PRESERVING THE PAST | |
| C.O.B.R.E.C. | JUNE 1999 ED. #6 |
We hope you have enjoyed reading our newsletters, but unfortunately this will be our last issue. Youth Service Canada's project "Preserving the Past"after six months of research will come to an end on June 4th. It has been a joy and privilege producing these newsletters and distributing them to all the communities of Bay d' Espoir. Without your participation, and interest this project would not have been such a success. We would like to thank everyone who gave their continued support during this project.
Thank you,
Youth Service Canada
This Month in History: June
Did you Know....
We would also like to wish all Fathers a
Happy Fathers Day!
BEFORE:
Collier's Meat Market was opened in 1979 but in
1980 the name was changed to Riteway. This
store was owned and operated by Anthony and
Edward Collier of St. Alban's.
AFTER:
In May 1990, with new owners Bill and Dan
Snook, Riteway's name was changed to Foodland.
Today it is still operated by the recent owners and
is a part of a franchise with stores all across
Newfoundland.
Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit
The Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit was formed by an act passed by the Newfoundland Government, and dated on the 19th of November, 1939. It was formed because of a request from his Majesty's Government for volunteers to serve in the overseas war effort. Bay d'Espoir was not without its share of brave young volunteers.
In 1940, the first of Bay d'Espoir's volunteers left home to work in the forestry unit. Nineteen men between the ages of eighteen to sixty passed a strict medical examination and were on their way. The men were supposed to be over the age of eighteen to join the unit but it was common knowledge that younger men lied about their ages and joined the unit any way. The pay was better than any they could find around home and the excitement of traveling to a foreign country was too much for young men from small communities to pass up. A once in a life time adventure!
The reason for the strict medical examination was to weed out the sick and weak men. Working in the Forestry Unit was extremely physical work and healthy young men were needed to complete it. Also if a man became ill he was sent back to Newfoundland because he was unable to work.
On June 25th , 1941, the second group of Bay
d'Espoir volunteers left to go overseas. This time
eighty four volunteers made
the trip, almost five times
more than the first group.
The men boarded the
coastal boat " The
Baccalieu" and traveled to
North Sydney. The trip
across the Gulf was a memorable one because the
weather was very bad and the seas became very rough.
Almost all of the men at one point in time felt sick
during this part of the journey. Once they arrived in
North Sydney they boarded a train and headed for
Montreal. When they arrived in Montreal there was a
nine day stop over. While they waited to board the
S.S. Mendoza that was headed for Liverpool, several
air raid alarms sounded to warn the men of a possible
attack. Although over thirty four hundred men of the
forestry unit crossed the Atlantic at a time when the
position at sea, due to enemy raiders and submarines,
was at its worst, not a single life was lost.
The second group of volunteers arrived in Liverpool, England on July 28th , 1941. From Liverpool the men boarded trains bound for the Ministry of Labour Centers located in Northern Scotland. One member of the Forestry Unit, Mr. Tom Organ remembered " On one trip the train was stopped just outside Scotland because it was feared an air raid attack was on its way. The train was delayed under a tunnel for over five hours". In total it took the men thirty four days to travel from Bay d'Espoir to Scotland, a trip that will never be forgotten.
While in Scotland the men lived in hotels, school houses, village halls, drill sheds, barns, tents, or any place where the accommodations could be arranged while they built their own camps. Once built, these camps were home to fifty to one hundred men who were all cutting timber for the British Government they worked from five a.m. to eleven p.m. , seven days a week and received $52.00 a month, half of which they sent home. The timber that they cut was needed in the war effort to build such things as hospitals, bunkhouses, and mines.
The camps also had cooks that were responsible for cooking meals for the men, fish cakes was the most popular meal served. Although there was a war going on the workers still had means of enjoyment. In their spare time they took part in activities such as darts, cards, football, and the occasional dance at the recreation camp. Also, on Sundays the homeguards (a civilian defense force) would try to keep the morals of the workers high by having a celebratory parade. Once a year the men would also go on leave from the camps. This was usually a week of free time that most men used to visit the nearest towns where they could forget about the war and have a good time.
Some men married overseas and settled there, while others brought their "war brides" home. On may 4th , 1946, the "Mendoza" returned home with a total of 6900 men all of whom had experienced a thrill of a life time.
Wanted:
Volunteers from the surrounding communities to
form a Historical Society, you would be
responsible for protecting all the information
collected through the duration of this project.
