Podcast

Peter Handley:
Hi there and, good day! Welcome to North Bay's Heritage Diary. Listen up and we shall weave for you tales of days and times gone by, which can inform today and show the way to tomorrow. This Municipal Heritage Committee podcast looks at our town, our people, and our stories. This time we open our diary of voices from the past for a conversation with the late Bob Studholme—World War Two Veteran, Legion member, and life member of our 406 wing and championship curler. This was originally recorded in January 2008 as part of the Cogeco cable series, “Life Is.” In it Bob Studholme talks about: growing up in North Bay, joining the Air Force, and making 22 flights over war torn Europe, Winning the Kennedy Legion and Dominion Curling Title, the Legion Memorial wall, and other matters. Please excuse any outdated references.

Peter Handley:
You're from one of North Bay's original families, right?

Bob Studholme:
Yes. My grandpa and grandma was Paul Bernard. And they are classified as in Hardly Trussler's book as being one of the three founding families of North Bay.

Peter Handley:
Did they come here? Did your grandfather come here for the railway?

Bob Studholme:
My grandfather came down from Cochrane.

Peter Handley:
Okay.

Bob Studholme:
This is my grandfather on my mother's side. And they owned a block where DeMarco store is now. And I used to go down there. My mother dropped me off and they'd take care of me at DeMarco store. And next to DeMarco store is where the pizza place is. It was a big forge. They had four forges there. And they did all of the work for all of the lumber camps in Northern Ontario.

Peter Handley:
Really?

Bob Studholme:
And I used to go over there and being just a little gaffer. And one of the guys took a liking to me. And he used to have a piece of wood there. And he set it out there and he'd say, “okay, sit there and watch me.” And I used to sit there, watch him heat the steel up and hammer it into whatever it was for the slaves and the horses. And so on for Northern Ontario. They sold their house, which is the DeMarco store today. They sold that house to Karmen DeMarco.

Peter Handley:
That is going way back now. You went to NBCINBS.

Bob Studholme:
That's right.

Peter Handley:
And it must have been in the days of Leo Troy.

Bob Studholme:
Right.

Peter Handley:
I've heard a lot of different stories about him, what about your remembrance of him.

Bob Studholme:
Well, Leo Troy to me was a very good coach, like I went there from War School, which sort of St. Mary's School was where I was at. And I went over there and Leo sort of took a liking to me. And he gave me some training and pole vaulting and various other things. Anyway, the first year I was at the NBCNIBS, they had a Northern Ontario meeting of all of the schools. And so I put my name in and Leo took me down there. And I won two medals. I won the bronze medal for high jump. And I won the silver medal for pole vaulting the first year I was at the Collegiate. And I still have those metals today. Leo was a very good coach.

Peter Handley:
Was he a demanding type of guy, or…

Bob Studholme:
No, he'd take me out and show me a thing. Pole Vaulting as you know is very intricate. And he'd say “you're not doing this quite correctly. Here's the way you should be doing it.” So I would practice it and practice at it until I got good at doing it the way he wanted it. And actually, I would have won the Northern Ontario that I got the silver medal. I should have won the gold at that particular time. But something happened to the last one that I made and I didn't quite make to knock the pole off.

Peter Handley:
Did you play hockey for him?

Bob Studholme:
Yes. I played hockey for him too. I was the goaltender for the NBCINBS.

Peter Handley:
Did he make it fun or did he make it work?

Bob Studholme:
No, he just made it normal. I would say if you weren't doing it right, he'd tell you. And if you didn't do it right a couple of times, then he more than tell you.

Peter Handley:
He was a former military man in World War I. School cadets, I guess, would be something…

Bob Studholme:
Yes, most of us when we first went in there and first form, we were in school cadets.

Peter Handley:
And we're talking now we're talking very early forties.

Bob Studholme:
That's right.

Peter Handley:
Because you went into the military...

Bob Studholme: In 43.

Peter Handley:
Oh, you must have been just out of school.

Bob Studholme:
I wasn't out of school. No, I had finished what we called at that time, second form, grade eleven, now I think they call it. Yes. And that's when I finished. And when I joined the Air Force, they sent me to school in Toronto.

