Humour Hunt

Laughing at life in the military

–Illustration by Malcolm Jones– Military humour, much like military everything, is an acquired taste. As with all comedy, it depends on the audience. A great comedian once said something like, “Tragedy is me slipping on a banana peel. Comedy is you slipping on a banana peel.” Most military jokes would make unlikely material for...

The glory days of the Clunk
January 18, 2019 by Terry Fallis
Illustration by Malcolm Jones The legendary CF-100 Canuck was the only all-Canadian jet interceptor-fighter to enter mass production back in the 1950s. Note the careful wording. “Mass production.” The Avro Arrow of course was a revolutionary Canadian-designed delta-winged interceptor, but it was destined for limited...
The dispute that saved the Welland Canal
October 30, 2018 by Terry Fallis
– Illustration by Malcolm Jones – For most Canadians, the Great War, an ocean away and a century ago, is a distant horror. We know of the tragic valour of Canadian soldiers on the battlefields of France from Ypres to Artois to the Somme. The...
Yes, we really thought it would fly
August 21, 2018 by Terry Fallis
I had a youthful fascination with planes, rockets, gliders, helicopters and just about everything else that flew. Books helped fuel this interest, including Pilot Jack Knight and Reach for the Sky, Paul Brickhill’s biography of Douglas Bader. He was the English First World War pilot...
Reading at the Legion
June 26, 2018 by Terry Fallis
– Illustration by Malcolm Jones – Many people labour under the misconception that when a publisher releases a novel, the writer’s job is done. Ha! Oh, were it only true. You see, to eke out a living as a novelist in this big but...
Some parts may be missing
April 16, 2018 by Terry Fallis
– Illustration by Malcolm Jones – I’ve noted before in these missives, I have no real experience in the Canadian Armed Forces—for which Canadians should be thankful—beyond a couple of indirect connections. First, for three years as part of my day job, I provided media...
The urge to fly, but how?
February 15, 2018 by Terry Fallis
– Illustration by Malcolm Jones – When I was a kid, I was fascinated by anything that flew. I well remember spending birthday money on those 25-cent balsa wood gliders. The first challenge was assembling them without snapping the fragile wings. They actually flew pretty...