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Encyclopedia > Ernest Harmon Air Force Base

Ernest Harmon AFB is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Force in 1941 under the lend-lease program and closed in 1966. The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aviation branch of the United States armed forces. ... Stephenville (2005 est. ... The United States Army Air Forces, or USAAF, was a part of the U.S. military during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Lend-Lease program was a program of the United States at the beginning of World War II that allowed the United States to provide the Allied Powers with war material without becoming directly involved in the war. ...


The airfield is presently operated as the Stephenville Airport while many of the base's support buildings and housing has been incorporated into the town of Stephenville. Stephenville Airport is an airport located in the town of Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

Contents


Construction

In 1953, the 347th (Engineer Aviation) battalion was assigned the immense task (along with 2,502 contractor personnel) of completing the 62 line construction projects at Ernest Harmon AFB. The base, situated on 8,159 acres (33 km²) of land at the northeast end of St. George's Bay was leased from the British government for 99 years in 1940 and closed down in 1966. Originally named Stephenville Air Base, it was renamed on June 23, 1941 in honor of Capt Ernest Harmon. St. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ...


The construction projects consisted of: completion of major runways of up to 222,000 square yards (186,000 m²), taxiway and aprons of up to 421,000 square yards (352,000 m²), and bomber aprons of heavy duty pavement up to 351,000 square yards (293,000 m²), the runway complex was so large that the existing harbor facilities had to be demolished to give proper clearance for aircraft; construction of fighter aircraft hangers and three boat docks and dredging of the existing harbor, which, when completed was 8000 feet (2,400 m) long, 200 feet (60 m) wide, and 35 feet (10 m) deep; a flight control tower was built in September of 1953 along with four petroleum tanks with a capacity of 25,000 to 125,000 barrels (4,000 to 20,000 m³) of fuel. Fighter has a number of meanings: A fighter aircraft is a warplane designed to destroy other warplanes in combat. ...


Four hundred and forty-four 347th Engineers were already working on the base and were joined by the 750 engineers of their Battalion, who had left Florida and arrived at Harmon on June 23, 1953 to construct three of the projects: a bypass road (Hanson Highway) to prevent civilian access through the base (in progress since April, 1943), a base salvage yard, and a trailer park for Harmon personnel. State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville (largest metropolitan area is Miami) Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Official language(s) English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ...


The battalion was made up of four companies; three line companies and one H&S (Headquarters and Service) company. Company A was responsible for construction of the salvage yard and Company B and C were responsible for the construction of the bypass road with a budget of $583,000. USD redirects here. ...


The salvage yard, which was situated near Noels Pond on 30 acres (121,000 m²), was finished to partial occupancy by the fall of 1954 and completed in 1955. Thirty Butler Buildings were located on the property. The machinery which constructed the bypass road was buried at the end of the property when it became over used and obsolete in 1959/1960, under the supervision of Warrant Officer Ebb Higdon, Company A. They were later dug up to be sold for scrap but were found to be useless and reburied. This equipment had come up from Florida in Liberty ships, with the battalion in 1953. A warrant officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. ... The Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. They were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. ...


In 1986 when this information was made available to the town of Stephenville several doubters and curiosity seekers, armed with metal detectors, swarmed over the site and located the buried equipment.


Company B and C began work on the bypass road by working towards each other. Company C, under the command of Capt. Claxton Ray began at the Stephenville side and worked towards Company B which began construction near Cormiers Village and worked in two directions towards Long Gull Pond and towards Stephenville. It was necessary to begin construction of the road at Cormiers Village and work back towards Stephenville pending the finalizing of property agreements. Company B was under the command of Captain Gomez. The H&S Company split operations equipment and men between the three Companies.


The eleven mile long construction began with a line of corduroy roads comprising one half of the road and when Long Gull Pond was reached in the fall of l954, the other half was constructed. The road followed the existing rail road line. It was necessary to build three access roads approximately two miles in length in order to facilitate construction of the bypass road. These roads were built to the same specifications as the bypass road as they were used constantly for heavy hauling. The concrete bridge over Cold Creek was built in 1954 and the 60 foot (20 m) concrete bridge over Warm Creek was programmed for completion in 1956. Not counting equipment, 90,000 cubic yards (70,000 m³) of fill. 30,000 cubic yards (20,000 m³) of crushed rock and 15,000 cubic yards (10,000 m³) of earth were used before the final 19 inches (0.5 m) of paving was laid down. Equipment and material were stored at the Gull Pond site. The bypass road was officially opened to the public in October of 1957 and named The Hansen Memorial Highway. The third construction operation was cancelled.


