Grostenquin France

Extracts from 2 Wing Historical Reports Pertaining to the Recreation Centre

25 Jun 53

Contractors commenced breaking ground for the new gymnasium and sports centre directly across from Wing HQ, Building No. 2. When finished, it will be a very worthy addition to the station.

22 Jul 53

The present construction programme of the gymnasium is moving along satisfactorily. However, it will be some time before the edifice takes shape and a noticeable progress is evident.

22 Oct 53

Excellent progress is being made on the Rec Hall. All structural steel framing is now in place.

28 Oct 53

Steel construction on the Rec Hall opposite building #2 is complete.

5 Nov 53

All structural steel erection has been completed on the Rec Hall building. Excellent progress has been made, the erection having been done by an English firm.

23 Nov 53

The progress on the Station Rec Hall is moving along rapidly, the roof being completely covered, both ends and the north sides as well.

1 Dec 53

The two Rec buildings across from #2 building have been completed re the structural steel, roof, glazing and doors. However, the interiors have not been completed.

24 Jun 54

Station Recreation Hall construction proceeding slowly.

20 Jul 54

Rec Hall is progressing slowly towards completion.

24 Dec 54

A number of volunteers spent a good part of the day preparing the gymnasium for its first function, midnight mass. This function was attended by over 350 personnel.

7 Jan 55

A special meeting of the NPF Board of Directors was called to discuss setting the gymnasium snack bar.

9 Dec 55

The annual Christmas Dance for Cpls. and below was held in the Rec. Centre with music by Tommy Dallimore and his orchestra. A crowd of 450 were in attendance for the festivities including a busload of airwomen from Air Div.

15 Dec 55

Another $1,000.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre and a record crowd of 875 people were in attendance. The final game for the grand prize went to LAC Newans of 430 Squadron after some very tense moments for many of the crowd who were so close to hitting the proverbial jack pot.

17 Dec 55

The annual Children's Christmas Party was held in the Rec. Centre and the largest crowd ever to assemble in this hallowed hall was in attendance with a total of 1,365 children. (approximately 600 of these kids were over 25 years of age.) There was a program prior to Santa's arrival consisting of trampoline capers by F/O Wilson's Gym Club clowns, special arrangements by the Station Band for the occasion, a magician from Nancy who made birds materialize from anywhere, and finally Mr. S Claus arrived and the roof just about lifted as the small fry roared their approval and proceeded to swamp the jolly old fellow. There were presents for all the kids under 17, and ice cream and cake and all the other things mothers think are for stomach aches, were gobbled up by the happy children. A big chunk of mistletoe to F/L Jones and all his Santa's helpers who made this possible.

20 Jan 56

The monthly dance for Corporals and below was held in the Rec. Centre with music by Tom Dallimore and his music men. A good crowd of 300 was in evidence. F/O Day and FS Elliott and their able crew of Entertainment members did a fine job of decorating and making the Rec. Centre over into the "Palace Pier" for the evening.

29 Jan 56

The Rec. Centre once again was the scene of exciting basketball games.

11 Feb 56

The Rec. Centre was turned into a miniature Madison Square gardens for the evening with the Wrestling Club of Nancy providing the grunts, groans, slams, shrieks, and other numerous exertions peculiar to the professional wrestling clan. A crowd of over 500 were in attendance in spite of the bitter cold and treacherous road conditions. One of the highlights of the evening was the women's wrestling which really gave the boys a chance to whoop it up, with Maria Apolski, the champion of Poland finally losing out to the favourite Andre Berger of Switzerland after 28 minutes of classic hair pulling and referee-slapping and general mayhem in the ring.

17 Feb 56

The annual Cpls. and below dance was held in the Recreation Centre to honour Mr. Cupid in his normal yearly caper of hearts and arrows. The moon-struck couples danced to the music of Tommy Dallimore and his orchestra and an excellent crowd of over 125 couples were in attendance with a good size stag line.

16 Mar 56

The annual St. Patrick's Dance for Cpls. and below was held in the Rec. Centre. A crowd of about 350 were in attendance to dance to the music of Tommy Dallimore and his six Shamrocks (for the evening).

11 Apr 56

The members of the Sgts.' Mess took over the Rec. Centre for the early part of the evening as part of their members Supper night with some very screwy volleyball games, which means that rules gave way to fun.

