Explanation of the Cover Reminiscences: A remembering, a recalling of past experiences. The flag comprises the National flag of Scotland with colours reversed. This flag is based upon the Ancient Arms of Nova Scotia, granted by King Charles I of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1625. The background of the flag is an extended blue cross on a white background. It was the first Colonial flag in the British Empire. The Coat of arms of Scotland were superimposed in the centre of the flag to distinguish it from the flag of the Imperial Russian Navy. The flag is superimposed on the Clan Gregor standard modern Tartan. The red logo “A genuine Canadian Book” is a trademark owned by Hal MacGregor. Reminiscences, From a Nova Scotian Childhood Revision 1, September, 2014 ISBN Supplied by Archives Canada The Author wishes to express his gratitude for the Inspiration for this Book, which was provided by Carolyne née MacGregor of Tulare County, California. REMINISCENCESREMINISCENCES From a Nova Scotian Childhood By Hal MacGregor Revision 1 – September 2014 Published by ABOUT THE AUTHOR Harold (Hal) Stanley MacGregor was born in Digby, Nova Scotia, and was raised in the village of Bear River, (the "Switzerland" of Nova Scotia). At 15, he joined the RCAF Reserve in Toronto, at 16, he joined the Canadian Army Reserve, West Nova Scotia Regiment at HMCS Cornwallis, NS. At 17, he was a qualified Corporal in the Canadian Army (Militia). At 17, he graduated from Digby Regional High School and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force to became an Electronics Technician. At 25, he spent a year on the Distant Early Warning line on Baffin Island working for Federal Electric Corporation of Paramus, New Jersey as a Radician. At 26, he signed up with the Department of Transport, where he joined the Canadian Coast Guard and was assigned to the heavy Icebreaker, CCGS Labrador, as Telecom Officer. At 28, he became a Ship Electronics Project Officer in the Engineering Division of Transport Canada, Atlantic Regional Headquarters in Moncton, New Brunswick. At 31, he became a Flight Inspection Officer at Transport Canada Atlantic Regional Headquarters. At 34, he was seconded to the Canadian Coast Guard, based at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia as the Regional Ship Electronics Project Supervisor, responsible for the installation of all electronic equipment in non-military government ships throughout Atlantic Canada. At 42, he was the Telecom Logistics Officer at Canadian Coast Guard Headquarters in Ottawa. At 44, he was appointed to the Canadian Coast Guard, Western Region Headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia as Ship Electronics Project Supervisor. At 46, he was appointed the Chief of Electronic Inspection in the Inspections and Technical Services Branch of the Aerospace, Marine and Electronic Systems Division of the Department of Supply and Services of Canada in Ottawa as a TI7. At 48, he was appointed as the Flight Inspection Standards Officer with Transport Canada's Microwave Landing System Major Crown Project in Ottawa, and took French language training at Polytechnique française in Vanier. At 55, he retired from the Canadian Public Service, to a farm in Montague Township in southern Lanark County in Eastern Ontario, where he raised Meat Rabbits, Wild Boars, Siberian Huskies, White Pigeons, Ferrets, Goats and Highland Cattle. Hal was the founding President of the Moncton Area Aquarium Society, also the Executive Director of the Moncton Fish and Game Protective Association Junior Branch in New Brunswick, and was a Charter Member of The Shubenacadie Lakes Conservation Association of Nova Scotia, and was Secretary of the Ottawa Valley Rabbit Producers Association in Ontario. Presently, he is a Director of the Lanark Landowners Association and of the Ontario Landowners Association. Hal has written and published nine non-fiction books, including one about Wolves, Coyotes and their Hybrids, one about the Picts of the Ulladd (Ulster), one about the Picts of Albann (Scotland), one about the misadventures of a MacGregor threesome vacationing in Costa Rica, one about Captain John MacGregor, his Life and Times, one about the Pict Clans of Albann & Ulster, one about the Wildflowers of Montague Township, one about Human Migrations and this one. Hal is an internationally recognized author and researcher, and he is the leading authority on the indigenous people of Britain. He has presented copies of his books to schools and libraries on four continents. He recently toured Scotland and England for 30 days, where he presented twenty five copies of three of his books to leading Universities and Libraries. He is registered with Archives and Library Canada and with the National Archives of Scotland. He has five children, nine grand children, three great grandchildren and two siblings, all