Proof That Good Things DO Come in Small Packages

Post Supplied by: Bill Bishop 

Yesterday, upon my return home from visiting a good friend, I had several emails waiting from 'Little Ray' Muise who identified himself as a member of the Permanent Force assigned to 400/411 squadron from 1959 to 1962 at Downsview.  The email mentioned that he now resided in Dartmouth, NS.

As many of you know, I reside in Halifax, NS and I so identified this to 'Little Ray' when I responded asking him to call me at his earliest convenience.  He phoned shortly after receiving my email last evening and, as today was a day off for him from his position as Commissionaire at the Halifax Dockyard (about 5 mins from my residence) we met from just after lunch hour until about 16:00 at my home and had a truly memorable initial get together, with a commitment to repeat this enjoyable experience over the weekend.

As I had been up since about 04:00 I did my usual thing, had a bit to eat and went for a little hibernation.  On awakening about 21:00 I had another email waiting from Ray ... this one with the subject "Your inspirations will trigger memories in others too."  Following is the content of that email from my diminutive friend (Ray is a towering 5 feet tall and looking great at 73)

"Here's the first draft; tell me what you think."  ... attached was the following:

An Expedited Flight


Today…
I soared through hazy clouds of yesterdays
as I was flown into my 400/411 Squadron past with wild abandon
Waiting for me in the ether were reminders of friends
and happy moments long forgotten


Some are crystal clear
while others slowly rise from hazy dormancy
Memories are like long lost treasures
they need to have the years wiped away to bring back their lustre
Just like looking through an old treasure chest
old memories kept shining from behind each other


I smiled as old scenes came flooding back
The friendly faces
The songs
The drinking at Avenue Road
The Downsview tarmac
The summer camps
The aircraft


Now I know how beautiful it is to grow old…
I found a way to soar through my past with wild abandon
any time I want
and happily share my treasures with future generations


And Bill Bishop was my pilot…
Thanks Bill!
Raymond (Shorty) Muise
June 21, 2011

Well Ray, I chose to respond to your most mundificant offering through our PropWash Blog.  {Mun*dif"i*cant\, a. Serving to cleanse and heal. -- n. A mundificant ointment or plaster.}

Here's what I think my friend:

1)  First efforts are usually the best ... don't change a thing

2)  As the tears of joy clear  my vision, I realize how lucky I am to have you as a friend.

3)  This is proof positive that good things certainly DO come in small packages.

In closing I wish to share with my 400 Squadron comrades that Ray will be taking an active part in our efforts to preserve our Squadron's history through our Web presences .... the above is just a sample of the many, many talents our Comrade Ray Muise has to share.  I for one, look forward to the future unfolding ...as it should.


See Ray's page, with lots of his songs, on our History Hangar Site

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Several Updates

Post Supplied by: Bill Bishop
All 10 articles in FreddyK's 'On Guard' series have been installed on our WebSite.  All but the last two have had photos and other 'goodies' added to the originals.  They may be viewed here. "On Guard"  We are trying to encourage Fred to undertake a 'winter works project' and do one final article for the series .... more to come we hope.

The four-foot deep concrete base has been excavated and poured for our Squadron Monument being constructed at the RCAF Museum in Trenton.  The final drawing for the front panel of our Squadron Standard has been received and this is what it will look like.

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Monuement Started and Honour Roll Completed

Post Supplied by: Bill Bishop 

The sod was turned last week for the 400 Squadron Monuement in Trenton.  We'll keep you posted on completion date and dedication ceremony date.

The Honour Roll section on the Blog has been removed and can now be accessed on our web site CLICK HERE TO VIEW.  The section has been completely revised and contains more complete information along with a guest book for each member on the honour roll.

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400 SQUADRON MONUMENT

Post Supplied by: Carl Mills   

On Thursday May 27, 2011, I accompanied Col. Gerry Gilroy to Belleville and Trenton where he signed the contract documents to commence the construction and placement of 400 Squadron’s Monument.  The project was initiated by Col. George Georgas some years ago, and although there were some changes to the design, the memorial features were all of Col. Georgas’ ideas.  The monument will be placed in the RCAF Memorial Air Park of the National Air Force Museum in Trenton, ON.  The monument also satisfies all of the Museum’s requirements.

