Excerpts from a soldiers Letters

Recently received some first hand information from a soldier who served on the Table Mountains here during WWII. Here are some excerpts from his letters he sent home to his mother.

November 27/43 Given special winter clothes in Halifax. Parka, ski pants, hat, high top
leather boots, another pair with rubber bottoms and leather tops, 10
pair woolen socks, woolen helmet, woolen gloves, leather mitts and
other articles. Traveled by sea, not air this time so was seasick not air
sick.
Place is on a table mtn. We are in quonset huts held down by rocks as
ballast. Sleeping bags on bunks. Oil heaters. We had a good cook. He
had been chef at one of the big hotels. We had canned or concentrated
foods at first. Butter came in cans and it was good. We were working on
new equipment. Different than working with the squadron at Gander
earlier. Hear that we will be here more than 6 mths.

December 1/43 Snow travels horizontal not vertical!!!

December 2/43 Two panes of glass blew out at night at bottom of my bunk.It took
several guys to hold boards in place against the wind while we nailed it
in place. We crawl on our hands and knees from one bldg. to another but
luckily, bldgs are not far apart.

December 5/43 A radio really makes a difference in a place like this. The food is pretty
good right now. We get things that you can't get at home like sugar.

December 7/43 Going for mail takes all day- 9am to 5:30 pm - 6 miles each way and we
walk. Gord says " We will probably have a differential like a bus when I'm
through here. All I'll need, he said to his mom is a couple of lights". He
liked to help the cook in his spare time, like baking bread ( 7 loaves at a
time baked in milk can lids)! "Expect that I'll be able to do anything when
I leave here", he told his mother. He was 22 at that time.


December 8/43 Mom, we are on a mountain top 2000 feet straight up. The clouds around
us are like fog.

December 14/43 Drifts of snow up to 2/3 of window panes. Letters coming in and out now
censorred.

December 28/43 Our new meat supply was dropped from the air on the 26th. It was 100lb.
baskets fastened to chutes. A sample of everything that can happen does
happen here. Dog teams here to help move 300 lb. loads. They are
Siberian huskies and we had 2 teams hooked together (eighteen dogs)
and eight men. It took all we could do to move the loads.

January 19/44 We had to carry heavy loads down for the mail. There was 30lb. down and
50lb. back up. We usually work in pairs. We used shoulder racks to do it

January27/44 We started shift work.

January 31/44 About the trains. They are different, short and narrow . You never need to
be in a rush to catch one. They are always "due". The station had no doors
and a couple of windows. A few days ago there was a big snow and the
road had 30 to 40 feet over it in some places. Dog teams are gone.

February 4/44 We have frozen pipes in the barracks and we are trying to thaw them out.
We are digging through 3 feet of frost and rock. Then we throw fuel oil in
and burn it till it is full of steam. Frost level is 1 foot below the pipes. The
guys will have had all the pick swinging they want. Now it is midnight and
the wind is howling but it is comfy inside.

February 24/44 My winter clothes finally caught up with me and it cost $3. to get it!

March 9 44 Skiing without tops in some sun.Got sunburned. Made pancakes as cook
sleeps in on Sunday.

March 14/44 The inside water system was frozen all Feb. Since everyone pitches in to
help on these types of occasions, our regular shift work is really a rest. We
hauled water with big diesel tractor. Then it got stuck in the snow. It took
5 guys 2 days to dig it out.

April 9/44 More meat was chuted in. Great as we have had a lot of bully beef and
pilcher fish. It looked good seeing quarters of beef being dropped to us.
One came down without a chute but the others were attached and we had
to run after them so they would not go over the edge in the wind.
Fresh steak tastes good.

May 8/44 I helped the cook to cut up the meat when the new was dropped. Inside
drain pipes still frozen so I hooked up an outside shower!!!!!

May 28/44 We have been eating dried apples all winter . Went fishing. No luck yet.

June 4/44 Finally our inside water system is workiing.

June 10/44 Ate at someone's home at the lighthouse . Had fresh salmon .Tasted swell.
They gave us 2 salmon 30' long to carry back the 6 miles. Got a promotion
to Corporal so now I make $2.45 a day. Went fishing and this time I caught
a trout.

June 21/44 Rain and the drops are as large as cups.

July18/44 Here I am writing to you,Mother and it is late at night with the wind howling
around outside but warm inside with Skipper at my feet.

Aug 10/44 Needed fire in barracks to keep warm.

Sept.8/44 Camp getting rebuilt for next winter. Fresh supplies of food tastes good.

Sept 20/44 They are now painting over the tentest.

Oct4/44 Removed the ballast as the new improvements were made. To be placed
back after.


With the new information a lot of old myths were dispelled about some of the activity the forces had participated in during the war years. The parachute drops of fresh meat maybe explains why a lot of people actually thought the planes landed there. Hopefully our community can someday see a storyboard erected to honor the soldiers who served there during the war years.

