Evening star., 1943-09-12
Gaspe Is Ready
BY B. r. Richardson.

Gulf Of ST. Lawrence would scarcely
understand the warlike spirit that domi-
mates that tourist region. No tourists
linger in the inns Of Matane and Perce
this year. That Is due to gasoline ration
Ing. The Gaspe region is the doorytep
of the submarine warfare and its French
speaking Canadians are organized In this
continents unique home guard-Les
Guetteurs (the signalmen).
Relaxation Of censorship precautions
recently has permitted the first accounts
OF defense measures on the Gaspe coast,
where U-boats ranged the gulf last year
and survivors Of torpedoed merchantmen
landed in the French villages. Watchers
on the cliffs OF Gaspe are ready to spy
out submarines and aircraft, and the
home guard Is armed to the teeth. The
Gaspesians have sprung to the defense
OF their coast and the reservists number
so to 100 and more in hamlets of 500 to
1000 population. The "guetteurs" are
good shots, too, with their army rifles,
for men along this coast are accustomed
to using small rifles and shotguns. The
civilian volunteers cooperate with
powerful land, sea and operational forces
which guard the st. Lawrence shipping
lanes.
Many OF the clerics of the French
towns are active reservists. Take the case
OF Father James Leblanc of Gloridorme
parish. He is captain in the reserves.
Father Leblanc said he had seen a Ger.
man U-boat sail audaciously close to hi,
Gloridorme parish last summer when a
score of ships were torpedoed. He has
pieces OF one torpedo on his mantle.
1t exploded ashore on a day when st,
Lawrence convoy was attacked.
Then we were unorganized," said the
priest, buttoning his military coat over
his black robes. 1--WE had no weapons
and all we could do was to care for the
poor lads who came ashore In lifeboats.
We were pretty mad about the whole i,
business
We got madder when we heard ugly
stories that We were doing nothing to =
Illustrate the raiders We could do
nothing because we were not equipped. $
This year though it's different. We've
got the equipment and our men have
rushed to the defense of their coasts.
They'll never see their beloved fishing
waters and land violated by U-boat or
saboteur, or, for that matter, by any
token air raider who might try to cross
our country"
One OF the great innovations of the
coast is the telephone system installed
ior the Aircraft Detection Corps. Around
the north Gaspe coast, from Matane to
Gaspe town, there was no phone before.
Now the village vigilantes have practiced
necessarily what they will do when a
warning comes from the ADC-Aircraft
Detectlon Corps. They scramble com.
mando style, along the craggy coast and
into their fishing boats, ramming home
cartridge clips and showing on steel he'll
NETS. The reservists conceal themselves
pehlnd drlftwood and wait long hours
before the "all-clear" is given. Tho
call Will also bring big bombers charging
into the air toward the area of s,,sni-
clon, trim warships and sleek Q-boats Of
naval base concentrating in battle
formation and heavy fortress batteries
IN little Gibraltar awakening to the
cry OF action stations" .
At one point along the coast there is a
grim relic of what happened last wear.
This consists of the two sections of th.
1relghter Frediricka Larson, torpedoed
on july IL, 1912. She is broken CON.
pletely in two sections almost amidships.
with the stern Of one section and the bow
OF the other pointed landward Behind
the shelter OF this wreckage the reservists
have practiced landings to test the VIII
lage defenses. At a given signal thew
dash for the land. Immediately the
church bell tolls, and the men of the re-
serve army line the river and, tactically
speaking, repel the invaders.
In one village OF some 1,500 inhabitants
Officers recruited 106 men. In another
little place of 6S7 population they signed
up 66 men. In both instances the re-
cruiting was done in two hours on Sun.
day, working between church services.
The men showed themselves keen for
their new calling, eager to distinguish
themselves. So much is this the case that
people who are not we'll known are re-
quired to identify themselves very strict
ly, and that applies to officers as well as
others. Boats which ply between the
ports do we'll not to be careless with
flashlights, for that brings spontaneous
mobilization to the shoreline. There Is
still the old friendliness but there is also
an aWareness. They want to know who
is who, and who may be spy
The coming of this war and the prep
arations for defense are bringing
changes. The young men who have come
into the area have quickly made con-
facts. There are dances receptions, an
outflow of hospitality from people who
had largely to depend upon visits to
Quebec to meet new people. The army
appears to be on excellent terms with the
native sons and daughters.
War and preparations for war have
done more than turn this peninsula into
an armed district. They are changing
the social life of the people, bringing
them into close link with the rest of the
province and of Canada. Men who have
moved into the peninsula are learning
at first hand of the warm Gaspe hos
pitality. There is nothing surprising in
this, but the Gaspe people are learning
to know men from all parts of Canada,
since soldiers and airmen and naval men
In the area are from all provinces and
many cities and towns.