The 347th (changed to the 823rd in 1954) Engineer Aviation Battalion was disbanded in 1960 and most of the men went back to the US. The two battalion commanders at the time were, Colonel Germain and Major Truet. The medical officer was V.H. Berry and the ground safety officer was Lt. Arthur Everitt. The general construction on the base (buildings, roads and runways) was done under the base supervision of Colonel Koski and Colonel Bailey. J.A. Jones held the construction contract from 1954 to 1959. From 1956 to 1959, Major Ray was the superintendent for the asphalt, rock crushing and concrete operations for J.A.Jones and was responsible for the construction of 200 on base houses, two seven-story barracks for 1500 airmen, additional runways and the Central Heating (steam) Plant. Colonel Koski passed away in 1989 and Lt. Colonel Ray passed away on New Year's Eve, 1989. ... It has been suggested that polkovnik be merged into this article or section. ... Major is a military rank. ... A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ... The Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge illuminated under New Years Eve Fireworks 2005 New Years Eve is a celebration held the day before New Years Day, on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year. ...


Education

The first educational institution in the St. George's Bay area was the Roman Catholic Church. Bishop John T. Mullock established the first church of the Roman Catholic faith at Sandy Point in 1848 when the population of the area was about 2000. Father Belenger was the first priest in the St. Georges Bay area from 1850 to 1868. Father Sears, then priest in the area, established a church in the growing town of Stephenville. In 1884 there were four Catholic schools in the parish. One at Sandy Point, one at the Highlands, one at Port aux Basques and one at Campbell's Creek. St. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Bishop John T. Mullock . John Thomas Mullock (1807 - March 26, 1869) was Roman Catholic bishop of St. ...


Ernest Harmon AFB was established in 1941 and the first elementary school were established in a small clap-board building in 1948, housing 28 children and 3 teachers. The first high school graduating class (1957) matriculated in 1953 with all of the students beginning their educations at Saint Stephens High School in Stephenville. The new elementary school (built near the base entrance in 1955) opened in May of 1956 by former Base Commander, Colonel Richard Fellows and the school principal, Mr. Gerald Brennan. In 1956 there were 19 teachers and 62 children.


On September 4, 1956 the high school officially opened on the base in building number T-394, the old elementary school building. In 1958, the same year that Stephenville got a new stop light and T.V. celebrated its first birthday, Harmon High established its own newspaper, The Harmon Highlight. In June of 1960 the elementary school was situated in a good building with large play areas for the chi1dren. There were 29 elementary teachers and Mrs. Anna Barnett was the secretary. Joseph C. McCormack was the High School principal in 1961 and Mr. Harvey Bodiford was the superintendent of both Harmon and Goose Bay schools with his main office at Goose Bay. September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ... Happy Valley-Goose Bay (2001 pop. ...


In 1961 Cecil Haddox was promoted to superintendent of the Ernest Harmon Schools and was also principal of the junior-senior high schools. Mr. Haddox taught at Pepperrell Air Force Base (1957 to 1960) before being transferred to Harmon in 1960. During this year (61) several new programs were started due to his perseverance. The National Honor Society was formed as well as several new classes such as art, music and physical education. Fort Pepperrell, also known as Pepperrell Air Force Base (47° 35′10″N, 52° 41′31″W) is a former United States military base located in St. ... The National Honor Society is an organization whose intent is to recognize middle and high school students in the United States. ...


The base and the schools continued to grow and saw the opening of the new high school, now being used as the community college. In 1963/64, the high school teaching staff increased to 25 and the elementary-middle school staff of teachers jumped to 42. In Canada and the United States, a community college, sometimes called a junior college, is an educational institution providing post-secondary education and lower-level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas, and associates degrees. ...