Few shots from last evenings ATV Ride to the old Radar Site. Some of the old structure remains in place and a few poles that supplied the power to the Radar are still standing. The rock Ballast that helped anchor the buildings down can also be seen around the site. The only thing that never changes is the beauty of this place. Today i can leave my home in Cape Ray and be at the Radar site in less then half a hour. It took the soldiers of that era many hours to do the trip.

Latest Casualty of The Wreckhouse.

We experienced another Southeaster in the area yesterday and of course the usual accident at The Wreckhouse. Looks like the end of this Family's vacation. If they received the proper warning,this might of not happened. We need Digital Wind warning signs alerting traffic to what can happen if they drive through this area. I suspect we'll get it installed when someone dies.

Happy Canada Day.

DRAIN Says Disabled Treated As Second Class Citizens
July 1, 2008

The President of a local disability advocacy group says the current system is all but failing the disabled people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Disabled Rights Are Indeed Neglected, or DRAIN, held a demonstration on Confederation Hill yesterday. President Helen Hillier says from home care to income support programs, members of the disabled community continue to be treated as second class citizens. Hillier says it takes its toll. Chairperson for Homecare Newfoundland and Labrador, Anne Whelan, says agencies are losing workers almost on a weekly basis. Whelan says agencies are providing their own training for workers, who are then offered jobs within the provincial system.

When will Ross Wiseman realize that the system has collapsed?

Several years ago i put out a few posts on military forums asking for information on anyone who served on the Table Mountains near Cape Ray during WWII. A few weeks back i received a reply from a gentleman who did. I had some previous information on the RCAF who maintained the Radar Site there at that time but this time around i really got lucky. I got information from someone who served and actually helped construct the facility up there. The local paper will be doing a story of his time on the mountain soon. Names of some of his comrades were forgotten over the years but the name of a dog who became the Mascot (Skipper) of the Radar Detachment still remained in his memory. The soldier had a few photos of the dog as well. The above photo was taken Christmas Day,1944 . I colorized it to make it stand out more. Hopefully the local newspaper might run his story in the online site as well as the paper.

Maintenance time

This week i get some scheduled maintenance on my ocular prosthesis or as i prefer to call it,my artificial eye. Before i had one i called it a glass eye but i doubt if they exist here in North America anymore. Artificial eyes today are usually made of plastic. (acrylic) Custom artificial eyes are hand-crafted by highly skilled ocularists (eye makers) to precisely match the look of the natural eye. It's a procedure that usually requires several trips over two days to the Ocularist. With todays eyes the wearer does not have to remove it for months at a time. I do it more often because i spend a lot of time outdoors and sometimes pick up a few things that might irritate it. At first i wondered how it would be in some of the outdoor conditions but later found out i didn't have to worry. I been out riding the ATV in -35 C with the wind chill and it had no effect at all. So here's a video today for those who wonder how they're made and it might look painful to some but you don't feel a thing.

CBC's Doug Greer at The Wreckhouse.

Had an interview today at The Wreckhouse with Doug Greer from CBC. I had a chance to express my concerns about the signs that warn motorists of winds in that area. With todays technology and a weather station already in The Wreckhouse our Government should be able to do much better warning the motoring public of the dangers in that area when the Southeast winds blow across the mountains. Even in the days of the late Lauchie McDougall the system seemed superior to the few wooden signs that dot the roadside today. Somehow i have a feeling that the consumers of this province are paying higher costs for goods with all those accidents on that stretch of highway. A Digital sign on each end of this section of highway with wind speeds flashing in real time will alert motorists to the dangers rather then a wooden sign that's mostly ignored.

Antique dealer relieved as stolen archives case dismissed.

Charges were dismissed in a St. John's courtroom Thursday against a man who had been accused of owning stolen historical documents.

Antiques dealer Gary Murrin had paid $500 for documents that had been stored in 284 boxes that he said would otherwise have been shredded by a security company.

The documents had formerly belonged to the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador, now a division of the Rooms cultural complex in St. John's. More here on the News Story......

A guy like Gary Murrin recognized that he had something of value but yet the Provincial Archives Department couldn't see value in it? I was happy to hear the charges against Mr. Murrin were dismissed. Hopefully this is a wake up call for those who we put in place of preserving our history and maybe an investigation in to the whole matter should be looked at. We have small museums across NL that would probably of liked to have gotten their hands on some of that history to display locally. I know that we had to beg a few years back in Cape Ray to have a few Dorset Eskimo Artifacts displayed in the small museum we have here. Yet thousands of the artifacts taken from digs at the site here lay in boxes somewhere in St. Johns. (maybe they have been disposed of or even looted.)

Fundraiser in the plans for Baie Verte-Springdale.

