etc and my
room. Jimmy Graham brought back lots of good food so we had a party down in his room.
8 Jan 51
It is really rather good to get back to the College and the routine again. It was a bit of a shock through to get going in such a hurry at reveille after such leisurely habits for the past two weeks at home. As Moon Hall is sick and won’t be back for a while, I am duty bugler now. This is the first time I have ever had a chance to see a parade—up ‘til now I’ve always been in the parade and unable to see the overall picture. Fritz and J.J. did very well on their reports. I’ll have to buckle up in Physics and Chemistry or I’ll be out on my ear.
I hereby signify my resolve to refrain from shaving my upper lip until the final exams are all over on 26 Apr 51.
Cdt. W.A. McColl No. 3069.
10 Jan 51
At noon today we had a parade for the change-over of cadet appointments. Kelly is the new C.W.C As I was bugler I got to see the whole parade from the sidelines. It is much warmer and all our snow is starting to melt. A strong wind yesterday blew away our ice to the end of the bay. We’re beginning to despair of getting any skating on Navy Bay this winter. The gym team started practices again tonight and we are getting some new additions. Tony Hampson and I have taken a great liking to the new song “The Roving Kind” and we sing it every day now.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSGkvyF0jkM[/youtube]
11 Jan 51
Lt. Shaw held a squadron meeting tonight and got quite a few things off his chest. One was a warning against having liquor on the grounds. Apparently there was quite a party in Fort LaSalle after the Christmas Dance and the Brigadier took a pretty dim view of it.
12 Jan 51
This morning Andy Croll had an accident in the chemistry lab; his apparatus blew up and he got his hand burned. As yet he is still at KMH so I don’t know how badly he was burned. Cam MacIntyre sits at our table now that Dave Winter is sitting at the head table. When we say the Lord’s Prayer, Cam, who is a Dogan, says AMEN! halfway through it. When the rest of us continue on he says it again a little louder and it puts us irreverently in stitches. There is talk of sending a pistol team to Toronto so I started practicing today. So did about twenty other guys all with the same idea. Blowing the bugle these days is a good job because they are practicing for a ceremonial parade. All I do is blow “Advance” then stand at ease and watch the proceedings. Our junior and intermediate basketball teams played Napanee tonight and won in both games by a good margin. The junior hockey team lost to Queen’s juniors last night.
13 Jan 51
Today my name appeared in orders in a list of those “who appear likely to fail.” So I’m on restricted pass for a month. R.P. doesn’t mean much as far as restrictions go but is a little disconcerting to find out that it “appears likely” that you are going to fail. Inter-flight competition started today and we lost to M flight 20-12. We outplayed them in the 2nd half but were unable to get up to the high score they set in the first part of the game.