Background

While we had previously created some pages showing a couple of photos of Swearing In ceremonies, it was not until the 1st of August, 2025 that the real impact of those ceremonies hit home when Kevin McCarthy innocently reminisced that it was the 50th anniversary of his enrolment ceremony in Ottawa on the 1st of August, 1975. That prompted a flurry of memories including Pete’s reference to this all being a “Madeline moment”. As Pete later explained - “The "madeleine moment" … is an allusion to Marcel Proust's famous novel (which Scotty wonderfully alludes to in his "mandarin" anecdote [about exam time at RRMC]) in which the author experiences something beautiful (and tasty) which transports him back into a subconscious (and shared) moment of "strong emotional resonance" that we — the Class of 79 — all felt when we reflected on our swearing in to the CAF (with friends that were to be...).  Almost random, but very powerful.  Here is the literary explanation:

In the first volume of Marcel Proust’s masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time -- struggling to recapture details of his childhood and youth, the narrator Marcel tastes a piece of a ‘petite madeleine‘ cake steeped in lime-blossom tea, and something very odd happens:  "No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shiver ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory."

As a result, the section has been reworked to include some of the new information that was passed on during that correspondence, along with photos and names posted previously. The one common observations was about the fashion statements made by the guys, or as Ian Yeates put it - “The variegated ‘best suits’ of the day brought a wry smile to my face to be sure". Oh, and to be sure, those haircuts (or lack of same John) also received special mention!

Downsview (Toronto)

Ian Percy and Wayne Hirlehey mentioned that the ceremony at the Officers Mess at CFB Downsview was probably done alphabetically, hence the names below each of the photos. Craig Wood said he “was sworn in at Downsview as well.  I remember Dave Bannister and Bob Thompson being there.” Tom Lawson says “I was with you and Wayne, Craig, this day 50 years ago. No photos. Jeff Switzer was there, too, I think. BGen (Res) Richard Rohmer was our enrolling officer. I was awestruck when my Dad went to speak with him afterward, not knowing they had been on the same Spitfire wing in England during WWII. Nine days after the enrolment, all hell broke loose, and it has never really settled down completely, has it?” Guy Killaby says John Roeterink was there as well. Scotty Mills add “I was there Wayne. I think there were more of us but we were cut out of that particular picture. I have the same pic but it has not weathered the years well. I also have a pic of the two of us standing inside the Officer's mess at Downsview on that day. I think my parents took it because we knew each other from Cubs and being in Grade 1 together at Martin Grove Gardens PS. I know Bruce Simpson was there as well, he was in the militia with me in Toronto.” Ross Lambert also says “I was at Downsview that fateful day as well.” as was Rich Gimblett “I too was at CFB Toronto (aka “Downsview”) on 01 August.”

Edmonton

Darcy Byrtus - Great photos guys thanks.  Digging through my albums now.  Surprisingly I actually remember that day...

Randy Smith - It’s because we had Mike Secord barking at us when we got off the bus.  No one will forget that experience, LOL.

Darcy Byrtus - The guys [on the Service Flight] from Edmonton, me, John Slater [enrolled in CFS Beaverlodge], Tim Greenwood [enrolled in Regina], John Evans and maybe some others got in after everyone else and they sent Mike Secord out to pick us up on the bus.  On the way back from the airport I sat with John Evans behind Secord and John was making fun of his ears.  Little did he know.....

Halifax

The Swearing-In Ceremony was held on board HMCS Athabaskan, and was hosted by Capt(N) Yanow, father of Bob Yanow, one of the CMR enrollees.  Jacques Leblanc was the Military College representative from CMR, but is a member of our Class of 79 having been in Prep Year at the time.  RMC enrollees were Mark Beaulieu, Steve Lowe, Al MacLeod, Les Mosher, Dave Mowat and Eric Murphy; RRMC enrollees were William Drane and Rae Silver; and several CMR enrollees who likely would have gone in as Prep Year with a graduation year of 1980. 