Peter Handley:
Why? Was their family history of the military?

Bob Studholme:
Well, my father yes. My father was when he came over here in 1912; he worked for the CPR as Chief Clerk. Then he joined the army and he went overseas in the army. And he came back. He had got wounded at Passchendaele. And when he came back to North Bay in 1919, the Prince of Wales came to North Bay and presented him with a military medal at the CPR concourse, which is the Oak Street parking lot now. And as you know, the Prince Whales became King Edward the Eighth shortly after that.

Peter Handley:
Was that why you went in the military in 43 because of your dad's history?

Bob Studholme:
No. At the Collegiate, there were a large number of people around my age that were joining the Air Force. And, for instance, one I got a picture at home came out of the North Day Nugget. It shows 13 people that I knew that joined the Air Force in one particular picture. So that's the way it was. The College had a great number going to the Air Force. As you know, in North Bay, 129 Air Force guys got killed overseas. And of those, 59 of them were from the North Bay Collegiate Institute and Vocational School. They had 71 or 72 people join the Air Force from there. And 59 of those 72 got killed.

Peter Handley:
That's a terrible fatality, right?

Bob Studholme:
Oh, yeah.

Peter Handley:
You're one of the survivors.

Bob Studholme:
Lucky. It’s not that you're good. You're lucky that's the whole thing in a nutshell.

Peter Handley:
After training overseas, you went overseas?

Bob Studholme:
Yes. Yes. I trained mostly in Toronto, and I went to school in Hamilton to bring my… I just finished grade eleven and to get my full high school they sent me to Hamilton and I spent six weeks there. But they only taught you three things like geography, and math, and history was the three things that they really talked to you about.

Peter Handley:
You went in the Air Force. Did you want to be a Pilot, or did you want to be a Navigator or Bombardier?

Bob Studholme:
I wasn't particular at the time. I would have liked to be a pilot. I was a pilot. I had a pilot's license for 35 or 40 years. I guess I just gave it up a couple of years ago. I had my own airplane, a Cessna, a four passenger float plane. And I flew that from 1966 to the time that I sold it in about 2001.

Peter Handley:
At grade eleven, World War II is on and you decide to join the military. The Air Force. Did you just want to get out of North Bay?

Bob Studholme:
No, I didn't. I love North Bay. North Bay was really good to me, and I was playing hockey. And I think one of the reasons why they jumped my entry up into the Air Force is because I had played for the North Bay All Stars, which was sort of a group of older players, like McDonald was on it. And…

Peter Handley:
Doug McDonald?

Bob Studholme:
Yes. Doug McDonald was on defense. And Syker was one of the hockey players at that particular time. And we were playing against an army team from Chippewa barracks.

Peter Handley:
Okay.

Bob Studholme:
And I don't know I played a couple of games with that All Star team. And I think when I joined up, they looked at that and they needed a goaltender in Toronto for the RCAF. I was sent down to Lisheen. And the first day I came out on Lisheen, they called me over, and it was a fellow from North Bay that was the Sergeant in charge. And he called me over, and…They called me, Stud. And they said, “Stud, you've got it.” He lived a block from my place, so I knew him well. And he was a training Sergeant. And they told me “go and pack your bag.” He said, “You're going to Toronto.” So I went and packed my bag, and they sent me down to Toronto. And they sent me over to Ravina Gardens. There was a bunch of professional hockey players there that were playing for the RCAF and they outfitted me with goal pads and all that. I didn’t play any games but I was a sort of substitute for the team. I played one game and the rest of the time it was a fellow named Johnny Mawyers, who was a goaltender for Detroit.

Peter Handley:
Yes!

Bob Studholme:
So I couldn’t compete with a guy like that!

Peter Handley:
Okay you’re shipped overseas to England?

Bob Studholme:
Yes, when you go overseas they put you in an OTU, which is an Operations Training unit. And they put me in that training unit and I was there for about a week, maybe two weeks. And normally what they do is they form the crews for Bomber Command and they pick the guys out and you go with a certain pilot and a certain navigator. I was classified as an air gunner then… I was more into training rather than into flying on the Bombers. I had a good gunnery record which was the main thing, so they sent me to a RAF Squadron I was there for three week and then they sent me over to 419 squadron in Middleton, St. George. I spent a most of my time at Middleton, St. George.