The monument will be two-sided as shown on the drawings and will be 5 foot - eight inches high.  The front side will feature the squadron Standard plus the original dialogue as written by Col. Georgas.  Colour for the Standard was considered, however, it was determined that the colour eventually fades.  Because of this the Standard will be on a polished black granite insert.  The black insert is two inches thick.

Col. Georgas’ dialogue has been translated into French and is in accordance with the Museum’s rules which states, “Monument inscriptions must be in both official languages, however, the extent of bilingualism is discretionary.”  

The reverse side will contain the Honour Role of 35 names.  The main part of the monument is unpolished grey granite.  The grey granite is smoothed by using high velocity steel shot.  The black granite comes from India while the grey granite is from Vermont.  Apparently Ontario granite is too grainy for lettering.

The memorial will be located as shown on the layout (marked by an ‘X’) and will be about 15 feet from the Museum’s walkway.  The path will be three feet wide and made of light grey brick with a dark grey trim.  The path will surround the monument.  This is the same location as originally considered by Col. Georgas.  The memorial will be placed on a four foot deep concrete base to prevent heaving by ground frost.  There will be ample space for those who wish to have their own inscribed in-ground stone (Ad Astra stone program) in the future.  For those who may have already place a stone at the Museum, there is a free relocation opportunity for those who wish to have their stone near the 400 memorial.

The view is toward the west with a vista of several of the Air Park’s aircraft.  On the left is a CF-100 while on the right is an empty grassed space backed by trees.  Across the Park is a Canadian flag with a long row of trees.  There was some discussion about the empty space.  It was expressed that it should be a 400 squadron type aircraft.  The T-33, Kiowa, F-86 are already in the Air Park.  Perhaps a Vampire or surplus Griffon helicopter would fit.  This could be another 400 squadron project.

This project was funded from the 110 Squadron Trust Fund and is estimated at $14,000 including the installation, brick walkway, and a 10% perpetual maintenance fee to the Museum.  The Fund was established when the squadron went to war in 1939.  It resulted from the sale of furnishings from the Trethewey farm airfield in Toronto.  Over the years it has been entrusted to several of 400 Squadron’s senior officers and has been invested.  It has paid for other items such as the Squadron’s Standards in 1961.  The latest trustees were Cols. Georgas, Gilroy and Davidson.

The Honour Role is an important part of our heritage but has been a ‘moving target’ for the squadron over the years and previous documentation has some errors and omissions.  For this project, there was a significant review to confirm the information.  During the 110 Squadron era in the UK, there was also a 110 RAF Squadron and this caused some confusion with the four fatalities during this era.  The 400 Squadron history book (1996) was a significant basis for the Honour Role.  To confirm some information, the book published by the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (1996) was used, however, there were also errors in this book.   Other information came from tombstone data, the Veterans Affairs on-line data, and the Book of Remembrance in Ottawa.

One story is of interest.  All of the personnel who were killed in the UK are buried at the Brookwood Cemetery near London with the exception of F/O McKiggan.  Although his Spitfire crashed near the airbase (Odiham), he is buried in a town in Wales.  It turns out that he was married to a lady from that town.  F/O McKiggan was from Sault St. Marie, ON and it also turns out that his wife emigrated to SSM.  Further, we found out that his wife was expecting a daughter when he was killed.  We were able to find both his wife and daughter in SSM.  The daughter was delighted to know about the memorial cairn with her father’s name on it.  She also said that they often visited friends in Belleville. 

The National Air Force Museum of Canada’s RCAF Memorial Air Park is a significant location for the memorial and the Honour Role.  Our memorial joins a growing number of other significant military memorials around the Park.  An attempt will be made to contact descendants of those on the Honour Role.  See the website for more details on the Honour Roll.

The memorial should be ready for viewing early in August.  At this point there are no immediate plans for a ceremony.  Suggestions are welcome.  Information will be posted on the 400 Squadron website.  Next year is 400 Squadron’s 80^th anniversary.

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