WORLD WAR II Chapter 8
Enlistments When war broke out, the Commission of Government decided to recruit men for the British Army This way, they did not have to spend money sending soldiers overseas and sending supplies It would be Britain s responsibility In WW1, Government sent the Newfoundland Regiment overseas This time, the Newfoundland Regiment stayed and defended the island
Newfoundlanders Who Served in WWII Branches British Royal Navy # Enlisted # of Deaths 3419 352 British Royal Air Force 713 139 British Army 2343 83 Canadian Forces (Men) 1160 119 Canadian Forces (Women) 524 1 Merchant Marine 5000 266 Nfld. Overseas Forestry Unit 3596 34 Royal Nfld. Regiment 1668 30 Other Forces (ex. American) Unknown 4 Which force attracted the largest group of Newfoundlanders? Why?
These men (Newfoundland fishermen) are the hardiest and most skillful boatmen in rough seas who exist. - Sir Winston Churchill (18 September
Women Enlistments There were three women s branches Women s Royal Canadian Naval Service (Navy) Women s Div. of the Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Women s Army Corps Over 500 women enlisted in World War II
Changing Warfare Since WW1 Advances in aircraft, tanks, ships, and other weaponry made this a highly mobile war WW1 - fighting occurred in trenches Much more fighting occured in the air and sea
Land, Air and Sea Land NL soldiers fought in Africa, Italy, Normandy, etc. Air Newfoundlanders fought in the skies over Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Far East Sea NL soldiers served on hundreds of ships on the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans
Newfoundlanders in Both World Wars WWI WWII Enlisted: 13,000 Died: 1,800 Enlisted: 18,000 Died: 1,000 Others were held as Prisoners of War - soldiers who were captured by the enemy during conflicts
Newfoundland s Strategic Importance
Newfoundland s Strategic Importance In 1940, Germany occupied France Occupy - take control of something There were fears that they would target Britain next It was believed Hitler would target Newfoundland so he could have control of the North Atlantic ocean Newfoundland was already an important shipping point of goods to Britain Hitler wanted to cut that connection off from Britain Canada and U.S. were eager to defend it
Aviation NL s location was extremely important for aviation Newfoundland was an important stopover point before crossing the Atlantic Air bases were built for planes that patrolled the North Atlantic
GANDER Canada
Botwood (Seaplane operation) Canada
Torbay Canada (Shared with the US)
Goose Bay Canada (Shared with the US)
Stephenville USA
Argentia USA
Aviation Airports were also important for shipping planes across the Atlantic It was too dangerous to have materials shipped by boat across the ocean and then assemble the plane Costly and dangerous (German submarines patrolled the oceans They were assembled in the U.S. and flown to Europe NL was an important stopover during these trips Sent to Montreal -> Goose Bay or Gander -> Britain
Military Bases Britain agreed to allow Canada to be responsible for the defense of NL They began to build military bases Argentia - large naval base Fort Pepperrell - Pleasantville Army Base St. John s became a main base for Canadian, American and British ships
Fort Pepperrell
Signal Hill
Blackout in St. John s There were frequent threats of air raids Air Raid - Attacks from planes flying overhead Curfews and Blackouts became mandatory When an air raid siren was sounded People had to stay where they were Make sure all windows and doors were covered
Blackout in St. John s The ARP organization was responsible for enforcing blackouts (ARP - Air Raid Precautions Organization) They would walk through the city to make sure all visible lights were out All windows/doors were to be covered with black material or shutters Lights on wharfs were to be turned off Cars required visors over their headlights Patrols flew over the city to make sure rules were enforced
Internment Camps All Allies imprisoned residents that were of the same ethnic background as the enemy They were kept in Internment camps Temporary places of imprisonment and they were kept as civilian prisoners This led to a human rights issue Should a person be kept as a prisoner because of where their ethnic background? NL had several internment camps
Victoria Internment Camp An internment camp was built in Victoria in 1940 Built at the current Heritage Park Would hold 1000 internees As Britain sent their internees to other places, it was decided to make it a POW camp Before any prisoners were sent, Canada and U.S. grew worried that Germany would attack to free the prisoners Their military bases would then be in danger The camp was completely dismantled in late 1940
Victoria Internment Camp
Important Events in NL During WWII
Sinking of the S.S. Caribou October 14, 1942 S.S. Caribou was a ferry that took passengers from Port Aux Basques to Sydney, Nova Scotia It was hit by a torpedo from a German submarine while carrying passengers 137 of the 238 people onboard were killed Many were women and children Read p. 203 about the sinking of the Caribou
Sinking of Ore Ships off Bell Island September 5, 1942 Ships carrying Iron Ore from the mines in Bell Island were attacked First ship attacked was broken in half Moments later, second ship exploded and took only 15 seconds to sink Third ship was attached 30 minutes later and sunk quickly German submarine escaped through Conception Bay
Sinking of Ore Ships off Bell Island Two months later The PLM 27, a ship saved during the original attack, was sunk, along with another ship
Impact of WWII - Employment NL employment was at an all time high during WWII War bases, enlisting in military, etc. Economic dislocation occurred When large numbers of people move from one type of work to another Mining, fishery and forestry suffered Women gained more jobs because men were fighting Secretaries, waitresses, ambulance drivers, etc
Impact of WWII - Social Interaction 10% of the population on NL were military stationed in NL They socialized with Newfoundlanders at dances, concerts, and sporting contests American tastes in food and entertainment were brought to NL American music was heard on the radio for the first time American movies were shown in theatres Radios became a common item (before it was a luxury)
Impact of WWII - Social Interaction More merchandise sold at stores were American items Values and priorities changed Education and health care became high priorities Many male military workers married Newfoundland women American men were very friendly and willing to take part in community events
Impact of WWII - Social Interaction There were negative impacts Many NLers had to move to make make room for military bases Over 200 had to move to make room for the base in Argentia This led to a housing shortage in St. John s Stephenville, which was a mostly French-speaking community, became an English-speaking community
Impact of WWII - Social Interaction There were much higher cases of Alcoholism Single parenthood NL men became jealous of the foreign military workers Led to many conflicts between the men
Impacts of WWII - Prosperity and Change By 1945, Newfoundland was self-supporting and people felt that the Great Depression was finally behind them Fishing, mining and manufacturing became important again after the war Paper mills expanded Look at both tables on p. 217 List THREE industries that grew and THREE workforces that declined