Yarmouth and the War Years Camp 60 Canadian Infantry Basic Training Centre Barracks under construc tion 1940 Lt. Col. U.G. Dawson V.D. was appointed Commanding Officer on August 15th, 1940. Officers and N.C.O's and men on the permanent staff were recruited and appointed during August and September, 1940. Permanent Camp staff totalled approximately 357 individuals. The first group of trainees, 500 in number, arrived at Camp 60 in the late hours of October 9th, 1940. Local trainees arrived earlier in the day. Upon arrival at the Camp, the men were directed in groups of 20 to 25 to the officers commanding Companies A and B. The Quartermaster issued three blankets, one rubber ground sheet one plate, one pillow, one knife, one fork, and one spoon to each trainee. Platoon Officers assigned barracks and completed biographical data on each man. Each trainee had a medical examination. Military Cooks (Camp 60) A Typical Day For the Recruit 6:00 am. - Bugler Call Trainees are up and on the go with early physical exercise, perhaps shoe and button polishing, followed by breakfast at 7:00 am The morning is spent on parade drill and at lectures. Dinner is at 12:00 noon followed at 1:30 pm with an afternoon parade. Training activity continued until 4:30 pm with supper at 5:00 pm. Evenings are for the trainee to spend as they wish at the Camp or in the community. First Recruits Finish Training The first group completed their thirty (30) day training period under the National Resources Mo bili zation Act and returned to civilian life. Camp 60 Course No 1 Picture PREPARE FOR NEXT Yarmouth, Nov 7 - Five hundred twenty-one year old trainees from the camp left for homes in various sections of the province this morning following their thirty day training period. The trainees left Yarmouth via special train and buses. Early in 1941 the training period was extended to four months. In the same year an Order-In Council was passed decreeing that all men called under the N.R.M.A. would remain in the Army. In 1942 No. 60 training Center was increased from a two-company to a four-company Training Center. Camp 60 closed in the fall of 1945 having trained some 20,000 young men from across Canada in preparation for the battlefields of the European and Pacific campaigns. Exhibition Building (Yarmouth) During the war years the Yarmouth Exhibition building was leased to the military. It was located on the corner of Parade St and Pleasant St. The building was destroyed by fire. Recruits from Camp 60 and personnel from East Camp assisted the local fire department in fighting the fire. The building was empty at the time of the fire.