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Herbert Padwick

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...I was promoted to Squadron Leader and transferred from Dafoe Saskatchewan to Service Flying Training School (SFTS) at Vulcan in August of 1942.

We drove to Vulcan looking like pilgrims—the car was packed to overflowing and when we arrived, we couldn't find any place to stay. The town people were hostile and did not offer any help. We were forced to stay in an old farm house outside of the town. One basement wall had collapsed, leaving the area exposed to the elements. I had to report to the station and was told that I was duty officer the next day which left my wife Isobel and the baby alone in this desolate place. We eventually found a room at the home of the hardware merchant in town.

When I finally got to the maintenance wing, all of the non-commissioned officers were waiting for me as a group. They demanded to be transferred from "Vulcatraz" as some were now calling it. I pointed out that I wasn't any happier than they were, but we did not have any choice. After they unloaded their complaints, things settled down.

This was another new station, still not completely finished. The greatest problem, however, was that there was no water supply to the station, save for what was trucked in. It started to rain shortly after our arrival and continued to pour every single day. The roads were all mud with no gravel, and with the water trucks and people going to and from the station, it was almost impossible to travel. 

Again, I was faced with little or no help. I had one junior Pilot Officer who had just graduated from university, but had no practical experience. I had the good fortune to have a Women's Division officer assigned to me as adjutant. Her name was Mrs. Gladys Berry and she was a most capable person. She relieved me of many of the administrative duties that took up so much of my time and I was very grateful for her dedication to work. We became good friends and, when I settled in Regina after the War, I found that Mrs. Berry was also there, married to the local customs officer.

As this was a new station, I introduced the Central Maintenance System immediately and, shortly thereafter, was able to have the maintenance wing supplying aircraft to meet the needs of the pilots. The key to good serviceability was good and happy service people, and lots of parts. However, like all and any systems, there is usually a weak link. In the case of machinery, most always it is a shortage of material. All of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) stations had well-trained, expert technicians, but became helpless when parts were not available.

Going through the normal channels always resulted in many items short-shipped or back ordered. This was unacceptable, as I was convinced much of the problem was indifference of the people at the parts depot. I wasn't about to let some unknown clerk or anybody keep me from getting parts.

It was necessary to get to the source and, after consulting with our parts supply officer, we decided that we would personally visit the No. 10 Parts Depot in Calgary and check for the parts that we were in the most need of. Our suspicions were correct and we found that they were allotting items to those who they thought should get them. The real problem was that most of the stations were panic buying and not controlling their inventory for the items that they knew would be required. We made certain that our orders would be filled on a regular basis and, thereafter, only had to make the occasional trip to make sure the flow of our parts was not interrupted. With the parts under control, I believed that the system could be improved to provide the most aircraft possible to the flight commanders.

It seemed to me that an incentive program would spur the service personnel to provide faster service. As extra money was not possible, I set up a program of percentages of daily aircraft serviceability which would result in time off for all of those involved... 

Our station had the highest rate of serviceable aircraft in Canada for this type of plane. Morale was high and our people were proud of their work.

It wasn't long before Command Headquarters took more than a passing interest in our performance reports. Several senior officers arrived unannounced to inspect our records, as they were convinced that we were exaggerating or manipulating them. They had also heard of the influx of people from our station into the town daily during normal working hours. They were not familiar with my system and after a thorough investigation, they gave me approval to carry on. Shortly afterwards, I was promoted to Wing Commander ( Lieutenant Colonel) and posted to Lethbridge, Alberta...

The time spent in the RCAF was a very valuable experience for me as I learned a great deal and used much of my acquired knowledge to good advantage. The support I received from all of the fine people who made such a valuable contribution to the war effort, will never be forgotten.