Hamilton

Ian Yeates’ memory was a little fuzzy on times as chwlyms points out below but he initially wrote “I seem to remember that my swearing in day was 11 August 1975 (a Monday according to our friend Mr. Google, which strikes me as more likely than a weekend) – I think it was in the Federal Building in Hamilton (I got my Cdn Citizenship ceremony in the same place earlier in 1975).  I have very fleeting memories of it save I assume it was in company with my fellow Burlington boys – Summers, Willmes, Fletcher (?)…  One detail I do recall was learning of HM’s limited generosity in that we were immediately assigned some ten days leave without pay pending the Boeing 707’s milk run to that paradise in Victoria (RRMC) later that month (20th, 21st August?).  Yes, I was clearly fated for finance and logistics.  Anyway, surely she could have slipped us a fiver to enjoy our last days of P&Q [Peace and Quiet] without financial stress. The variegated ‘best suits’ of the day brought a wry smile to my face to be sure.

Chris Willmes clarified “I dug out my old MPRRs (I knew that they would come in handy some day) and according to them, my enrolment date was 1 August 1975. Present at the ceremony was yours truly, Ian Yeates, RJ Summers, Craig Fletcher, and Steve Bate (he went to CMR, and after a year of that, thought better of it and opted for a career in law enforcement instead). I think that Colin Plows, a fellow Burlingtonian and Roadent, but a year ahead of us, was also present, perhaps to dissuade anyone from developing cold feet at the last moment. Like Ian, I recall HM’s parsimony, several days of unpaid servitude, before, as Scotty wrote earlier, “we had a service flight that originated in Trenton and made stops across the country gathering up the [Todd] Moxley crew to take us to our fate.”

Kamloops

Richard Groves - The Kamloops ceremony was 7 Aug 75. I don’t remember having more than a week or two of LWOP before we drove to Victoria. 3 weeks of Rook Term took place before Labour Day and the start of classes.”

Kingston

Pete Avis - Looks like my enrollment took place at CFB Kingston (just up the hill from the Shire) on 12 August, 1975.  I remember feeling a little alone on that day — no group pictures — maybe Ch-[Al] Moens had already headed west!  Was I really wearing an ascot!?!!! How lucky we are to have these shared moments in our personal mythologies — all woven, warmly together!

London

Brian Graystone - I believe Lutz and I were sworn in together at London ON. Lutz Sukstorf - Along with Robbie MacCormack, Bryon Target (also I think) - I think there were more, but no pics that I recall. Doug Fawcett - Love to see a photo from London, I was sworn in there as well. 

North Bay

Andy Main “I recall there was 17 of us from northern Ontario at CFB North Bay; 7 RMC, 5 CMR and 5 RRMC. Unfortunately I don't have a group picture though.” Later Andy followed up with another email : “Further to last, here are the names I can remember from the CFB North Bay enrolment.  Still missing a few names from Roads and CMR” :

RMC: Jim Allison; Mike Diebel; Chuck Donohue; Andy Main; Doug McLean; Gary Naylor; and Jim Sullivan

RRMC: Ty Pile; and Al Stephenson

CMR: Dave Alder and Bob Edmundson

Ottawa

Regina

Reg Best - It was Regina on Aug 8th with Tim Greenwood, Bill Shick, and the Johnston twins, Keith & Kevin. No pic

Note:

UTPMs - Michel Guerard - “Already members of the CAF, UTPMs did not undergo a swearing in/enrolment ceremony.  However,  after selection into the program we were ordered to report to RRMC (for us Rodents) for a briefing/interview prior to the start of the s1st year's program.  My ship was participating in a major exercise off of San Diego when the orders came through.  As the ship was not going to be back to Esquimalt in time for me to attend this briefing, I was landed in San Diego and attached posted to CFB Esquimalt.  Without a passport, going home was going to be an issue.  As luck would have it an Argus from 407 squadron was flying back to Comox after the exercise and the ship arranged for me to hitch a ride.  Problem solved!  I was part of the crew from a customs perspective (which was a lot easier coming back to Canada  then when I was helicopter off of the French submarine SAPHIR and landed in Shearwater many years later….but that is a story for another time)! Thinking about it now, it does not seem so long ago.”