THE YOUNG PERIOD

 Every man leads a life full of little gems.  Some are sad and some are happy.  Some to be cried about and others to make one laugh.  Even one who leads a very mundane life really has a lot of anecdotes that he can relate.  I feel that my life has been interesting, but that does not mean that everyone who reads what I write will feel the same thing.

 I was born on 11th February, 1928 in North Bay, Ontario.  Bad luck started early with me.  My mother's water broke and they did not expect me to live by the time she got to the hospital.  Nurse's called me the miracle baby for years.  When I was three months old I caught pneumonia.  Once again it was touch and go.  I waited until six months before falling down the basement stairs and hitting my nose against the corner of the basement wall.  The basement was in two sections with a join at the foot of the stairs.  When I was two years old I fell onto an iron frying pan being used as a toy in the back yard.  Of course I landed on my nose again.


 
 
As a Baby - - - - - - One Year Old - - - - - - Two Years Old
The picture on the left shows me as a baby being held by my mother. The lady on my left is my grandmother. In the center picture I am the one on the right. My brother Bill is on the left. Behind me is an old piano crate that we used to have a lot of fun with.

 
 
Age Four - - - - - - Our Siblings - - - - - - Jack Larrivierre
The center picture is of myself, my sister Marilyn, my brother Bill and my sister Catherine. The little fellow is the son of one of my uncles. The picture on the right is my long time buddy Jack.

As I grew through my younger years I was a mouth breather.  I could not smell but I could taste odours.  On the way home from school I could taste foods that were cooking in houses.  My mother had always wished that I would close my mouth.  I would tell her that I couldn't breath when I did.  When I was fifteen she went to my bed when I was asleep one night and held my mouth closed with her fingers.  When I started to thrash about she let go and soon took me to a doctor for a check-up.  The nasal passages were closed from my early injuries.  I was admitted to the hospital and given an SMR (Sub Mucous Resection).  This opened the passage ways.

 I expected to be able to breath right away through my nose but could not.  A cousin moved to town.  He was a controller at the airport.  He and his wife stayed with us for a time until they could find a home.  He had a Model A Ford.  One day they took us far out into the country to pick blueberries.  I was sitting in the rumble seat and as the force of the wind pressed against my face. For the first time that I could remember I breathed through my nose.  What a wonderful feeling it was.  It was not long after that the swelling went down and I could breath normally.  It did not take long to lose my ability to taste smells, but most of my life I could not smell odours well.  A lot  of the time not at all.

 Even though it get very cold in the winter and North Bay gets a lot of snow, that was my favourite season. I loved to skate, starting about age 4, and to ski, starting about age eight to ten. The winters averaged about 20 to 40 f below for most of the winter. Twice I saw it at about 54 below. I did not play hockey, just skated on the town and school rinks doing stunts with my buddies and skating with the girls. The summers were very warm and Lake Nipissing has beautiful beaches and water that is like a warm bath. As you walked out the water would come up to the waist, and then to the knees a number of times, because of sand dunes.


 My mother was the eldest of nine children, four girls and five boys.  Two of my uncles became pilots.  Andrew, the second eldest started flying in the late twenties.  He was a bush pilot, small aircraft ferry pilot and eventually a co-pilot for T.C.A. (Trans Canada Airlines).  During most of the thirties he was a flying instructor.  In 1938 my uncle Gary, the youngest of my mother's family, went to England and joined the R.A.F.  When the war broke out he was flying Hawker Hurricanes.  He shot down four German planes with one probable before he was shot down over France in 1940, three days before Dunkirk.
 
Uncle Gary (RAF) standing on the wing of his trainer

 Uncle Andy was called in by the Air Force and entered into the R.C.A.F.  He was given command of E.F.T.S. 19( Elementary Flying Training School), Verden, Manitoba.  Another brother Frank was not a pilot but he did join the R.C.A.F. and became the Link Trainer Officer at Verden.

