“Cadets, Routes, and Runways” Verse 1 After the war, I spent three years in the Army Cadets. We met first at the Victoria Armoury in Edmonton, Linked to the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. Later we moved south To the Connaught Armoury, With the 19th Armoured Car Regiment, Formerly the 19th Alberta Dragoons. We drilled. We learned to shoot. We learned Morse code. I earned a badge For handling the .303 Lee-Enfield. It was structured. It was routine. Verse 2 When I entered King Edward Junior High, I worked in a greenhouse— Washing pots, Pulling weeds. After that, I took a paper route With the Edmonton Bulletin. The route was spread out— One or two customers per block. Some days the paper ran to a hundred pages. They were heavy, Even on a reinforced bicycle With carriers front and back. I delivered in all seasons, Including heavy snow. Verse 3 In high school— Strathcona Composite— I joined an RCAF summer employment program. I went one summer, Stayed enrolled through the winter in the city, Then returned the next summer. We flew to Camp Gimli, Manitoba, In a converted bomber. No side windows. Three hours in the dark From Edmonton to Gimli, And the same on the way back. Gimli was full of mosquitoes and sand flies. Verse 4 We were there two summers. There was a written test— The same one both years. I already knew the answers the second time. I scored highest And won first prize: A flight in a small single-engine plane. I think it was a Harvard Trainer. We flew upside down, Then right side up. Verse 5 I spent two years In the RCAF Auxiliary, Training on weekends. We checked radios and radar sets for reception. When there was nothing else scheduled, I did my grade twelve homework In a quiet room And was paid a modest amount. We were issued two uniforms— Blue for winter, Light khaki for summer. Near-Outro (added) By then, If the war had gone on longer, I would have been ready. I was already there most weekends. That much was clear. Outro That was my military experience.
