THE ART OF WAR
It began on 29 June 1962, as I stood before the main gates to the entrance of the Canadian Army's Currie Barracks, in Calgary, Alberta. To the guard, I uttered the simple words "I want to join the Canadian Army as a Military Policeman." Four days later I was aboard a train bound for the Canadian Provost Corps school located at Camp Borden, Ontario, and the start of basic army training.
I was born with a talent to draw free hand–no formal training, just a half-assed, self-taught artist. I loved cartoons and for the first time realized the power that lay in my drawings, as I could poke fun at senior officers and escape punishment. I graduated as a Service Police Group One, Lance Corporal just before Christmas of 1962, and stepped off the train on my first posting at Kingston Detachment on a snowy in mid-January 1963.
Kingston became my military home until the last week of September, 1965, when I climbed aboard a RCAF Canadair C-106 Yukon transport at Trenton, Ontario, bound for far-off Cyprus. My flight was mainly made up of soldiers of the Royal Canadian Dragoons and I befriended two on the 18 hour trip. We later crossed paths as they drove armoured cars called 'Ferrets', delivered to Cyprus on the Royal Canadian Navy aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure. Some Ferrets carried hand-painted names and one was called "Snoopy".
Our M.P. Company took over an ex-Greek military camp in the capital city of Nicosia, located in a no-man's land called the "Green Line." I was assigned to the traffic section, investigating all U.N. accidents at any location on the Island, working closely with Greek and Turkish military or civilian police. In my spare time, I began to draw cartoons, and posted them on the wall of our wet canteen. As Christmas '65 approached, I was summoned to the Danish C.O.'s office. He had seen my cartoons and asked if I would paint something for the head table for Christmas Eve dinner.
With no lights, or gifts, I decided to paint a little Christmas mural, with snow, Santa, and the emblem of each country in our M.P. Company. On Christmas Eve, it was pouring rain and I was working 1st call vehicle, when just before dinner, we were called to an accident two hours drive away. I recall my mixed feelings that wet night, but what occurred next, on Christmas Day, changed my artistic life forever. A number of M. P. soldiers, whom I had never met or worked with, approached me and shook my hand or gave a pat on the back with a "Merry Christmas" or "Thank You" for the little Christmas painting. This initiated a series of large wall art murals of Hockey Night in Canada, CFL Football but mostly pin-up girls, and slowly I began to understand firsthand the power of art during war.
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I left the Canadian Army in August 1966, and became a Metro Toronto Police Officer on the 6th of October. In April of 1966, I was posted to 23 Division in Etobicoke, and later joined the Royal Canadian Legion at Malton, Ontario. I had searched for any publication on the subject of aircraft nose art, but none existed. This started a 45 year hobby devoted to research into this lost art of aircraft nose art. I would copy over 8,000 images, interview over 1,100 veterans who served in the air force, and record the history of 83 men and one woman who painted in the Second World War. During this time I repainted over 500 replica nose art images on original wartime aircraft skin. 200 went to museums in U.K., U.S.A., and Canada, while 300 were given to veterans as a thank you.
In July 2010, I retired from work and bid goodbye to nose art research, not from lack of interest, just the fact my friends from the greatest generation were gone. It was all over.
Then in January 2012, I received an email from Major Jay Medves of 1 Wing, Kingston, Ontario, who informed me Canadian nose art came alive during the war in Afghanistan. He asked, "Would you like to repaint a replica helicopter nose art from Afghanistan?" My mind said "No", but the urge was too great and I replied "Yes." Now I faced a new learning curve and the following history unfolded.
Modern Canadian manned aircraft nose art reappeared with Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing helicopters, which became Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan. Beginning on the 24th of December, 2008, six ex-U.S. Army helicopters, from the 101st Airborne, landed at Kandahar Airfield, property of Canadian Forces, and three carried American nose art. The helicopters were officially named "Chinooks" and the Canadians now joined an elite group known as "hookers". [A slang term for the huge loads they sling] The helicopter was named for the "Chinookan" Indians who inhabited the upper and lower Columbia River in the states of Washington and Oregon. I first learned Canadians live in a much more politically sensitive world today and the personalities of the majority of air and ground crews helped determine a more appropriate helicopter nose art style. One point remained the same, nose art, no matter what shape or name, provide esprit de corps, and are a talisman of good luck for air and ground crews alike.
The Canadian Government purchased 100 CH-146 helicopters under the Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter program in 1992. Delivered from 1995 to 1997, they took the official title Griffon, the name and spelling being adopted due to its use by Agusta-Westland [Bell] which builds the military model 412 under licence in Italy. On the 26th of November 2008, Canadian Forces announced eight Griffon helicopters would be modified to act as escorts for the six Chinook helicopters. In January of 2009, a Canadian CH-147D Chinook made its debut flight from its base at Kandahar Airfield, while modified Griffon utility Tactical helicopters provided escort and over watch protection for the larger Chinooks.
The first Canadian Griffon nose art appeared in early 2009 painted by M/Cpl. Gordon Bennett, was ‘Double Ace’ due to a series of bird strikes helicopter #146414 suffered.
During the last Canadian rotation in 2011, a group of talented maintainers including Tim Patry, Steve Forth and Corporal Richard Aucoin painted five Griffon helicopters with Squadron nose art. All designs were first submitted by troops to a ‘design review board’, led by the Squadron Air Maintenance & Engineering Officer. The selection then moved up the chain of command for final approval.
The completion of the last operational mission of Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan took place on July 27, 2011, ending an incredible 31 months of Canadian tactical aviation history. The most outstanding accomplishment by 1 Wing was the staffing of the air wing under extremely tight time restraints. These Canadians were able to refine new combat tactics, procedures, and techniques which will be passed on when new, built for Canada CH-147F Chinook helicopters arrive in 2013. Canada's first expeditionary force with helicopters in the Afghanistan combat theatre saved untold lives on the brutal Afghan roads, and now their nose art is forever part of our Canadian Forces history.
This article is dedicated to all the Canadian Forces personnel who served and those who gave their lives during the war in Afghanistan. I wish to salute the members of 1 Wing who were responsible for the reincarnation of Canadian 'nose art', and without your help this story would not be possible. To the helicopter nose artists "Thank you." You have joined an elite group who painted aircraft from 1939-45, and I know they would approve.
Today military museums are run by senior retired military officers, bureaucrats, and civilians who have a limited idea what art can mean in time of war. After 45 years I have a very good idea, and it all began a long time ago when I painted a little Christmas mural on the Cypriot Green Line.
Clarence Simonsen