Rumor has it that a Lobster dinner Fundraiser will be held in the District of Baie Verte-Springdale sometime during early June. All proceeds will go towards road work in the district. It is hoped that a million dollars can be raised at the dinner. Rumor also has it that none other then the great Andy Wells will be guest speaker at the event and MHA Tom Rideout will be performing a Swan Song at the event.

"This is like deja vu all over again."
-- Yogi Berra

Couple of trucks blew over in the Wreckhouse today. No matter the warnings issued, some will try to run the gauntlet. Here are a few shots i captured this evening after the winds went down.

In the first shot you can see one overturned in the distance.

Commission of Inquiry on Hormone Receptor Testing

"The Commission shall not express any conclusions or recommendations regarding the civil or criminal responsibility of any person or organization, and shall deliver its final report and recommendations to the Minister of Health and Community Services on or before July 30, 2008."

It's to bad that our Premier and Justice Minister didn't fall under the same recommendations !

Government Debates Home Care (fr. VOCM News)

The legislature debated home care. But the official opposition received no support from government in trying to bring in emergency measures to deal with the home care situation in the province. It called for measures to help those in need of home care until a government review is completed and long term plans introduced. Liberal leader Yvonne Jones says government members are well aware of the situation. Jones says it is disheartening to know government is refusing to act until the review is completed while many seniors go without some of the basic life necessities in order to pay for homecare. Health Minister Ross Wiseman says he expects the review to be completed as early as September.

The present Government in NL just does not grasp the situation! This motion was just for emergency measures and could of helped until a long term plan was put in place. I doubt if any solution will be found until the premier makes a cabinet shuffle and gets rid of the biggest oxymoron in NL Health Care History. Ross the Wiseman never could understand the situation and denies a crisis exists.

Highly-visible Paint.

It sure was "highly visible red paint" they used on the caribou during the recent census survey. I captured this shot on the Viking Trail just North of Rocky Harbor yesterday. If a person didn't know what happened, i would suspect they would of thought the animal was injured. I wonder is it more easily spotted by a predator now? Bear,coyote?

Few photos i captured in the area yesterday.

Phase one of the census for caribou populations found on the northern Peninsula including the Gregory Plateau, Gros Morne, St. Anthony, Hodges Hills and Hampton Downs herds are out.

An estimate of 10,400 caribou has been announced after caribou from the herds had been marked using a so called highly visible red paint. A ratio of marked animals to unmarked animals was used in the estimation technique and another will be used in June when the caribou herds return to their calving grounds.

Hopefully in the next 48 hours depending on weather conditions i'll be traveling to Gros Morne. I do this every year to take a few shots of the wildlife in the area. I enjoy my little trips and it'll be far from a scientific outing but it's great to know that i'm sure to see some when i get there. Besides the Caribou that area has probably the highest Moose density in the world with about 8,000 moose roaming in the park area. The camera batteries are charged, cameras stored and the first stop will be Big Stop, Deer Lake Irving to sip a coffee before daylight Monday morning.

NL 2008 Provincial Budget

"We are also allocating $6 million to increase the hourly rate for home support, the fifth increase in the past three years. With each successive increase, we acknowledge that home support workers provide valuable support to many individuals in our province with disabilities, to seniors and to children, enabling many to remain in their own homes despite the challenges they face."


OK Mr. Finance Minister,what does that mean when you apply it to the hourly rate now? Six million dollars don't stretch that far when given to thousands of Home Support Workers in NL. A few MHA's have been known to spend almost that amount in fine wines, ladies panties and artwork recently. As for this being the fifth increase in the past three years. The minimum wage has increased and if not an increase in the Home Support rate it would be far lower then the minimum wage. So don't go patting yourself on the back for that one.

Another great April evening and we made a walk along the shoreline. So much history at that spot and i recently found out that our local museum, interpretation center and Craftshop will not open this year because of no volunteers. Looks like for the first time in over a decade that our students might not have a summer job. Sign of the times i guess. No younger people volunteering and the older volunteers just giving it up. Even volunteers have to quit because of stress.

A few shots from a warm April evening in Cape Ray,NL.






How to end an evening in Cape Ray.

Sad day for the Portnoy Family and a lot of us who supported them.

Portnoys Leaving Canada
April 25, 2008

The Portnoy Family who have been living in sanctuary at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Marystown for two and a half years…is planning to leave and return to Israel. Details are still sketchy but the wheels are in motion to assist the family to move back to their native Isreal….

VOCM News has learned that the Portnoy family’s lawyer, Lee Cohen in Halifax, has been in discussion with Canada Border Services Agency in an attempt to work out an orderly exit for Mrs. Portnoy and her five children. The family has been living in the RC Church basement since October 2005. Alexi Portnoy and his wife Angela, who then had four children, took sanctuary in the church basement to avoid deportation on humanitarian grounds.. During the past two and a half years the community of Marystown has supported the family’s efforts to stay in Canada with numerous campaigns, plus financial and moral support. The episode took a turn for the worse in January 2006 when Alexi Portnoy left the church and was arrested by the RCMP…He was later deported back to Israel, leaving his pregnant wife and their four children - two of whom are Canadian Citizens - behind.