Peter Handley:
So you were training gunner for Bomber Command

Bob Studholme:
Well no not really. What I was doing was they bring in a new turret or for gunnery or new guns. And I would teach the guys how to operate those new guns or what the turret would do for, the new turrets that they put in.

Peter Handley:
So what do you remember… you did two years of it?

Bob Studholme:
Yes.

Peter Handley:
You must have seen an awful lot of young guys go through?


Bob Studholme:
Well, I did. And because I had to write up some of those reports. They always told us like, don’t get too friendly with any particular guy, be friendly with the guys in your crew, because they know of you when you went down. You know, the whole crew was gone. Not to get friendly with too many the other fellas. but I wasn't really on another crew. The crew that I saw that I flew the most with was an American guy, who was the pilot. And they came to me in 44, in late 44 and asked me if I'd make a trip with them. I also spared for pilots or air gunners that were sick or couldn't fly. I would fill that position. I was navigator two or three times. And that's mainly what they did with me. I was sort of a spare. So it took me a long time to build up the number of trips I made.

Peter Handley:
How many trips did you wind up having?

Bob Studholme:
22.

Peter Handley:
This is over Europe?

Bob Studholme:
Yeah, that's right. They all have to be over Europe. There's a certain medal and they only give you that medal, when you have one year of flying over Europe.

Peter Handley:
You were what they call a generalist then if you were doing some navigating and some teaching and the gunnery. Why did they pick you to do that sort of stuff? Instead of just saying here going this grew and go overseas and get shot at?

Bob Studholme:
Well, I started taking a navigation course to start with. And they decided that they had enough navigation people. And it was I would better than three quarters of the way through the course. And a fellow named Bill Dyke, who was born in Callander, was in charge of the training of navigation course. He was a captain. And, of course, when I came there from North Bay, he's glad to see me and a guy from North Bay. And so he came to me one day and he said, “I got a good deal for your studdy you know we are cancelling this course.” And I said “What's the good deal?” He said, “Well, I'll tell you. They need gunnery trainers.” And I said “What the hell? I don't know. I don't know anything about gunnery training.” He says “well it’s a six week course. And after the six weeks he says you'll be right overseas.” He said “because they got nobody over there.” I said, “Okay.” He got me in the course I did my six weeks and he was right. At the end of the six weeks I went overseas. So I got over a lot faster than say an ordinary guy going through the regular training would get.

Peter Handley:
Any frightening experiences on those 22 trips?

Bob Studholme:
Well, most of the trips we made at night and you know, you'd see an aero plane blow up, but you couldn't tell whether it was an aero plane or it was dark unless it was a real bright moonlight night, you know. And they, but, in late 44, we started flying daylight raids. So then you could see everything that was going on. And we'd fly into places like Hamburg for instance, I did three or four or five trips in Hamburg. And they you could see all your planes like there'd be four or 500 aero planes flying in the sky at one time, always in visual.

Peter Handley:
Yeah.

Bob Studholme:
You know, as far as you could see. And they had AQaq guns, 88 AQaq guns in the head, those guns and shells were all armed to explode between 18 and 20,000 feet. If they didn't hit you, they exploded. And the flak would fly out of this. Now one little piece of flak if it hit the bomb bay door.. Depending on what you were doing that particular time because the incendiaries were very light, but you usually had six or eight or ten tons of bombs. They'd be 500 pounders, 1000 pounders, you'd be they'd get maybe four or 5000 pounders and six or seven 500 pounders, and the bounce rate will be in centuries. And we're a small piece of flak if that bomb bay door, there was nothing you wouldn't be there. All you'd see was a big flame, and black smoke, and you wouldn't even see parts flying from the thing it was, well, we know they tons of bombs going off.

Peter Handley:
Did those 22 trips, change your attitude? Change your feelings? Change anything at all?

