OUT OF THIN AIR

I remember one young man, lonely for his wife and newborn son whom he had never seen, wanted nothing more than to hold the baby and walk back and forth, back and forth across the floor with her.

At that time we had a request program during which people would ask for favourite records to be played for loved ones. It was especially popular with the servicemen because requests came for them from over— seas and from newly made sweethearts on the island. Word came from Ottawa to “cease and desist broadcasting CFCY request program imme— diately.” Apparently spies had been sending hidden messages through requests for such'songs as “Red Sails in the Sunset” and “Three O’clock in The Morning” t0 the ever—present U-Boat packs lurking in the Gulf of St. Lawrence ready to torpedo the vital North Atlantic Patrol convoying between Halifax and Britain with troops and supplies. The request program was a great morale booster, and it was sadly missed.

Later, CFCY had a part to play in getting the new navigators back to base when they were in trouble. Often they would be far out over the Gulf of St. Lawrence on late night operations as they carried out reconnaissance flights against U-Boats. Foul weather, snowstorms or fog would blanket the Island. Both CFCY and CBA, Sackville, oper- ating at a higher power than the Air Force, would stay on the air some— times sixteen or seventeen hours so that the navigators could take bearings. Quite frequently our transmitter was on until early morning as our signal “horned” the lost men and planes back to their hangars.

Evelyn Cudmore was host Mrs. Fred Osborne talked of “Live Longer” water to [one Guides from safety program. She was Labrador and

the only person who ever Newfoundland to Northern taught Swimming by Air. Maine.

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