Enlisting

Heroes Remember

Enlisting

Oh the day the, the war was declared. I mean every young man immediately thought, we were all going into the Air Force of course. All going to fly planes like we had seen in the movies, you know. If I got married I'd be fired, okay, if Grace got married she'd be fired, she'd be fired because married women weren't allowed to work, you know. It started with the government, to distribute the jobs, they didn't want a married man and a married women working, you know. So the government, you weren't allowed and she was in the Metropolitan Life Head Office and they had the same policy. I couldn't get married because I wasn't making twenty-five dollars a week, which was considered a, a respectable salary for a married man. And they didn't want me going out, going out and saying I'm only getting twenty-two. That would make them look bad so they'd fire me instead. Now here's war came off the horizon, what are we going to do? Surely to God we want a little married life before I'm shipped over seas and get my brains blown out and then we'll never see each other again. But we can't, you know Incredible. So there we were caught. So, that's why I didn't rush to the colours the day war was going on I wanted a little time as a, a civilian and a married man. Remember we'd been waiting for five years and we were red blooded young people and we are not sleeping together, not like today by Christ! When she came up to visit me at the hotel, she did quite frequently, she always had to have her girlfriend with her or my mother, you know you, you, the reputation of a, of a woman was a, was a, of, of, of some consequence and in those days you didn't sleep together that's exactly it and, here we are caught in this dilemma so I didn't rush to the colors although everyone is expected to and, and then very shortly they shut off they shut down enlistments completely. Well they had no place to put them and they had no uniforms to put them in, they didn't have boots for them, they had, there was no accommodation. For instance in Ottawa they put them in the cattle barns at the Ottawa Exhibition you know you, you've read my books. They washed out the pig pens and turned it into the mess hall for several thousand. But that's what they put them in the barns and that's the only place they had for them, they had to build Petawawa that, it, it didn't exist, it was just a tent camp in the summer you see.

Mr. Blackburn talks about what prompted him to enlist when he did (in 1940).

George Blackburn

George Blackburn was born in Wales, Ontario, on February 3, 1917. His father started out as a steam shovel runner in building the railroads in the United States. George also worked in journalism for a little while. In 1940 after the war had broke out he decided it was time to join the services. He was rejected from the navy and the air force because of his poor eye sight. It was then that he joined RCA. He went through training and it was there that he learned valuable lessons. George was part of the 4th Regiment. He experienced the Battle of Normandy. There he was a gunnery officer. Upon his return to Canada, Mr. Blackburn made Ottawa his home. His list of occupations include newspaper reporter, Director of Information of the Federal Labour Department, and Director of Fair Employment Practices. In addition, he has been a radio producer, an award-winning documentary scriptwriter, an award-winning playwright, published author, and a lyricist and composer. Mr. Blackburn also earned his Military Cross helping to save the Twente Canaal bridgehead in Holland.