13 Apr 56

The Station Entertainment Committee staged a Hard Time Dance in the Rec. Centre with Zeke Dallimore and his corn jug whistlers (alias Tommy Dallimore and his orchestra) playing to a good crowd of over 400 people. Spot dances were features and the band stand was a real centre of attraction with a real live farmer's wagon filling the bill and lending to the decorations.

26 Apr

The Station Representative Fastball Team had their first meeting in the Rec. Centre at 1315 hours to outline plans for the coming season under the coaching of Sgt. King. At 1500 hours, the first meeting of the re-forming Station Archery club took place in the Rec. Centre to plan the coming summer program. Another $1,000.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with a crowd of over 800 in attendance. The jackpot finally went to Mrs. Scott (wife of S/L Scott, SAO) and so we start building it up again for another lucky winner.

27 Apr 56

The second annual Intersection Bowling Dance and Buffet was held in the Rec. Centre with music by the Divisionaires and tap-dancing act for the enjoyment of all.

10 May 56

Another $1,000.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with a fairly good crowd of over 700 in attendance. The jackpot did not go in 52 numbers and will be held over till the next Bingo.

11 May 56

A Shipwreck Dance was held in the Rec. Centre with music provided by Pirate Captain Tommy Dallimore and his crew. A crowd of over 300 were on hand for the festivities in the Cpls. and below frolic for the month.

31 May 56

The last $1,000.00 bingo for the season was held in the Rec. Centre and nobody took the jackpot so it will be held over till September. A good crowd of 900 were on hand for this final bingo.

10 Aug 56

A dance for Cpls. and below was held in the Rec. Centre with music by the Divisionaires. About 175 couples were in attendance to enjoy the music and dancing.

6 Sep 56

Another $1,000.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre starting at 2030 hours and an excellent crowd of over 900 people were in attendance. The jackpot went to LAC Vienot after the tension had mounted to a peak.

13 Sep 56

Another bingo was held in the Rec. Centre but the jackpot didn't go in the required 52 numbers and so will tide over to the next week.

21 Sep 56

A Squadron Party and Dance was held in the Rec. Centre by 416 Squadron with lots of good music, good food and good fun had by all.

27 Sep 56

A dance was held in the Rec. Centre for Sr. NCOs and below with music by the Saarbrucken Radio Station Orchestra. A good crowd of over 200 couples graced the floor to Miller styled music.

4 Oct 56

Another $1000.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with a crowd over 600 people in attendance.

14 Oct 56

The first annual Invitation Exhibition Basketball Tournament was held in the Rec. Centre this weekend and will be a 2 Wing venture each year to get the Inter-Wing Basketball Season under way. All four Wings plus Air Div HQ had teams entered except for 4 Wing men. The tournament was won by 1 Wing both men and women teams, after a very closely contended flurry of games.

18 Oct 56

Another $1000.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with that jackpot coming ever closer to being won by some lucky person, with a crowd of over 600 people in attendance.

25 Oct 56

Another $1000.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with a very good crowd of over 600 and an added feature was the Square Dance Club holding their weekly dance immediately following the bingo to make up a complete evening of entertainment.

2 Nov 56

The Entertainment Committee sponsored the annual Halloween Dance for WOs and below in the Rec. Centre. The crowd, although small, enjoyed the festivities accompanied by the Radio Saarbrucken orchestra.

8 Nov 56

Another $1000.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with the big prize going to Cpl. Doucette. A good crowd of over 600 people were in attendance.

22 Nov 56

There was a $1000.00 bingo in the Rec. Centre with the new jackpot holding out the night and no big winner. There was a healthy crowd of over 500 in attendance.

24 Nov 56

Another great Wrestling Show was put on by the Rec. Staff with 3 preliminaries, a Ladies match and exhibition by the Wing Judo club, a heavy-weight bout between the champions of France and Germany, and finally an international Tag Team Match. A crowd of over 500 were screaming and shouting to the tumbles and falls of this card arranged by the Lorraine Wrestling Federation for the Unit.

15 Dec 56

The Annual Christmas Party for the Dependents was held on the station. The 7 to 12 year olds were in the Theatre seeing two hours of cartoons prior to the arrival of Santa Claus who had presents for all. In the Rec. Centre the 1 to 6 year olds had a real ball, heard Santa Claus arriving by air, saw clowns and finally Santa Claus arrived with presents for all and candy. Later in the afternoon the children of the civilians working on the station had a similar party in the Rec. Centre with St. Nicholas arriving with his toys for all. There was a dance in the Rec. Centre put on by and for the disbandment of 416 Squadron, with music by the Divisionnaires. This was the last official function of the complete squadron prior to its break-up.