living in Canada. Some of his literary accomplishments include: A singular translation of the Lunnasting Stone, determining the Picts were ethnically Germanic (not Celtic), determining the Battle of Mons Graupius (Gramenius) was entirely fictitious, the power of Pict Princesses, the true story of Princess Der Llei (mother of High king Nehhtonn III), a complete collection of the wild flowers of Dunnottar, an accurate listing of Pict High Kings dated from Galanann (75-84AD) to MacBethad (1057AD), an accurate listing of High Kings of Ulster from Sobhairce (before 750BC) to Ruaidhri MacDuinn (1201AD), the antiquity of the term 'Albann', the extent of the early Albann Empire, the translation of many Pictish names into several other languages and uncovering of the paternal relationship between the ULLADD and ALBANN. I INDEX Subject Page(s) Photo - Ruby Cornwall Benson née Annis, the lady who raised me 1 Photo - Daddy, Tanny and me 2 Photos - The MacGregors of Smiths Cove and the Crouses of Bear River 3 Jacob Lester Cornwall and the Annisses 4, 5 Bear River Mi’kmaq First Nation Centre 6 The Unique Scenery of Bear River, Nova Scotia 7, 8, 9 The Bootleggers of Bear River 10 Harry Purdy's Pasture, The Pie Snatcher, I'm in love, Bear River's Golden Age 11 The Marriage Game, The Story of Annie Kempton 12 Bear River, The Switzerland of Nova Scotia 13 Oakdene School, (Kindergarten to Grade 6) Class photos & Report Cards 14 - 18 The United Baptist Church of Bear River 20 The Dinosaur Track Rumour 20 The Digby County Exhibition 21 Teams of Oxen – A Bear River thing 22/23 The Brown House (and the predatory crows & man-eating ants) 24 Studio Photo of Tanny and me at 3 and 1 ½ years 27 Running Away at four years of age 28 My Bear River Aunts and Uncles 29 Play Ball with the Champion Bear River Blue Sox! 30 Sunday School & photo 31 Sunday School (Attendance cards with recording stickers) 32/42 Bear River's Cherry Carnival 44 Log Rolling with Roy Rogers 45 Learning How to Swim (Underwater) 46 Hunting Eels in a mill pond with a Modified Fork 46 Bear River Gets its own Fire Department (and four Fire Trucks) 47 Exploring the Brooks that run into it 48/49 My Grammy and Grampy 50/51/53 My Adventures at the Advent Church 54 Adventist Vacation Bible Study Certificate 55 I Can Fly! 55 HMCS Cornwallis (Front Gate, Aerial view & History) 56/57 Five Unique Lessons Taught in Nova Scotian Schools 58/63 My American Cousins 64/65 Living in Lequille 66/67 Living at the Mile-Board Corner and Round Hill 68 My two years at Annapolis Royal Academy 69 Annapolis Royal Academy Grade 8 Report Card - 1953 70 II Subject (continued) Page(s) In Grade 9 at Northern Vocational School (Norvoc),Toronto 71 Grade 9 Report card at Norvoc, Toronto - 1954 72 RCAF Primary Reserve Acceptance memorandum – June 1955 73 At RCAF Avenue Road in Toronto 74 At RCAF Station Aylmer 75 Transfer to a Nova Scotia School, Back to my roots 76 At Digby Regional High School Grade 11 77 Digby Regional High School Graduation Certificate - 1956 78 Working for the Nova Scotia Power Corporation 79 My First Deer (and being shot at) 80 At Camp Utopia, New Brunswick 81 At Camp Aldershot, Nova Scotia 82 Digby High School Principal C. Purdy's recommendation of me to the RCAF 83 Canadian Army Certificate of Service - 1956 84 Canadian Army Certificate of Qualification as a Junior NCO (M) 85 My First Girlfriend Experience 86 List of Jobs I had as a youth 86 Joining the RCAF one day before my 18th birthday 87 At RCAF St Jean sur Richelieu for Basic Training 88 Personal photos at St Jean 89 Posted to RCAF Clinton, Ontario 90 Photo Graduation Class CTG-75 91 Posted to RCAF Chatham, New Brunswick 92 Posted to RCAF Gander, Newfoundland 93 Wedding photo, posted to St Hubert, Que. 94 At USAF Keesler, Biloxi, Mississippi 95 At RCAF North Bay, Ontario 96 At DEW Line Domestic Sector, Streator, Illinois 97 At Fox 2 Dew Line Station, Baffin Island 98 Animal encounters at Longstaff Bluff 99 In the Atlantic Regional Pool of Department of Transport 100 In the Canadian Coast Guard as Telecom Officer of CCGS Labrador 101/102 At Atlantic Regional Office in Moncton as Ship Project officer 103 At Moncton Regional Office as Flight Inspection Officer 104 Our Entire Family Returns To Nova Scotia 105 As both Regional Superintendent Ship Electronics (EL7) and as Ship Project 106 Supervisor (EL6) at Maritimes Region Coast Guard Base, Dartmouth At the Dartmouth Coast Guard Base as Ship Project Supervisor 107 III Subject (continued) Page(s) As Coast Guard Telecom Logistics Officer in Ottawa 108 Remarried & in Vancouver as SPS of CCG Western Region 109 As Chief of Electronic Inspection (TI7) in DSS in Ottawa 111 As Flight Inspection Standards Officer in a Major Crown Project (EL6) 112 My Two Families (Photos) 113 My Ten Miraculous Near-Death Experiences 114 Descendents of my earliest traceable ancestors (11 generations).