Bob Studholme:
While I wasn’t flying day after day after day, like most of those other guys Yeah. And I was a sub like, and so I didn't fly day after day, like the guys ever flying day after day and on. And three or four planes that get shot down here. Well, they're seven in each plane. So it's 21. Guys, you know, the whole 21 guys, because only 18 or 19 planes would be flying at one time from our Squadron. And the other squadrons were the same. They flew about 18 or 19 to a squadron. So you knew all the guys that went down. Some guys you know better than other guy here. You know, you sort of felt sorry but you couldn't do that. You know, we had people that did it like that what they call LMF. That's what they used to call a person that wouldn't fly, “lack of moral fiber.” That was the word for LMF… So if he wouldn't fly, they'd give him a couple of days to, you know, come back and things like that. And if he decided that he wasn't going to fly, they sent him back home, or they made him put him in some other position that he might be able to do you know, in the office or

Peter Handley:
It was a traumatic experience.

Bob Studholme:
Yes, that is why most of these people you see it in their comeback. You know, I think it's sad that we don't pay more attention to the people that receive decorations when they are overseas. Like, out of the high school guys from North Bay from NBC, I knew there were 13 received decorations. And we have three left now, which is Cliff Alger. I don't know whether you know or not. He's in the hospital right now. And not doing too well.

Peter Handley:
Sorry.

Bob Studholme:
And I was up to see him on Friday and but he's still hanging in there. And John Baker and John Baker are in Cassellholme. And Fred Andrews he's in Cassellholme. Now. Alger got DFC and Andrew Scott a DFC and Baker got a DFM. Now, DFM is a metal given to a chap before he becomes an officer the same DFC and DFM is the same, actually the same model. So but they're both in Cassellholme those two chaps. So there are only three of the decorated veterans left in the city in North Bay. And those guys did over and beyond the call of duty. That's why they and they were all over one. They had completed one tour which is 30 operations over France and Germany. They all completed 30 operations.

Peter Handley:
When did you start curling?

Bob Studholme:
In 1956 I guess it was when I started curling.

Peter Handley:
You came back after the war and started curling with the Legion?

Bob Studholme:
No, I just started curling at the Granite club. And I curl there for a year or so. And then I met, Rudy asked me to curl with him, and I want to curl with Rudy. And I was with Rudy for better than 10 years.

Peter Handley:
That must have been an honour.

Bob Studholme:
It was an honour. Because, you know, as you know, he went to the McDonnell Brier in 1958. To get into the Brier, he needed a young team. So he was forming a new team. And he asked me if I would curl with him. And I said, Yes, I would. I curl a few games with him and a few went into a few bonds fields and so he he asked me to stay on with him and I did.

Peter Handley:
What was he like as a skip?

Bob Studholme:
Well, he was the easiest going guy you ever saw. He never ever complained about you missing a shot, or not curling good tonight or anything like that. It was all this big happy smile. “Well, maybe better luck next time.” Oh, yeah. He was a terrific guy. Never meet another guy like that again.

Peter Handley:
What was his curling skill?

Bob Studholme:
His curling skill?

Peter Handley:
Yeah, in your estimation?

Bob Studholme:
Well, he gets more takeout anytime you want it. And if the rocks were placed in the right situation in the house, he'd make a triple over whatever. That was his. That's what he more or less…

Peter Handley:
Was he a good tactician?

Bob Studholme:
Oh, yes, he was one. He was the, I would say the best in Northern Ontario. I never saw anybody better than him in Northern Ontario. While I was curling with them. When we went out west, to curl in the Ontario to the Canadian champions at Moose Jaw. I was curling on another rink at the same time in the Associated Canadian Travelers. And we went out there for the Canadian Championship and we went out with the Legion and won out with the Canadian champion. They were would have been parked far enough apart so that I could…We went to the Legion was the most important one. And we went to the Legion one. And we won it in straight games. There were nine provinces in last that year and we won nine straight games. And Jerry Vilneva and I were picked on the team, the pro team for the all the players there.

Peter Handley:
And Hap McKee was the other guy.

Bob Studholme:
Yeah Haps at home now. He's 90. And he's not in too good of health.

