Pissed-off Generals in a Meaford snow storm

[Dan Martel]

Originally Posted by Dennis Cardy

A 1945 photo at Meaford firing range.

..."Standing between two Grizzly tanks in the snow, Gen. A. G. L. McNaughton watches exercises on the Meaford range. From left: Maj. D. N. Lander, W. P. Mulock, Capt. R. Labelle, Capt. H. C. Hodges, Gen. McNaughton, Maj.-Gen. F. F. Worthington ".......

Great photograph. Thanks for posting it.

Looking up the persons in the photo, General McNaughton was the Minister of National Defence at the time, Maj-Gen Worthington was the Commander of Camp Borden (of which the Meaford Range was a part) and William Pate Mulock was the Postmaster General and the MP for York North.

For our foreign friends, Camp Borden was Canada's armour training centre during the war. Meaford Range, on the shore of Georgian Bay, was where the gunnery training took place. The range is still in use today. Armour training continued at Borden until 1970 when it moved to New Brunswick. Today Camp Borden is the CF logistics and medical training centre.

Cheers,
Dan.

[Darrell Zinck]

Hi Dennis

Thanks Dennis, glad you liked it. Bit of a thread-steal going on, I fear.

I am unsure, and there is little on him in the Regt'l Archive, but "Donny Boy" (or is it Bonny Boy?) may have once been/later became "Trooper Bonnie", came over from the HMCS Bonnaventure. Aside from the "D(B)onny Boy" on his breast collar, he does have an RCD shabrache on.

'Tpr Bonnie'
In the late 1950's, early 1960's, a friendship had developed between the members of The Royal Canadian Dragoons in CFB Gagetown and the crew of the HMCS Bonnaventure. On a visit to the Regiment in Gagetown, the Crew of the Bonnaventure transferred to the Regiment a member of their crew. Documents detailing the transfer are in the Regimental Archives, along with photos, of one of the first inter-service Occupational Transfers to take place, prior to Unification. The gaining unit, The Royal Canadian Dragoons now had a new member, 'Tpr Bonnie'; a horse, complete with Dog Tags, Attestation Papers, and Qualifications.

https://army.ca/wiki/index.php?title=RCD_Beast

More cheerful looks in these shots and I can almost make out a "B" after HMCS on the pie hat.

Or a completely un-related, un-documented horse.....

Hi Dan

Don't forget Worthington Park and a rather nice Museum in Borden too.

regards
Darrell

[Dennis Cardy]

Darrel Zinck. Yes, we are drifting away. But your photo's made me smile.
That's one heck of a story.

Personally interested as Dad was RCN. WW2.
And several members of our aviation museum here in Langley BC,
flew Tracker's off the Bonney.

Shared the photo's with some boaty-types. It caught their attention too.

More later.

Cheers.
Dennis

[Dennis Cardy]

What we are referring to. HMCS Bonaventure. The Canadian Navy's pride and joy.

[Dennis Cardy]

Darrel Zinck. Some info coming in. First quarter 1960, Bonnie was in drydock at St.Johns for a refit. Thus the crew would have been free to move about.

[David Dunlop]

Dennis.

Was that the big refit done on her just before the decision to sell her off?

David

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Dennis Cardy

What we are referring to. HMCS Bonaventure. The Canadian Navy's pride and joy.

Ex RN Majestic-Class, a sister ship to HMAS Sydney and HMAS Melbourne.

https://blog.xbradtc.com/2017/01/the...melbourne.html

[Dennis Cardy]

David Dunlop,
No, I don't think so.
The mid-life refit was done in 1966-67.
Took 16 month's, and cost north of 11 million dollars.
Billions in todays money.

Just three years later, July 1970, the ship was suddenly paid-off.
Then sold for scrap, at penny's on the dollar.
Your tax dollars at work...

[Darrell Zinck]

Hi

....and I shaved with her this morning....................as the old saying goes.

Hi Dennis

Was that Saint John or St John's. Folks out here are particular about that stuff! Writing "St John" is near sacrilege to some New Brunswickers!!

I imagine you meant Saint John.

Be well.

regards
Darrell

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Dennis Cardy

David Dunlop,
No, I don't think so.
The mid-life refit was done in 1966-67.
Took 16 month's, and cost north of 11 million dollars.
Billions in todays money.

Just three years later, July 1970, the ship was suddenly paid-off.
Then sold for scrap, at penny's on the dollar.
Your tax dollars at work...

Some is a conspiracy theory about that. It seems the expensive refit included a very robust air conditioning system (strangely designed for tropical use) amongst all the other modernizations. Then, as you say, Bonny was scrapped. The scrapping was in India, and India had a similar Majestic class carrier that was a worn out dog. There are those who say a quick swopping out of the name plate occurred and it was the Indian one that ended up at the scrappers. The theory contends that the Canadian refit and scrapping was not incompetence, is was a deal struck with India long in advance.