# 3 Intitial Training School - Victoriaville, Quebec
We found ourselves quartered in a Catholic seminary in this eastern Township town about 100 miles southeast of Montréal. We were put to work immediately and found ourselves embarking on eight weeks of concentrated classroom training with drill on the parade square, route marchs, pistol practice, and gas mask training thrown in. I remember pistol shooting as one of my lesser achievements. It looked so easy but I found that the 38 caliber revolver jumped in my hand as I fired and my first few slugs hit the ceiling of the shed that served as an indoor range. Later I learned to allow for the explosive force and did somewhat better. In our course there were 120 potential aircrew divided into two flights. There were three other courses ahead of us spaced at two-week intervals so it was a busy place. Our entire Scoudouc bunch was there and also several others from Valcartier who had been doing their guard duty elsewhere. Bob Beckett of Valois, Québec was one such person and it was great to see him again.
The selection process at I.T.S. would determine whether the trainees were best suited for pilot training or observer (navigation) training. From the outset I had stated my preference to be an Air Observer, however, we were all given the same tests and evaluation at Victoriaville. We looked forward with eagerness and some and apprehension to the sessions in the link trainer to test our reflexes and coordination. The link was a miniature aircraft mounted on a three-foot pedestal. There was a joystick, rudder pedals, compass and a turn and bank indicator and with the proper combination of controls it was possible to simulate an aircraft in flight. The lessons and tests by the instructor became progressively more difficult but I managed well enough that I was passed for pilot training. I still preferred to go the navigation route although in hindsight I sometimes wish that I had opted to be a chauffeur or truck driver as multi- engine pilots were called. I don't think I would've had the temperament to be a fighter pilot and perhaps not the capability either.
A date that stands out in my memory is December 8, 1941- the day after Pearl Harbour. All eight training flights, about 480 potential aircrew in all, were lined up on the Victoriaville parade square. The Commanding Officer, a World War I pilot brought the group to attention and explained the reason for the special parade was to deal with the fallout of the Pearl Harbor attack. Now that the U.S. Was at war there would be a natural inclination that many of the American trainees would want to head south and fight under their own flag so to speak. The C.O. made it clear that neither the U.S. Nor the Canadian authorities wanted this to happen. He said that there would be later opportunities to transfer but for now the best way to serve their country was to complete their training in Canada.