Interested persons please call C.O.B.R.E.C. ,
Youth Service Canada Project at (709)538-3236.
FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
MATCHING
On Pancake Day what did it mean when you found one of the following items in your Pancakes?
You would:
1) Nail ---- A) become a seamstress
2) Ring ---- B) become a rich person
3) Button ---- C) become a carpenter
4) Needle ---- D) get married
5) Medal ---- E) become a bachelor
6) Coins ---- F) become a priest
SCRAMBLER (places)
1) ETGRA --- VESJRI
2) AKRPTCI --- RUHBORA
3) YTLNSAES --- ECVO
4) BHOARUR --- LYGALE
5) MSRNAOYD --- TONIP
6) OXF --- DLINAS
7) LSMRIEL --- EPSGASA
8) SBMLREBA --- DHAE
9) SPUHUTHRGOH
10) NOLGIB
FILL IN THE BLANKS
1)____ is a pastry to go over a pot of stew.
2) ____ is a nickname for counter top.
3) ____ is leather to sew taps on shoes.
4) ____ is a nickname for the ceiling of a
house or a building.
5) ____ is a rocking chair made out of barrel
staves.
6) ____ is a scald pudding/ boiled pudding.
The Answers to the Entertainment section are
provided for you on the back page.
TRIVIA
In what year did Stickland's store in Milltown
open its doors to the public?
Who owned the first car in Milltown?
In what year was the community council formed in
Morrisville?
Who is the oldest man in Milltown?
When did the first coastal boat arrive in St.
Alban's?
Who operated the first power house in Bay
d'Espoir (at Swanger's Cove, Path End)?
The answer to last months trivia is Isadore Snook and Kathleen Morris, Raymond Willcott and Effie Poulett. Below is a picture of the two couples on their wedding day.
The first couple to be married by Father Hayes
was Isadore Snook
and Kathleen Morris
on the 23rd day of
August, 1943.
The last couple to be married by Father Hayes
was Raymond
Willcott and Effie
Poulett on the 16th
day of August, 1965.
Special thanks to these organizations/businesses for making this newsletter possible:
Bay d'Espoir Crime Prevention , Fabric Designs, Warehouse 2000 Ltd.
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 61 , Cohen's, Hartery's ESSO
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 53 , Kendall's Store, Snook's Foodland
S.C.C.D.C. Business Support Network , St. Veronica's Con., Cranberry Gardens
Trans Island Funeral Service Ltd. , Buffett's Gas Bar, The Pub Lounge
St. Alban's Building Supplies , Bay d'Espoir Bus Ltd., Town of St. Alban's
Ann & Doreen's Unisex, Vancor Motel Ltd. , Germaine's Flowers
Newtel Communications, Kendell's Auto, YES Productions
Regional Resource Center, St. Alban's Inn, St. Joseph's Cove Con.
Barbara's Hairstyling , Bay d'Espoir IGA, St. Alban's ESSO
The Looney & Twooney , NF & Lab. Hydro , Cooper's Auto Repair
St. Alban's Drugs Ltd. , J & G Convenience, Golden Fried Chicken
V. J. Shoes and Variety, Bayside Marina Ltd., A & D Ultramart Ltd.
Motel Bay d'Espoir, Images Hairstyling, Strickland's Groceteria
Yvonne Willcott, Riff's Limited, Milltown Foodtown
Claudine's Barber Shop, St. Alban's Leo Club, Bank of Montreal
Sears - St. Alban's
Dear Readers:
The producers of this newsletter would greatly appreciate any comments or criticisms that you might have regarding the information you have just read. If any of the information is false or does not address the full story we would love to hear from you. Thanks for your overwhelming support and response towards our newsletters. Please continue your feedback and feel free to contact us at: 538-3236.
Matching Solutions:
1) C 2) D 3) E 4) A 5) F 6) B
Scrambler Solution:
1) Great Jervis 2) Patrick Harbour 3) Stanleys Cove 4) Harbour Galley 5) Raymonds Point 6) Fox Island
7) Millers Passage 8) Brambles Head 9) Pushthrough 10) Goblin
Fill in the Blanks Solutions:
1) Flumming 2) Bunker 3) Sewall 4) A Loftin 5) Couch Box 6) Scald Duff
Trivia Solutions:
1) 1938 2) Gordon Strickland 3) 1952 4) Josh Roberts 5) Sept 9 1949 6) Victor Marshall
If you would like to view previous issues of our newsletter, visit our website at:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Farm/9336/past.html