20 Dec 56

A Monster Bingo was held in the Rec. Centre coupled with the PMQ Council raffle. There were 25 18-pound plus turkeys given away and the Lambretta Motor Bike was won by Cpl. McGinnis. The $1000.00 was won by Mrs. Pullen, about 1,400 people were in attendance and there will be a lot of happy people for Christmas when those birds come steaming out of the ovens.

25 Dec 56

The Rec. Centre open on Christmas Day from 1330 to 1700 hours with all facilities available for use.

28 Dec 56

The Teen Town sponsored a gala year end dance in the Rec. Centre with teenagers coming from Air Div, 1 and 3 Wings for the occasion. About 150 couples were in attendance to dance to the music of the Divisionnaires. The visitors were put up with families in PMQs. An excellent time was had by all and they look forward to more of the same in 1957.

18 Jan 57

The station Square Dance Club sponsored and ran a Station Dance featuring both square and round dancing to the music of Wally Walkulinski and his band. This was an all ranks dance and was enjoyed by a crowd of over 400.

24 Jan 57

The first in the new year's Bingo series was held with a $500.00 jackpot with no other prize under $20.00 and a large Grundig Radio as the halfway prize. A good crowd of over 500 were in attendance, but the jackpot didn't go.

31 Jan 57

Another $500.00 Bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with a good crowd of over 450 in attendance in spite of the inclement weather. The Jackpot wasn't won but many other fine prizes were taken away, including some won by members of the new 423 Squadron and their families. Good show all round.

7 Feb 57

The $1000.00 Bingos have been cut to $500.00 and merchandise prizes have been introduced along with the cash prizes. Over 600 people attended this bingo and the half-way prize was a Telefunken radio.

17 Feb 57

The Badminton Club played host to 4 Wing this weekend for an Invitation tournament and some very fine badminton was seen with 2 Wing taking both singles events and 4 Wing winning the three double events for a finish of a very successful weekend.

21 Feb 57

Another $500.00 Bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with a crowd of over 500 in attendance. The jackpot didn't go but some very nice prizes were won, including another $100.00 radio.

3 Mar 57

The second wrestling show for the Winger season was put on in the Rec. Centre with the co-operation of the Nancy wrestling federation. There were a total of six matches including one which features Lady Wrestlers. A crowd of 450 persons were in attendance, which was much more than expected due to the exodus of people to the Fasching celebrations in Saarbrucken, Zwiebrucken and Frankfurt.

7 Mar 57

The Wolf Cub Packs affiliated with unit had a party in the Rec. Centre with refreshments served by willing mothers and fathers who came out and joined the fun of the young lads.

14 Mar 57

The annual RCAF Signal Bowl-offs were held in the Rec. Centre with 2 teams from the Men's Intersection League, one airwomen's team and one team from the afternoon Ladies League making up the complement of 4 teams entered. The scores are certified by the Wing RECO and sent by signal, via Air Div, to AFHQ to be compared with those of all other units for the RCAF-wide champions. The second game of the High School Boys basketball Finals were played here in the Rec. Centre in one of the closest games seen on the courts all year in any league. The Black Devils from our High School finally came through in the final seconds of the game to win by a score of 35-32, giving them the win in both games and also the high aggregate in total points to take the championship. The Commanding Officer presented the trophy to the winners with his congratulations on a splendid season of clean play and sportsmanship. A real father in those boys caps and also cheers to Mr. Dupont, their coach, who did a very wonderful job.

21 Mar 57

Another $500.00 Bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with over 600 people in attendance. The merchandise Jackpot is getting bigger each time and no one has won the cash jackpot although many have come very close. The bingos will run each week now up until the Thursday before Easter. The Easter Bunny is going to be good to someone by the looks of things.

22 Mar 57

The PMQ council, assisted by the Recreation Staff, put on a Couples Dance in the St. Patrick's Day Spirit with Tommy O'Dallimores Orchestra providing the music. This fine band, who play for Radio Luxembourg, performed for a crowd of over 150 couples, and refreshments and festivities were enjoyed by all.

