Interview #7

Name: Tom Organ

Sex: Male

Age: 75

Place and Date of birth: St. Veronica's, July 10, 1923

Education: Grade 2

Religion: Roman Catholic

Occupation: Logger, worked in a sawmill

Number of children: 4

Names of children and where they live:

Martha (Toronto)

Gus (Toronto)

Roxanne (Toronto)

Rosanne (Deceased)

Phone: 538-3157

Place of interview: St. Alban's

Date of interview: January 18, 1999

Interviewers: Sheri Peters, Carla Collier and Pam Organ

Tom Organ was born in St. Veronica's on July 10, 1923. Tom lived in two other homes besides his childhood home in St. Veronica's. One of his homes was located in the Starlight Lounge area. He now lives on Bayview Drive, in St. Alban's.

Tom only reached grade two in school, because he had to come out of school to go to work. When he was going to school, Tom found it difficult because there was only one teacher for all the grades. "When the teacher was helping the other grades, we were being neglected.", Tom said.

Tom recalled that the "good times" were down in St. Veronica's. He didn't have it very tough back then, Tom always had a bit of money to do the things he liked. He said the only people that were on welfare, were the sick, who could not work.

Tom was six years old when the tidal wave hit in 1927. He recalled the tidal wave not affecting his family because the water only reached the bottom part of their fence.

Tom remembered having to walk from St. Veronica's to go to church. When he would hear the church bell, he knew he had a hour left to get to mass, before it started. The church was located where the St. Alban's fire department is today.

At the age of 17, Tom left his home and traveled overseas, to work with the forestry. He recalled eight one men from Bay d'Espoir leaving to go overseas with him. At first you had to be between the age of 15 to 60 before you were allowed to go. It was then changed to 18 to 50 years of age because they were expecting 5000 men to volunteer, instead they got 8000 because the pay overseas was very good ($52.00 per month). Tom told us that half of his cheque was sent home to his family and he kept the rest for himself. Tom went overseas for four years, he left in 1941 and returned in 1945.

Tom and the other men left St. Alban's by boat, and traveled to North Sydney. Tom tells us that the weather was fine on his travels. But it was a little bit rocky going across the Gulf to Sydney. They then went by boat to Montreal and stayed there for eight days. Then they boarded a large ship to Scotland. Tom said it was a French ship that was captured from Germany. "Hitler said she would never make her maiden voyage, but she did." Tom said, "she got we across." There were a total of ninety ships in the convoy sailing across the Atlantic. While on board the ship, an aid raid alarm sounded and all the men ran up to the deck. They didn't realize they were in a war zone. One of the nearby ships had sank and bodies were floating everywhere. The name of the ship was the SS Caribou, it had a total of 137 passengers and 31 crew members.

Tom spent his eighteenth birthday between Iceland and Ireland. Tom can remember being stuck on a train, in a tunnel, for five hours just outside of Scotland. They were threatened with an air raid alarm.

It wasn't long after that incident, Tom went to work. Tom didn't have to bring his own food, it was already supplied to him on the boat. However, he did have to buy his own work clothes from Mr. P.D.H. Dunn. He was the person who gave out the news about recruiting, and working in Scotland.

While over in Scotland, Tom worked in the forestry. Tom recalled a badge on his shoulder, with the word "homeguard" written on it. He couldn't understand this because he was not guarding his home, since he was 2500 miles away.

There was a camp set up, where they could eat their meals. A cook would be on hand to serve them. For pastimes, some of the men would play the accordion, others would watch movies, and hang around the bunk house. They also had parades on Sundays.

In 1945, shortly after he came back from the war, Tom started working with Bowaters. He worked there until 1958 when Bowaters officially shut down. He also worked in the woods in Deer Lake and Corner Brook. Tom worked just outside of Corner Brook near George's Lake on a high hill. They would cut the wood and haul it by horse to a shoot, and then dumped over a mountain. A rope was then used to haul the logs out. They would haul about twenty logs a day. He also worked, in Corner Brook, helping to build a hospital as a laborer. Tom also worked in a sawmill, the logs that he cut was used to build schooners and draggers. A total of fifty two schooners and three draggers were built.

Tom married his wife, Elizabeth, on May 28, 1948. In June, of that same year, people starting voting for confederation and Newfoundland signed up in the following year on April 1, 1949.

Tom has shared with us a lot of interesting stories, including his travels overseas. This brings to our attention, just how many men, had enough courage to leave their homes and travel so far away to support themselves and their family.