In 1965/66, the total school population had now grown to over 1000 elementary students and 38 teachers and the high school had a population of 171 junior high and 235 high school students and 28 teachers. When the base closed in 1966, so did the school system. It ended with 1175 elementary students and 43 teachers and 405 junior and high school students and 26 teachers.


Recreation

Ernest Harmon was quite isolated during its early years as a United States Army Air Force base. Newfoundland itself was, and still is, considered isolated but during the 1940s, when roads were virtually non-existant and surface travel was limited to the slow narrow-gauge passenger trains of the Newfoundland Railway, which linked to small coastal steamships or ferries to the mainland at North Sydney, Nova Scotia, the sense of isolation could prove overwhelming. In addition, the airfield's location at the head of St. George's Bay was one of the more geographically isolated parts of the island, being surrounded by the Long Range Mountains and the coastline of St. George's Bay being dotted with tiny outports. In addition to USAAF aircraft, the only other option for travel was the railway and ferries/coasters, or exploring the limited local road network which stretched along the coast and into the uninhabited interior of the island. The United States Army Air Forces, or USAAF, was a part of the U.S. military during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were seen as a transition period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s, which also leads the period to be divided in two halves: The first half of the decade was dominated by World War II, the widest and most destructive armed conflict in... Newfoundland Railway logo or herald (used 1926-1949) The Newfoundland Railway was a historic railway that operated on the island of Newfoundland and was the longest narrow gauge railway system in North America. ... North Sydney, Nova Scotia North Sydney is a town on the Eastern Coast of Cape Breton Island, is part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (Since amalgamation in 1995). ... The Long Range Mountains are a series of mountains along the west coast of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. ... St. ... An outport is the term given for a small isolated coastal community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...


Despite its early isolation, morale on the base was high. The base also precipitated an economic boom of sorts on Newfoundland's southwest coast during the 1940s. Corner Brook to the north had been considered the major population centre for the region, given its industrial base and nearby recreational opportunities in the Humber River. With the investment of the USAAF in Ernest Harmon, the Stephenville and St. George's Bay area began to fluorish. The village of Stephenville grew from a hamlet of several hundred people with no paved streets, side walks, water or sewage system in 1941 into a modern town of over 5,000 by the mid 1950s. By the time Ernest Harmon AFB closed in the mid-1960s, the town had more than doubled in size, partly as a result of the provincial government's forced resettlement policy toward residents of outports. // Events and trends The 1940s were seen as a transition period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s, which also leads the period to be divided in two halves: The first half of the decade was dominated by World War II, the widest and most destructive armed conflict in... Corner Brook is a city located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the Humber River. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the the baby boom from returning GIs who... The 1960s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... An outport is the term given for a small isolated coastal community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...


Recognizing the link between geographic and social isolation, the base command incorporated a number of recreational facilities into their programs and building projects, making Ernest Harmon AFB a leader of sorts among USAF facilities. By the mid-1950s, thousands of service men and their families were making use of these activities monthly. In the area of Hobby Shops there was space available for leather craft, ceramics, ham radio, lapidary, woodworking, automotive shops, model airplanes and photo labs. Sports facilities and groups were set for softball, baseball, bowling, golf, picnicking, archery and guns. The hunting and fishing in the Stephenville area was great and the base set up a fishing lodge at Camp 33 with eight large cabins a 40 man Bunk House and a mess hall and kitchen. Camp 33 is owned by Bowaters Pulp and Paper from Corner Brook and was leased to the base during the spring and summer months. // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the the baby boom from returning GIs who... Amateur radio, commonly called ham radio, is a hobby enjoyed by many people throughout the world (as of 2004 about 3 million worldwide, 70,000 in Germany, 5,000 in Norway, 57,000 in Canada, and 700,000 in the USA). ... A lapidary (the word means concerned with stones) is an artisan who practices the craft of working, forming and finishing stone, mineral, gemstones, and other suitably durable materials (amber, shell, jet, pearl, copal, coral, horn and bone, glass and other synthetics) into functional and/or decorative, even wearable, items (e. ...