 In 1934, when I was 6, my mother was pregnant with my youngest sister.  She was having problems and the doctor suggested that she send one of her three children to the grandparents until after the birth.  I was the chosen one and so my Aunt Marie took me to Fort William that summer.  The following summer my mother came to pick me up and Uncle Andy said that he would take us out to the flying club and take my mother and I up for a flight.  They were using Tiger Moths.  While we were standing at the side of the field waiting for Andy's turn I heard him say to my mother, "See that hole over there?  That's where a student hit after falling out of the plane last week".  They were doing loops and he had forgotten to do up his belt.  I decided not to go for a flight.

 One day some friends and I were at the beach and we pulled a raft out to a point where we could dive from it.  Later as we pulled it into shore, I was pushing it from behind.  The water was about four feet deep.  I decided to swim under the raft and come up between the fellows pulling at the front.  When I reached about two thirds of the way the raft passed over a sandbar.  I couldn't go any further forward and when I tried to scramble backwards the raft pushed me into the sand.  I started to panic.  No one had seen me dive so they didn't know that I was under the water.  I finally somehow managed to get back.  When I got out I was too shaken and weak to even tell the guys.  I just stood there while they continued towards the shore.


 It was in 1943 that I finally did get a flight.  They were making the picture "Captains of the Clouds" just outside of North Bay.  At Trout Mills on Trout Lake, two miles from town, there was a small dock where local planes on floats tied up.  One day when my friend, Jack Larriviere, and I were swimming just down from the dock we noticed a much larger float plane.  We dressed and went over to take a look.  Two men came along and we talked with one.  He asked me how we got out from town.  I said "On our bikes."  He said that if we got somebody to take our bikes out to White House Lodge he would fly us over.  I replied, "If you fly us over we'll walk back".  The lodge was five miles away on a smaller lake where the local part of the movie was being shot.  James Cagney flew the plane that we went up in, during the movie.  Actually the stunt pilot flew it, Cagney was afraid of flying and would not go up.  It wasn't until many years later that I learned that the pilot was Paul Mantz.  He was one of the best Hollywood stunt pilots during that period and for a long time afterward.  We were lucky enough that a reporter from the North Bay Nugget, our local paper, was at the site and he drove us back to our bikes.  The flight was short but it was a fantastic one for us.  The plane was a Beaver.  It was used for bush flying and had just the two seats in the front. Jack and I knelt behind the pilot and his co-worker.  No straps.

I got my second flight in a small plane while serving on the carrier, HMCS Magnificent, while we were in Portsmouth, England for a three month refit. I made friends with a man who belonged to a  flying club. He invited me to go on a local flight with him. We flew over Portsmouth and I asked if we could go over the Dockyard and see the Maggie. He replied that we could not because it was a restricted area. Those were the only two flights that I had in small planes until I learned to fly in 1969.


 During the summer holidays when I was fifteen, in 1943, I went to northern Quebec to a place called Ferguson.  There were about six little cabins there and a small station.  There were two work trains and I was the cookie on one of them.  The cookie didn't cook, he served the workmen and cleaned up.  One of my jobs was to carry the groceries when the supply train dropped them off.  They were invariably left about a quarter mile away.  Included were 100 lb. bags of flour and sugar.  I became quite strong that year.  I remember we were in our bunk car one evening with the radio on when we heard a report that the Italians had surrendered and  joined the Allies.

 At age 16, in 1944,  my job during the holidays was with the local soft drink company.  They made coca cola primarily.  I did many jobs around the plant and went as helper with a couple of the drivers.  I learned to carry up to six wooden cases of pop at a time. On a couple of occasions I carried the six up three flights of stairs. My muscles got bigger and I got stronger.

When I finished with this job I went to visit my Uncle Frank (Link Trainer Instructor) in Fort William, Ontario. On the way there the train stopped at a station for a while. I got out to stretch my legs and saw two German officers walking together on the train platform. They had the well known long grey coats and shiny knee length boots. I did not see any guards but I am sure that the to were being watched very carefully.