Peter Handley:
He was a great athlete.

Bob Studholme:
Yes, he was a great a good football player. Extremely good football player.

Peter Handley:
What position did you normally play?

Bob Studholme:
I played second.

Peter Handley:
Second.

Bob Studholme:
Yeah. Jerry was a vice acrc at there. Vice second and Harper was the sweeper.

Peter Handley:
Those happy times you’re three times to the Canadians with the Legion out winning the Canadian title in 1968. You still remember those times?

Bob Studholme:
Oh yes. Oh yes. I still bump into the odd person from those times, you know and we have a great sit down and talk about that time we had, and the fun we had.

Peter Handley:
Is the Legion still into curling?

Bob Studholme:
Yes, they still do it. But it's not like it wasn't those days. In those days it was a big thing. It was next to the McDonald Brier. And when we went out when we the first the Alberta team that we played against had knocked out the Richardson brothers who they had beat the Richardson brothers to get in to the finals.

Peter Handley:
And the Legion been really important to you, hasn't it?

Bob Studholme:
I think the Legion is important to any veteran and 406 wing—Well, we made the 406 wing because there are so many People from the North Bay Collegiate that joined the Air Force., there was more air force guys got killed than there was army guys. That's a hard thing to believe. But the army didn't get into the war until 44. And of course, we were flying right from the Air Force was flying from 39 on.

Peter Handley:
So you've been really involved in remembering the veterans of all the wars, including Korea. With, I call it the wall of remembrance, basically, but you call it Project Flanders. Why did you get so engrossed in that?

Bob Studholme:
Actually by accident. Again, it is always by accident. But I had the wall for 406 wing up there of all of the decorated veterans. And, and they asked me to be on this committee that they were having as a sort of an advisor to help them. So I did. And it was building up pretty well. And then we ran into some problems. And I don't want to mention the problems. But anyway, they asked me if I would… They had a meeting and the chairman, had resigned. And they went around, there was 16 people there and they went around the table and nobody wanted the thing. And they looked and said, “well, why don't you take it?” And I said, “Well,” I said, “I'm just supposed to be an advisor here.” And I said “the way this looks right now we're we've got to do a lot of changing.” And I said “if you give me a helper,” and I was sitting beside Norm Shirlington at the time. So Norm says, “Bob, I’ll help” and I said “okay, I'll take it over.” But I said like, I'm sort of strict and if a guy isn't doing the job. I don't have a nice way of saying it… So we took it over.

Peter Handley:
And it worked. You've got them beautiful little park there.

Bob Studholme:
They said that, like a couple of years ago, the photographer's, the government photographers came here and took a picture of it. And the guy told me he said “this is the nicest park in Canada.” It's the only park that does everything like list all of the wars. It's in French and English. So it tells you how the history is there for each war is, you know, if you've taken a history class over there, it tells you why the First War, Second War and so on, why it started and how it started. And the wall lists all the guys that got killed overseas.

Peter Handley:
Great. Great work Bob. Many thanks for coming and talking with us about your experiences of veteran and curler and so forth and so forth. And we've sort of only scratched the surface, but it's been a great pleasure talking with you.

Bob Studholme:
Well, thank you very much for inviting me. I really appreciate that. And if this was 20 years ago, I'd be much better but I’m in my 80s now.

Peter Handley:
Well you can't tell it.

Peter Handley:
This edition of our Heritage Diary voices from the past with the late Bob Studholme which was originally recorded in January 2008 for the Cogeco cable TV production, “Life Is,” and is rebroadcasted in this format through the courtesy of Cogeco Your TV. Thank you for spending some time with us and listening to our stories. These productions are put together by the North Bay Municipal Heritage Committee, not only to retell old tales, but hopefully to kindle interest in area history. Local lore is important to any community. We shouldn't let it go unremarked and unremembered. Views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of the corporation of the city of North Bay, or its employees. Join us next time, when we flip another page of the diary of our shared past. You can reach us at Peter.Carello@cityofnorthbay.ca. Production – Casey Monkelbaan and Peter Carello. Pete Handley speaking.