Along with outside activities a number of service clubs were built and the University of Maryland University College extension courses were set up for those wishing to continue their education while on the base. A local broadcasting station and commercial free radio station was in operation by the mid 50's with as many as six live shows a week being broadcast as well as live theater and plays being made available and a movie theater. A large gymnasium was built in 1956 with a seating capacity of 500, two squash courts and four wall courts. The base chapel accommodated up to 1500 worshippers of many religions and faiths per week. The library was also one of the most frequently used facilities with an average book lending rate of 1000 books every month. The most popular recreational feature of the entire base is the Base Theater which runs a new movie every night except Sundays and Mondays. There were four shows a day and a matinee on Saturdays. The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is the second largest university in Maryland. ...


Given its size and importance, as well as the large number of personnel assigned during the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, the base managed to attract many celebrities to visit and/or perform, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope. // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the the baby boom from returning GIs who... Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was a twentieth-century movie star, sex symbol and pop icon. ... Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known as The King of Rock n Roll (sometimes shortened to The King) was an American singer and actor. ... Old Blue Eyes belts one out. ... Bob Hope receiving an (honorary) Oscar Leslie Townes Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), otherwise known as Bob Hope, was a famous entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies and in U.S. Army concerts. ...


In the early years of the base, recreational activities off base, in the town of Stephenville were very limited and some were often restricted. In some of the pamphlets released by the base to its airmen, they went as far as giving the names of women and particular houses and taverns that no base personnel were to be in or near as well as rules about fraternizing with the local girls.


Fight for Long Gull Pond

During the bypass road construction activities of 1953/54 the 347th Engineer Aviation Battalion used the beach area of Long Gull Pond as a storage yard for their equipment while the were building the road. The bypass road or Hansen Memorial Highway as it was later to be called, ran along the same route as the existing rail line. It was during June of l953 that one of the officers, Captain Claxton Ray, took it upon himself to discover the ownership of a tract of land encircling the head of the lake nearest the rail line. It was listed on their maps as being part of Reid Lot 2l.


The only means of access to the pond was by the American military rail road from Stephenville to White's Siding, or by walking for five miles through the rugged Newfoundland terrain. The primary construction of the bypass road continued until the summer of 1955 and there still was no evidence of the ownership of Reid Lot 21. The engineers had been dealing with the Woods Manager of Bowaters Newfoundland Pulp and Paper Mills Ltd. Mr Cyril Parsons, concerning land acquisition rights along the right of way of the bypass Road. The officer (now promoted to the rank of Major) was informed that Bowaters owned the parcel of land in question and that they would entertain the idea of selling it for two purposes only: agriculture or tourist development.


On the 19th of July 1955 an application to purchase the 67 acre (271,000 m²) site was considered by Bowaters and they informed the officer that the sale had been approved with one clause added "...you will be required to resell to the company the land which you are now acquiring at its original purchase price [$20 per acre (4,900/km²)] together with the cost of any improvements which you may have made, should you desire to sell the property within a period of ten years".


In l956 Major Ray made preparations to be relieved from active duty with the engineers as of April 30th. He returned to Stephenville as a civilian wishing to engage in private enterprise and drew up plans for a tourist development on the Long Gull Pond site. What he had proposed for the site was a 55 room hotel with motel units, a dining room, swimming pool skating rink and services for hunters and fishermen on the four mile (6 km) long lake. Bowaters had also leased him 2000 acres (8 km²) of surrounding land, reserving the timber rights for themselves. Because the road construction was incomplete at this time and winter was setting in, the actual purchase transaction did not take place until the 16th of May, l957. The bypass road was still under construction and was not completed until the fall with opening ceremonies taking place in October.


During the summer of l957, rumors were abounding in the town of Stephenville that an American had purchased property with a great potential to the area. The Western Star newspaper in Corner Brook had printed a report on a Chamber of Commerce meet where it was proposed that since the town of Stephenville had used the Long Gull Pond site for a park for years that it should be acquired for recreational purposes under the Provincial Parks Act before individuals gobbled it up for their own profits. Bowaters had been placed in an embarrassing position: they had sold Canadian land to a foreigner, before the local population realized they had lost a valuable piece of property. Bowaters was not too concerned. Corner Brook is a city located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the Humber River. ... Chambers of commerce are business advocacy groups which are usually not associated with government. ...