 
Winter Carnival - - - - - - Friend Bette Stuart
The shot on the left shows me with a beard by an ice pyramid One of these was built on every corner on downtown Main Street in North Bay. It was the first Winter Carnival period since the beginning of WW II. There was also a large ice castle a block away by the train station. The reason for the beard is that there was a beard contest for the Carnival. Anyone who joined the contest and then shaved before it was over went to jail for two days, where he lived like a king.

The other picture shows an old girl friend, Bette Stuart. One day when some friends and I were at the beach on Lake Nipissing, near a creek, we heard some screams. Three of us ran out into the water where a girl was in a panic. There was a four foot snake swimming near her. One of us grabbed the snake and whip lashed it, and threw it across the creek. After that she thought I was great.


When I was seventeen I went to a place near Toronto to serve on an Oil Tanker.  My Aunt Marie's husband Dorm was the Chief Engineer and he got me the job.  I went aboard as a deck hand.  Later on I was promoted to watchman.  The deckhands worked a regular day, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  They then also had to work at any time that the ship was docking, leaving the dock or going through a canal.  I went through the Welland Canal 86 times and through the Erie Canal twice. Later in the Navy I went through the Panama Canal twice.

 As a deckhand one of my jobs was to grab a rope at the end of a long boom.  The other end was attached to a 10 foot mast that held a short handle.  A watchman would use this to swing me out.  When we reached a raft that we were to tie to near Toronto, or going down the canal, I would run across the deck holding the rope and swing into space while the watchman pulled on the handle.  Then I would slide down the rope and take the line cast to me to pull the ropes out and loop them around the bollards.  A deckhand would tie a line to a rope and throw it up to the lock man so that he could pull it up and attach us to the bollard.  Then as the ship rose the rope would have to be tightened by hand.  The watchman did the same thing only with steel cables.  He used a winch to tighten up his lines.  One time while we were going through the Welland Canal we were told at one lock that that morning a watchman had put too much power on the winch.  The steel cable snapped and cut the man in two at the waist.

 As a watchman we stood six hours on and six hours off.  My watch was from twelve to six.  At times the off duty watchmen would leave the ship at Thorold, Ontario and catch it at the last lock.  I often wished that I could go with them but the deckhand had to be there.  When I became a watchman I decided that I wanted to try it.  No one else wanted to go so I decided to go alone.  While the water was out of the lock you could see a number of doors in the cement along both walls.  The fellows would go through one of these as the ship was rising.  There was a tunnel behind that ran the length of the dock.  Every so far there was a circular stairway that led to the top.  I jumped from the ship through one of the doors.  It was dark in the tunnel and so I had to feel my way.  I came to an opening and followed it.  There were no stairs, just a rising in the cement floor, and this gradually closed up.  I started to sweat and went back down the ramp.  By feeling my way around the base I suddenly felt the stairs.  By this time the water was sloshing around my shoes.  I climbed the stairs but saw no light.  It was really becoming frightening, especially since the water made a great deal of noise pouring in below me.  Then as I neared the top I did see light and got to the ground above.  I stood there until the ship came up and went aboard.  I never tried that again.

 The watchman was in charge of the deck hands and also relieved the wheelsman when he went for breaks or meals.  The first time that I took the helm I was told the course that we were steering.  It held for awhile and then came about a bit.  I turned the wheel but it got worse.  I was starting to get anxious when the First Mate came storming into the bridge and told me to look aft.  There was our wake in the shape of a big circle.  I had done a 360 degree turn.  On the floating compass was a mark that was the head of the ship.  To come back to course you have to bring the compass back to the head and I was trying to bring the head back to the compass point.  I had no trouble after that.  You learned that when given a course change you turned the wheel towards the new direction.  About 10 degrees before coming on course you would swing the wheel to the opposite side and then as it settled on the correct course the wheel would be brought to midship.  That would have the ship right on course.

