A HISTORY OF AVIATION IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

The St. John’s Airport near the town of Torbay, originally Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Station Torbay, was built as a military aerodrome in 1941. As the Second World War escalated, concerns were raised about the safety and protection of Newfoundland, and how those concerns impacted North America. As the United States were building bases on the colony, Canada determined the need for an RCAF station near the capital. U-boat activity around Newfoundland highlighted the hazards of crossing the Atlantic and pushed the need for a Canadian airbase.

St. John’s Airport near the town of Torbay, which later came to be called RCAF Station Torbay, was built as a military aerodrome in 1941.

At this time Newfoundland and Labrador was not a part of Canada but was administered by a Commission of Government under the chairmanship of the Governor of Newfoundland, Admiral Sir Humphrey Walwyn, who was appointed by the Government of Great Britain. With the outbreak of war in 1939, Canada was immediately concerned with the defence of Newfoundland and Labrador.

INCLUDES:

—the Second World War history of the Torbay Airport, from construction, through the war era, to commercial aviation.

—the 14 February 1945 crash of a B-24 near Gander carrying top secret equipment. - The American Overseas Airlines 03 October 1946 crash near Stephenville on what is now Crash Hill.

—the mysterious disappearance of The Dawn in 1927 en route to Harbour Grace, carrying Frances Grayson who hoped to be the first woman to fly the Atlantic.

—the search by Sidney Cotton into the disappearance of the Oiseau Blanc.

and more!

Lisa M. Daly