Major Ray realized that the town of Stephenville had neither the funds nor the coordinated efforts required to construct a park in the Gull Pond area. Stephenville had over $40,000 in water and sewage bills due at the time and these had not been collected. The town had only one paved street and the others were inadequately lighted, snow removal was inadequate during the winter, there was no water filtration plant at this time and the only local police force was the RCMP. With all this in mind, Major Ray made an announcement in the Western Star on August 20, 1958:

I find it most strange that the Stephenville Town Council is seeking to acquire control of my property along Long Gull Pond, off Hansen Memorial Highway, in order to operate a public park several miles from its legal boundaries. In recent months the Council and the Department of Mines and Resources, has requested me to sell my property to establish a so called 'provincial town park'. In each of the three letters offering to buy the property a ridiculously low price is used. The only organizations which have publicly declared themselves are the Town Council and the Stephenville Lions Club.
It is most difficult to understand why I am being victimized, and current activities have every mark of an organized group attempting to overthrow the rights of an individual... After I had recognized the value of the property, and spent over a year developing it, clearing building sites, fencing it, then and only then, did others come forward and attempt to acquire it. If a town park is needed miles from the center of Stephenville, why did the council wait so long?
I am convinced, and sources of other people agree with me that a tourist resort will be of far more benefit to the St. Georges- Port au Port districts than a public park operated by a town council whose reputation as able administrators must obviously be in doubt when it acknowledges tax arrears of $40,000 or more...
At the best of times an individual is hard pressed to maintain his rights in the face of constituted authority, no matter how honest or sincere such an authority is in its actions. It is for this reason that we have laws to protect individuals and minority groups. My position is even more vulnerable to attack since I am an American-born citizen who is seeking a new career in Canada as a Canadian Immigrant. I can still be called a foreigner although I have permanent establishments, business and property investments in Newfoundland.
Three organizations are involved in trying to force me off land I legally own - Stephenville Town Council: Stephenville Chamber of Commerce: and Stephenville Lions Club. It was the Chamber of Commerce in l957 that called for the setting up of a civic park at Long Gull Pond. It is a whisper campaign, to make people believe I am standing in the way of progress, that I am stubbornly refusing to sell my land thus robbing the people of the west coast their own born-right to boil the kettle on their chosen spot of summer scenery. This argument is full of holes. Firstly, I have stated publicly that a first rate section of my land including frontage along the beach of the pond has been reserved and placed solely at the disposal of all comers without cost. I have offered to make such an arrangement permanent by entering into a proper contract with the appropriate authority. This fact, plus the fact that land is still available elsewhere on the pond, shows that more than just a park is involved.
I have spent thousands of dollars on plans, clearing, materials and construction of a tourist resort under the regulations of the Newfoundland Tourist Development Board in order to provide a much needed attraction for this area. Clearly, It should be supported by the general public who should see that the individual does not suffer in false progress.

In the Fall of 1958, Mr. W.J. Keough, Minister of Mines and Resources stated that there was no chance, at the present time for the Province or the Town, to purchase property near Stephenville for a park. The Indian Head Rod and Gun Club went ahead that same year with construction of buildings on property bordering Major Ray's, which they had leased from Bowater's.


When the dust finally settled, and everyone stopped fighting over Long Gull Pond, Major Ray didn't develop the lake as a resort area but allowed public access to the property until it was sold to the Indian Head Rod and Gun Club in 1987. He had turned his efforts to other things. In August of 1953, he had received permission from the U.S. and Canadian governments and the town of Stephenville to construct and operate a trailer park as off base housing for Harmon servicemen. He built and serviced 46, 28 by 60 foot (9 by 18 m) lots on three acres (12,000 m²) of land on Queen St. In l956, along with Telesphore White, created another 50 lots on three and one half acres (14,000 m²). Mr White bought the property in 1965 for $20,000. In 1956, Major Ray began the first coin operated laundromat and dry cleaners in Newfoundland. One of only five in Canada as well as a flower shop on the Base until 1960 and raised a family with his wife, Gay, a teacher at the Harmon Elementary School. The flower shop on the base was situated next to the tailor Shop run by Moe and Rita Clayman. When the Ray's moved off the base in 1965, to Woodstock, Ontario, the Claymans had become such good friends with the Ray's that they moved to Woodstock and set up a tailor shop there the next year. Woodstock (2001 population 33,061) is a city and county seat of Oxford County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, located 80 miles southwest of Toronto. ...


