4 Feb 51
This past week has been a poor one for the College so far as sports are concerned. The basketball team lost to Trenton by two points but the volleyball team won. The hockey team lost to Loyola 8-2 and the water polo team lost 7-2 to Sir Geo. William’s in Montreal. For Saturday drill parade there was only a token squadron turnout…the gym team was excused for the morning and we had a two-hour work-out.
6 Feb 51
Tonight most of the team was over after tattoo practicing so we broke out the 9mm Browning automatics and tried them. The faculty club was playing badminton upstairs and guess the racket we made drove them away.
7 Feb 51
We had Friday afternoon’s lectures today (Wednesday) so that Friday afternoon will be free. Squadron Leader Stuart gave us a good lecture on discipline which strayed from the subject of discipline and he gave us some of his views of the College now as seen from the eyes of an ex-cadet. I spent the evening in the draughting room again…drawing and fighting off Goldie’s verbal attacks—he wants to have a masquerade for the final dance. Our transportation for the pistol team has been cancelled but we are still trying to get something to travel in. I suppose this kind of thing gets so commonplace it doesn’t bother me too much anymore—well the army has been blundering along like this for ages now.
10 Feb 51
We did get transportation finally for our trip to Toronto but just as I was packing yesterday, Jones came in and told me the whole deal was off because U of T couldn’t field a pistol team. So I looked at him and said goodness gracious! Yesterday our hockey team beat Carleton and the basketball team lost by about seven points to Carleton. Today we lost to McGill in hockey 4-3, and to Albert College in basketball 36-35. Our teams are just not clicking. Coops was trying to get me to go to both hockey games but I was quite firm in my resolve to stay in and study, much as I would have liked to go. Quite a few guys probably resent my attitude but I want to get my year—I’ll be more credit to the College as a graduate than as a premature ex-cadet. Dowsley has put in forty-three hours studying this week whereas I have only done twenty-four. He amazes me with his capacity for work. Andy Croll was back again today after having been home because of a further injury to his back. It is still terribly cold and drill parade this morning was at fourteen below zero.
11 Feb 51
This morning I was nearly frozen in my room—the space between the window and the storm window was filled with fine snow which had been blown in…Today being the second Sunday of the month it is Garrison church parade but all the other units had their parades cancelled. But we paraded to town in a howling gale. Last night, 3 Squadron had a sleigh-ride party, which wound up with a square dance in the Old Gym. The fellows apparently had a lot of fun—our squadron will have to get some similar effort under way.
15 Feb 51
We have been working pretty hard this week with midterms coming on. Quite a bit of flu is in the area and as a result a good number of cadets are laid up. I only hope no more of the gym team gets sick. An unusual thing happened on Tuesday. Willy Hough was doing a back off the parallel bars when a bar snapped—he wasn’t hurt but was lucky—it’s a good thing it didn’t happen when we were all on the bars.
16 Feb 51
It is much milder today—Major Hetherington made some comment on the spring fever, which had struck the class—Mr. Lester B Pearson, Secretary of State for External Affairs lectured us tonight in Currie Hall. He is the best speaker we have heard in this series of lectures. He was asked whether he thought Russia would provoke open war or continue to use her more subtle economic and political war. Then Mr. Pearson illustrated his reply with the story of an Arabian chief who said, “We don’t stab our victims when we have put poison in his coffee.” The lecture was long but very interesting in all respects; he has a very quick mind and wit as well as a lively developed sense of humour. A tea was held in the mess afterwards and Principal Wallace of Queen’s unveiled the little plaque presented by Queen’s. Some jokers hid a Virgo girl picture under the flag covering the plaque but that old sly Mr. Coggins inspected the ropes etc just beforehand and discovered the prank. I wish I could have seen the Brigadier’s face if he had seen the picture hanging there on the plaque.