| Bill Clearihue reports that "(He was the 'first' UNTD recruited by Commander A.W. Baker.)" Doug Hoffman arrived at the Ontario Agricultural College in 1939, a city kid attracted by rural life and an inexpensive education. "I chose OAC for a number of reasons," says Hoffman. "One was the fact that it was very inexpensive. For $22 a month, we would get three meals a day, a room of our own and all of our classes. We also had someone who washed our sheets and pillowcases once a week. They drew the line at underwear." He came to OAC at a time when Canadians were still feeling the effects of the Depression, but it was the Second World War that had the bigger impact on his OAC career. His enrolment coincided almost to the day with Hitler's invasion of Poland Sept. 1, 1939. By Sept. 10, Canada was at war, and OAC president George Christie tried to convince his new students that the best way they could serve their country was by staying at school. Still, he encouraged them to join the war effort in conjunction with their studies as a precursor to active duty at graduation. "The most important thing in the day was classes, then we would follow up with COTC (Canadian Officers' Training Corps) or football practice," recalls Hoffman. "If football was scheduled first, you still had to do the COTC. We were required to go fairly often, five days a week for two hours. We would always go away for two weeks of camp in summer, usually in London. I can remember the last time I went to London, we ended up having tear gas sprayed all over the place so we'd become accustomed to it. It was harsh training." Slated to graduate in 1943, Hoffman didn't cross the stage at War Memorial Hall until 1946 because his war service interrupted his studies. He joined the University Naval Training Detachment established in 1942 by Prof. A.W. "Jack" Baker. "We went down to Hamilton to train for one day to find out if we were officer material, and all of us were successful," says Hoffman. "So we trained at the boathouse where Gordon meets the Speed River. We had no boats, but we would train there." After a series of training stops, he would eventually serve on Fairmiles, one of the smallest warships used by the Royal Canadian Navy. It had a wooden hull of 34 metres. "We sailed the Labrador coast, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Rumour had it there was a German radar relay station on the coast of Labrador. We never found it." |
