18 Mar 51
Spring has finally arrived; the ice is breaking up in the main channel beyond Cedar Island, and yesterday I saw the Wolfe Islander smacking its way out through the rotting ice to the island. Andy Croll finally left for Toronto for good, he says. I hope when he gets better that he’ll feel differently and come back to the College. Col Sawyer announced that from now on the Engineering Materials and Engineering Drawing courses were considered optional for 2nd year cadets going into the general course. So I won’t be writing Engineering Materials, thank God! Saw some good films yesterday on the Korean campaign showing how the glorious American Army is bungling its way through Korea. Rev. Dowsley is doing fifteen days C.B. and swears he will get me up before Reveille tomorrow so I had better turn in early tonight and get some sleep.
23 Mar 51
On Wednesday the 21st, we had a brief parade for a group of visiting officers, including the CO’s of all the camps in Canada. Even Col McNoughton my C.I.G. /last summer was there. The parade was very poor; in fact I think it was one of the worst we have ever put on. Today J.J. arranged a little game of basketball and we got thoroughly tired before dinner and then tonight we got a volleyball game going in the Old gym.
24 Mar 51
The powers that be decided that since we haven’t had any parades or lectures from visiting dignitaries lately it would be a nice idea if we had a little cross-country run this morning. But we foxed them—it snowed about 3” of snow last night and the ground was deep in slush this morning. It has been blowing a real gale all day and the ice is starting to pile up on St. Lawrence Pier and the Fort Henry Point just from the pressure of the wind. We had another volleyball game after tattoo tonight—it’s a good way to work off steam when you’re studying.
25 Mar 51
Today has been a perfectly grand Easter Sunday. I went into Sydenham St. for church and was perfectly disgusted with the service but I won’t dwell on that subject. Spent the afternoon reading Grapes of Wrath. I thought the big measles scare of the last week or so was over but Moon Hall broke out tonight. He’s probably given them to me a dozen times this past few days.
26 Mar 51
Tonight the power was cut off from 2200 to sometime after midnight. It happened in the middle of defaulter’s inspection—quite an uproar ensued and a few of us went over and raised hell in 2 and 3 Squadrons.
27 Mar 51
Today it appeared that some fellows put a cannon ball on Dr. Stanley’s desk and turned Napoleon upside down. They also turned all the pictures around in most of the offices including the Brigadier’s. They owned up rather than have the whole cadet wing do rifle drill after supper. Oh yes Moon Hall got the measles so I’m playing Gabriel again at noon and evening.
30 Mar 51
The exam timetable and the exam routine have been posted so that we are just about into the exams. On Wednesday we had our last changeover parade. The seniors now have permanent appointments and already there is a noticeable difference in discipline. Williamson is C.W.C. and Loomis is our Squadron Commander. Don Loomis has started tightening up and he’s the kind that will stay that way. Lt. Slocrombe has taken over from Lt. Shaw and he is a fairly keen type. “A” flight lost two floor hockey games this week—we are all bruised and battered from it—I had my nose pushed out of line in the first game