28 Mar 57

Again the Station Entertainment Committee sponsored the $500.00 Bingo in the Rec. Centre with the Jackpots still holding out in 53 numbers. A crowd of over 600 people were in attendance for the weekly feature which must go before Easter.

4 Apr 57

Another $500.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with a crowd of over 700 people in attendance. Cash and merchandise prizes were won but main jackpot still didn't go.

11 Apr 57

The last $500.00 bingo before Easter was enjoyed in the Rec. Centre by a crowd of over 900 people, all after that big jackpot. To stimulate things another $500.00 jackpot was started the same evening so that there were two big prizes available if anyone was lucky enough. The main jackpot was won by LAC Hoffman of 601 Radio Rely Squadron.

2 May 57

There was another $500.00 bingo held in the Rec. Centre with a crowd of over 800 in attendance.

3 May 57

The Intersection Bowling League held their annual award Dance in the Rec. Centre with over 350 couples in attendance for the presentation of the season awards. The Wing Maintenance "Old Crocks" team won the League for the 1956-57 season.

5 May 57

The 2 Wing Sgts. Mess played host to the 3 Wing Sgts. Mess in a sports competition involving Ladies Bowling and Water Sports for the men. The feature events consisted of water polo, dinghy races and an over-the-pool tug of war. A dance was held in the home Mess that evening with suitable awards presented to the visiting 3 Wing Mess for their athletic prowess.

16 May 57

Another $500.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with over 850 people in attendance. The merchandise jackpot, now worth over $550, and the main jackpot did not go although many other prizes went to luck winners.

23 May 57

Another $500.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with approximately 900 people in attendance. Neither the main jackpot nor the merchandise jackpot were won.

30 May 57

The $500.00 bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with merchandise jackpot going to Mrs. White. The jackpot was worth over $775.00. The $500.00 still remained and over 900 people were attendance.

31 May 57

A dance was held by 430 Squadron in the Rec. Centre as part of their spring social activities.

8 Jun 57

This Saturday, being Air Force Day, a Fastball Game was held in the afternoon with 3 Wing as the guests. The game went for five innings with 2 Wing ahead when the game was called on account of rain. That evening an Air Force Day dance was held in the Rec. Centre at $1.00 per person. The band was from Zweibrucken and a floor show was presented at intermission. Corsages were given to all ladies and a crowd of over 350 couples were in attendance.

13 Jun 57

Another $500.00 Bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with many valuable cash and merchandize prizes being won and the $500 Jackpot going to Mrs. White.

14 Jun 57

The ME section held a section dance in the Rec. Centre this evening to pay tribute to F/O Vanziffle, the VMEO, who is on repatriation to Canada after completing his overseas tour.

20 Jun 57

Another $500 Bingo was held in the Rec. Centre with a capacity crowd of over 900 persons in attendance to try their luck. The new Jackpot did not go but over $1100.00 in cash and merchandise prizes were given away.

27 Jun 57

The High School Graduation Exercises were held in the Astra Theatre followed by a dance in the Rec. Hall for the grads and their parents.

28 Jun 57

A dance was held in the Rec. Centre to celebrate the 4^th birthday of 423 Squadron as an all-weather squadron. Music was furnished by Tommy Dallimore and his Radio Luxembourg orchestra.

1 Jul 57

Variety dances, prizes and corsages for the ladies together with gay decorations in a patriotic colour scheme added to the festivities of a well attended dance held in the Rec. Centre to celebrate Canada Day.

4 Jul 57

A record crowd won some $1800.00 worth of merchandise and cash prizes in the last "everything must go" bingo of the summer months.

2 Oct 57

The first Bingo of the Fall and Winter season was held with a reasonably large crowd in attendance.

25 Oct 57

The summer sports award Dance was held in the Rec. Centre. G/C Searle presented awards to those who had won them. Sgt. Wheeler was presented with a plaque for the Sportsman of the Year, while LAW Beach was presented with the Ladies counterpart.

1 Nov 57

The Entertainment Committee sponsored a station dance.

7 Nov 57

Another station bingo night.

9 Nov 57

421 Squadron held a dance in the Rec. Centre.

14 Nov 57

Bingo night tonight.

15 Nov 57

A Wing Maintenance dance was held in the Rec. Centre.

28 Nov 57

Station entertainment presented another Bingo.

30 Nov 57

The Rec. Centre was the scene of another Wrestling show.