Off to Europe

The 500 men who raced up a gangplank at Wolfe's Cove one grey, cold morning last week seemed like vacation-bound tourists. Except for a handful of tearful relatives, the pier was a scene of gay, bustling activity as the first contingent of the 27th Infantry Brigade shoved off to join the NATO armies in Germany.

While Brigadier Geoffrey Walsh, the 27th's commander, smilingly looked on, men tackled each other in schoolboy fashion. Some, already embarked, dashed down for a second round of goodbyes with wives & children. Above the din of shouts and whistles, a group of French Canadians rousingly sang their regimental song, bag pipes skirled Tipperary, and a brass band blared Mad'moiselle from Armentieres.

On hand was Defense Minister Brooke Claxton to bid the men bon voyage and to distribute a 30-page orientation booklet titled Off to Europe. Sample advice: "Don't be fooled by the cheap price and mild taste of French wines . . . Forget the fixed impression you have about European women. You can't take liberties with them ; that happens only in the movies ... If you behave decently, the people of Western Europe . . . will take new hope ... If you behave badly . . . you may ensure an eventual Communist triumph."

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