With Thanks to 12169 Marc “The Fraz” Fraser

Back in the days when I inhabited the halls of the Frigate with my recruit companions (and all those spiders), Right of Line standing was an obsession for our 4th year leaders who drilled into our heads that this was the only place to be in the parade and a place that was where the Frigate ended up in most of 75-76 until….

The word was out – the CWC White Glove inspection was coming and we just HAD to finish number One in that inspection. Rumours about CWTO Uchiyama preceded him and instilled terror in all of us. The CWC Michel Maisonneuve in contrast appeared to be a pretty nice and reasonable guy so we were quite sure we would pass the inspections with flying colours.

That fall had seen my roomie “Wee Robbie” MacCormack” have an unfortunate bout of appendicitis – in those days there was no going on antibiotics like Patrick Roy but rather straight under the knife it was.  This however had the golden result that our room was deemed a “medical” room where quiet was the operative word -- so for a brief period, life was pretty good in our recruit room.

I remember Rob getting stronger with each day of post-op recovery and so we were ready for anything – we became masters of the 45-degree bed corners and bouncing-quarter beds.

We had been told by our Recruit leaders that the small cupboard above the sink was “ours” and was not inspectable.  This was music to our ears as we always needed a place like that and we didn’t think much about it until the DAY.

We all spent the day before the CWC inspection cleaning, dusting, polishing, and doing everything in our power to make sure our room was Spic and Span.  We were ready!

The inspection appeared to be going well. Our room was in the middle so we would not be the first or last inspected (a definite lucky location). Then … all of a sudden it happened - Uchiyama entered our room and checked here, there, under the bed -- and NOTHING!  All was going well until for some reason Maisonneuve entered the room and proceeded to do the unthinkable --  HE OPENED THE CUPBOARD ABOVE THE SINK and was greeted by a shower of dirty t-shirts, shorts, and underwear!!!  Needless to say that the CWC inspection came to an immediate halt and we did not finish Right of Line for that event.

Apparently the non-inspectable cupboard memo never reached Cadet Wing HQ and that my friend is how the cookies … (no) the “laundry”… crumbled.