References

  • Hastings, Greg and Connie. Interviews and correspondence.
  • Hillier, James and Feter Neary (eds.) (1980). Newfoundland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries essays in interpretation, Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802054862.
  • Lengle, Emile and Jaila. Interviews and correspondence.
  • Lumsden, Ian (ed.) (1970). Close the 49th parallel etc.: the Americanization of Canada, Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802016960.
  • MacKenzie, David Clark (1986). Inside the Atlantic triangle: Canada and the entrance of Newfoundland into Confederation, 1939-1949, Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802025870.
  • MacLeod, Malcolm (1986). Peace of the continent: The impact of Second World War Canadian and American bases in Newfoundland., St. John's, Nfld.: Harry Cuff Publications. ISBN 0919095968.
  • Mulvena, Francis X. Sr.. Interviews and correspondence.
  • Ray, Lt. Col. Claxton. Interviews, correspondence, military records and diaries.
  • Ray, Gay. Interviews and correspondence.
  • Raymond, Edith. Interviews and correspondence.
  • Roberts, Kenneth (Rep. D-Alabama). Correspondence with Lt. Col. Ray.
  • Stacey, C.P. (1976). Mackenzie King and the Atlantic triangle, Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. ISBN 0770514863.
  • Terranovan, St. John's Telegram (April 16, 1948). Topics of the day: Bases boon to Newfoundland, St. John's Telegram.
  • Terranovan, St. John's Telegram (April 17, 1940). Topics of the day: 0,5. Signal Corps, St. John's Telegram.
  • The Western Star. Interviews and correspondence.
  • Town of Stephenville. Interviews and correspondence.
  • United States Army Air Force (January 19, 1941). 6602nd Air Base Wing EHAFB Information Pamphlet.
  • Zeidler, Ed. Interviews and correspondence.

Archives information

Records in my possession pertaining to: Lt. Colonel Claxton Ray (1916-1989) are now located in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies archives at Memorial University, St. John's Newfoundland. A microfilm reel is available with all the archival material mentioned, from the above address should you wish a record of my fathers papers and correspondence.


These records contain information pertaining to the following: Clay County Alabama (Ashland, Lineville and environs): where he was born, raised, attended high school, married and raised a family. Georgia Tech: where he attended before entering the US Army. Reverend and Mrs. S.C. Ray of Clay County Alabama: Manuscripts and correspondence related to his book: Some Thoughts on the Bible as the Word of God.


Letters. World War II records: 360th Engineers, 1053rd Port Construction & Repair, personal correspondence, diaries and manuscripts. Korean War records: 809th Engineer Aviation Battalion. Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Stephenville Newfoundland: 1953-1965. 347th/823rd Engineer Aviation Battalion. Military, business, educational and personal records. Additional records are kept at the Scott Library Archives, York University, North York Ontario as part of my archival collection. Woodstock Ontario: 1965-1989. Correspondence and records pertaining to family and business.


  Results from FactBites:
 
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Stephenville, Newfoundland (190 words)
Harmon Field was a major site through which the U.S. Army Air Force returned 240,000 American soldiers and other passengers to the United States.
Flight Interceptor Squadron (FIS) was transferred from SAC to ADC in December 1948 at Selfridge AFB with F-80s.
In July 1953 control of the unit was transferred to North East Air Command with a move to Ernest Harmon Air Force Base.
CFB Goose Bay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1942 words)
The United States Air Force (USAAF renamed in 1947) remained at RCAF Station Goose Bay (their side of the base was named "Goose AFB") and expanded its presence during the 1950s in response to the Cold War and began to use Goose Bay as a staging facility for nuclear-armed bombers.
During this time, there was a small RCAF presence on the north side of the base, however pending budget cuts in the late 1960s prior to unification saw the RCAF transfer its responsibilities for operation of the base to the Department of Transport in 1967.
The air base operations on the north side of the base (CFB Goose Bay) were closed and the Canadian and RAF operations consolidated on the south side with the USAF.
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