It seems peaceful demonstrations to keep a family like the Portnoys who have lived and worked here was in vain. It seems families are not needed but on the other hand we have a shortage of strippers here. Our Immigration minister has just been threatened because the 700 foreign strippers are not enough according to the criminal gangs. So Portnoy children,remember,your mommy was in the wrong occupation.

OK,we finally have the sun. Now if we can only get the temperature up into the teens.

Tough economic times even for pirates and terrorists.

P.T. Barnum summed it up best.
“There's a sucker born every minute”
Paul Watson is the modern day Barnum.

Thank you Skipper Hardy & crew

My supper today. Two small seal flippers all ready to put in the oven to bake.Thanks to the crew of the small sealing vessel who fought off the bloody pirates aboard the Farley Mowat this past weekend. Thanks to the Canadian Coast Guard and the fine men of our RCMP who risked their lives to board that pirate ship. Long may your big jib draw !

Looney paid in Toonies.

Anti-sealing advocate Paul Watson used a brimming bag of change to bail out two members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on Monday, freeing the arrested activists on a $10,000 bond paid partly in toonies.

Pirates captured !

From the VOCM News site:

War Of Words Continues
April 14, 2008

Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn has fired back at the head of the Sea Shepherd Society. The Farley Mowat was boarded Saturday and the captain and first officer were arrested. The ship has been impounded and remains docked in Sydney harbour.The captain and first officer have been granted bail. Hearn says Paul Watson's claims about the ship being Dutch shouldn't play a huge role because his department followed proper protocol in boarding and seizing the vessel. Hearn says Canadian and International laws for boarding and seizing vessels were properly followed and the only say the Dutch government will have is if they agree or disagree with the protocol. It's a decision Hearn says they'll have to live by. In the meantime, Hearn says Watson is anything but a fearless leader when he's consistently commenting from anywhere but on board the Farley Mowat with his followers. Hearn says Watson is not willing to stand with his crew and would rather see them take the fall while he watches and comments from a distance in Los Angeles and now New York. Hearn also took the time to respond to Watson's "dare" last week for his department to board and seize the Farley Mowat. Hearn had two simple words for Watson. "I did!."

What kind of rabbit hole have I fallen into where it's all topsy-turvy and we're the bad guys?' Gerry Rogers

Last fall a family member of ours received a phone call from someone at Eastern Health saying that her cancer tests had came back negative. This was years after she had a mastectomy for breast cancer. Not quite knowing how to respond, the only thing she could say was "are you saying i never had cancer?" The voice at the other end just said "i can't say anything other then what i just repeated." She asked another question. "Are you saying that i didn't need to have my breast removed?" The voice said "i'm sorry, i can only tell you that your test results came back negative." She is part of the ongoing class action suit but still has received no information in the form of a letter from Eastern Health. She finds it difficult to follow the news and proceedings because she spends most of her day looking after her husband who has recently went through an ordeal and is lucky to be alive. Recently she carried what information she had to her MHA hoping he would be able to shed more light on the situation she's in. The judicial inquiry will wrap up sometime during the summer and the debate in the hose of assembly over it will gradually fade away. For the 108 who passed away lets hope that the voices of people like Gerry Rogers, Peter Dawe , journalists ,bloggers, etc. can help set nation standards for hormone receptor tests so this cannot happen again.

YO? Tom my man,WHENS THAT THEIR BUDGET COMING DOWN?

Inquiring minds want to know. You remember the one you promised us when you ran around the province with that cool debt clock of yours ticking? We all know how you guys and gals just hate going to the house of assembly recently with the mess in the Health Care system, but come on,do we really have to wait for the 24 th. of May weekend for it?

A chance to be a leader.

Butts and Babies Don't Mix
April 5, 2008
(from VOCM News)

The Minister of Health and Community Services says he is keeping an eye on what is happening across the country as a number of provinces have moved to ban smoking in cars when children are present. Nova Scotia was the first Canadian province to enact a ban for cars carrying children under the age of 18 years. The Yukon recently followed suit and the issue is up for debate in the Ontario legislature. Wiseman says until the issue surfaced in Wolfville, Nova Scotia some time ago, it wasn't something that was discussed here in this province.

Mr. Wiseman, here's a chance to be a leader, not a follower. Why not make it illegal for anyone in a car to smoke when there is a passenger? There are those over 18 who can't speak for themselves. They are the developmentally delayed. Even quite a few of our non smoking seniors out there have to breathe it in because they sometimes have no say in the matter.