| UPDATES |
| April, 2004 In February of this year, I received an email from Albert Noseworthy of Clarenville, Newfoundland. He wrote how he and a couple residents of Terra Nova would walk out to Camp-III, watch movies and drink a few beers out of the can on weekends. The crews had set up Camp-III about three miles south of Terra Nova. At this date Albert was the station agent for the railroad at Terra Nova. With about a dozen emails exchanged between us, I received some information from him that goes with the photographs on this site. It turns out that Albert's brother-in-law, D.W.(Bill) Stone, was the engineer on the diesel that collided with the speeder operated by Fred Rose which had Jim Traylor's crew on board. Albert wrote that he was night operator at Terra Nova at the time the accident took place at Walshes, just north of Terra Nova. The photograph of Terra Nova station on this site shows Albert's 1938 Ford sitting to the left of the depot. There are two photographs of the Newfie Bullet on this site showing a diesel double headed with a steamer. Albert said the steamer was put on to supply steam for train heat and later an oil fired steam generator car replaced the steamers which were retired. Albert also informed me that LeRoy Hawco, one of our speeder operators, had died of cancer a few years ago and had been residing at Port Blanford. LeRoy was |
| well liked by the crews at Camp-I and Camp-III. I had noticed in some of the photographs that the branch line to Bonavista didn't look too swift to me. I asked Albert if he had ever rode on the branch. He said he had a couple of times and described it as quote, "a spooke trip to say the least." Albert said that Thorburn Lake, where "Rocky" our cook brought noon lunch to us, now has about 12 cabins and cottages around the lake. The saw mill has been gone for years but the owner was still alive in his 80's. Jerome Young has a photo of a track inspector on his speeder on this site. Albert identified the fellow as Albert Penny, the Roadmaster. He looked over the section men. One last note, I asked Albert if the lake that was next to our camp at Terra Nova had a name. He replied, "The pond or lake as you called it next to your camp was called The Three Ponds. There were three ponds connected in a water way and it emptied into the Terra Nova river by the railroad bridge at Terra Nova." |
| Albert Noseworthy with his 1938 ford at Terra Nova in 1954. Photograph courtesy of Albert Noseworthy. |
| _____________________ |
| May 21, 2004 On this date I received an E-mail from John Michel of San Antonio, Texas. John wrote that he was assigned to the 6610 Air Base Group at McAndrew AFB in February, 1952. After viewing my site he sent me this information of some fellows at McAndrew AFB that he had found in his 201 file. 1st. Communications Construction Squadron: A/2c Donald G. McCarron, AF 18313932 M/Sgt. Robert L. Garrison, AF 36303597 S/Sgt. David C. Hyman, AF 14245959 These men were issued orders Sp. Order 236, Dec.11,1952; Captain Vincent Biondino, AO 2044358 authorizing the arrival of their dependents to Newfoundland. The next three fellows that John listed were on the McAndrew AFB basketball team. 6610 Hq. Sq. AB Group: A/1c Gilbert A. Brindley, Jr. Senior Personnel Specialist, sharp shooter [score:172] carbine, Special Order 160, 18 Aug. 1952, promotion to A/1c. 6610 M&S Squadron: A/2c Hansel C. Burton, AF 16407160 Special Order 235, dated Dec.10, 1952, promotion to A/2c. A/2c Jeremiah J. Driscoll, AF 16390148 Special Order 235, dated Dec.10, 1952 promotion to A/2c. John Michel sent me some photographs he took while stationed at McAndrew AFB. Three are posted in the Placentia chapter on page 4. Two are posted in the chapter, Photos of St. Johns. Five are posted on page-4 of McAndrew AFB. John related these thoughts on his stay at McAndrew AFB; "I have over the years thought a lot about this particular tour, the tough weather we had to endure during the winters along with harsh winds and holding on to a rope to secure ourselves getting from the barracks to headquarters building which was quite a way from the barracks." "Another fond memory was the beautiful sound of the running brooks with speckle trout waiting to be caught. I had many opportunities to go fishing in these brooks and took advantage fly fishing in some of Newfoundland's many brooks-clear rushing water and beautifully sounding as they moved down stream." |
| _____________________________ |
| June 9, 2004 On this day I was contacted by Dayton Moses of Hot Springs, Ark. who had visited my web site. He had en- listed in the USAF in May, 1952. In March of 1954, Dayton reported to 1st. Communications Construction Squadron in Newfoundland. Here is what he wrote to me on his service in 1st. Comm: "I see you went in the AF almost two years before me. I went in shortly after my 17th birthday May, 52. After Lackland they flew about 6 of us to Francis E. Warren. I remember one guy was going to Crpto school, the rest was for Installer Cableman school and none of us knew what a Installer Cableman was! After school I was station at Rapid City AFB, it was a SAC base and at the time a RB-36 base. I was in a little wire maintenance outfit that didn't do much of anything. There was a guy there that had been in Newfoundland at one of the long line repeater stations, he did maintenance on the cable.... all he talked about was Newf. Man, I was so excited when I got orders for Newf!" "Ok, we were both at Goobies, Camp#1 in 1954 for a short time. Your tour was up in July, so that is probably the reason we don't remember each other. We later moved Camp#1 to Come By Chance, Newf. You know I really liked the camp life, some of the work was hard and some was just plain manual but even with the black |
| flies and mosquitoes it was pretty good. I remember at Goobies we had to relocate the latrine, the hole had filled with water. Well, when several of us picked up the box this big Pollock from NYC falls into the hole......LOL, no one would help him out.....everybody was to busy laughing! After camp season 1st Comm. moved to Pepperrell. I really liked St. Johns, (girls,LOL). My next job and about 15 of us was TDY to Harmon at Stevenville, Newf. to install a pole line to support antenna transmission lines. While at Harmon they wanted us to tighten some guy wires on one of the antenna towers....Well, the anchor broke off in the ground and the tower fell. We were then given the job of erecting a new tower." "After the job at Harmon the 1st. Comm. commander wanted me to change my AFSC to Antenna Specialist, seems their was a shortage of Anntenna Specialists in the AF. I was hesitate to do so for I had been trained as an Installer Cableman and wanted to do cable and telephone work. But he said there would be an NCO job for me if I changed my AFSC so that help change my mind. Later I did some antenna jobs at Pepperrell and my next job was TDY to Thule to erect ten radio towers. As far as I know there were no more work camps for the long lines after the 1st. Comm. moved to Pepperrell. 1st. Comm. was doing about as much antenna work as they were telephone work when I returned to the states for dis- charge in Mar.56." |
| A/1c Dayton Moses at Thule, Greenland. |
| __________________________ |
| September 13, 2004 SQUADRON MOVES TO PEPPERRELL AFB The construction season of 1954 started with Flight #1 setting up camp near Goobies on May 24th. Eleven Jamesway shelters were erected for camp personnel. Flight #2 set up their camp at Avondale and by May 10th their camp was completed. Twelve Jamesway shelters were erected. Water was obtained from nearby streams and purified for drinking and kitchen use. Rations were brought out by truck or railway refrigerator car. In January of 1955 McAndrew AFB is being deactivated to be turn over to the United States Navy at Argentia. !st. Communications Construction Squadron has orders to move to Pepperrell Air Force Base, St. Johns, Newfoundland which is about 75 miles away. On the 3rd. of January 15 men from 1st. Comm depart for Pepperrell AFB to prepare Building 305 for occupancy. By January 21, 1955 the squadron was in full operation at Pepperrell AFB. |
| Page-1 |
| ____________________ |