 On one trip we went to Cleveland, Ohio, and were docked beside a ship building area. They were building four cargo transport ships for carrying of supplies to Europe. I had a small camera and was on the poop deck taking pictures of them. Suddenly I noticed the workmen dropping their tools and yelling our way. The our Captain yelled at me from the bridge. I dropped through the hatch to my cabin and waited for the FBI to come after me for taking pictures of the ship building. Nothing happened and nothing was said, even from anyone on the Joan Virginia.

 One time we were near Detroit at Grosse Pointe.  Some of the fellows decided to swim across a little bay and small stream.  They had seen a couple of girls there, in a park.  They talked me into going although I was not that good a swimmer.  It took all my strength and when I hit the current near the park shore I could make no headway.  One of the fellows asked me if I needed help and I said "No".  I was only a couple of feet from the shore but could get no closer and finally I just said "Get me".  He jumped in, grabbed my bathing suit from the back and heaved up.  I just lay half in and half out of the water for about five minutes.

 On V.J. day we pulled into Toledo, Ohio.  Some of us went ashore and hit the main streets.  There were fires along all the streets in 45 gallon drums.  Every guy kissed every girl that he met.  We stayed ashore until about midnight.

 Another time we were in Toledo and went downtown.  For some reason the ship was to leave earlier than expected.  As we got back to the oil yards we saw my Uncle Dorm coming ashore in a car to look for us.  He gave us a blast and as soon as we were aboard the ship sailed.
At one time we were to switch from carrying crude oil to light oil, such as the old 3-in-1 house oil. We had eight huge tanks, four on each side of the ship.

The first thing that we had to do was clean out the hoses, both the large and small. I was told to hold three small hoses, dangling into one of the tanks while gasoline was poured through them to clear out the oil. The gas spilled over my hand and was very cold. I used enough movement that the hose ends moved about and the brass fittings came into contact once in a while. The captain was standing nearby and he said to watch the movement. He asked, "Do you know where we will be if you cause a spark?" I said, "Some of us will be in Heaven and some in hell". We had to go into the tanks with steam hoses and wash them down. At the bottom of the tanks were built in, huge girders. We stood on these to use the steam. We would go down for fifteen minutes at a time, all that one could stand. One time when I hit the bottom the hose gave a huge back lash and I flew through the air and between the girders. I banged my head and leg. The next thing that I remembered was that I was climbing the ladder with one arm and dragging my leg. As I got near the top some of the fellows grabbed me and pulled me through the hatch.

Later some of the boys got together and decided that we should get extra pay for the tank cleaning and they approached the First Mate and told him so. We were refused so it was decided to mutiny until double pay was approved for the period that we cleaned the tanks. We all agreed but then my uncle Dorm, the Chief, took me aside and asked me if I was going along with the rest of the crew. I told him that I was, because I didn't want to be the only one refusing. He gave me an order, as my uncle, not the Chief, to back down. I told the fellows that I would not go with them, and didn't tell them why. As it turned out, the Captain had radioed to the owner about the problem and the double pay was approved.
 
Later some of the fellows cornered me, and one told me that we were going to go at it with fists. I told him that he could hit me all he wanted, but that I would not hit him back. He asked why and I told him because he had saved my life during the swimming session. The whole attitude changed and we suddenly all became friends again.

Because of the war, and the fact that we were a tanker, when we reached the canal we always went to the head of the line. It would only take a few hours to get through the Welland Canal. Right after VJ day we had to go to the end of the line and it took up to 24 hours to get through.
The handling of the equipment, ropes and hoses took strength and once again I built my body up again.

When I returned home I attended Business College. As our course was ending three of the fellows approached me and said that they were going to join the Navy, and asked if I would go along with them. I loved my time on the tanker and agreed.

In time we got our notices to go to Toronto for check ups. By then two had decided that they would not be joining.  The third one and I went and completed the physicals and other requirements. We returned home and waited. When the call came I was the only one still willing to go, and I did.
 

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