A documentary team is searching for football fans (and memorabilia) from the first non-civilian Grey Cup game in 1942, played by the Toronto RCAF Hurricanes and the Winnipeg RCAF Bombers.
During the Second World War both the Western Interprovincial Football Union and Interprovincial Rugby Football union had suspended operations for the duration as most of the players had signed on for military service. The Hurricanes defeated the Bombers 8-5. More than 12,000 fans attended the game Dec. 5 in Varsity Stadium in Toronto, and across the ocean in London, England, a condensed version of the Grey Cup broadcast was played for Canadian servicemen and civilians.
Now documentary producer Infield Fly Productions in Toronto is looking for Hurricanes team members, people who trained or served with them, relatives and descendants, friends and acquaintances. They’re also looking for people who attended the game, or any war-time game, at Varsity Stadium, as well as football fans who lived in Toronto during the Second World War.
The filmmakers are especially interested in anyone who at the time knew Hurricanes player Jake Gaudaur, who trained young flyers at Uplands Air Base in Ottawa and later became a Canadian Football League commissioner.
If you can help, contact Infield Fly Productions at CFLStories@gmail.com.
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