| Also during this period, the Canadian National Telegraph was going to assume responsibility of maintenance and operation of the Long Lines. Discussions and planning of this contract was held in the fall of 1954. This contract would include all the repeater stations across the island along with the telephone pole line that ran between these stations. The date of March 10, 1955 was set for the change over. The intrim period was spent by the Canadian National Telegraph in training and assignment of personnel. With the loss of the Long Lines, 1st.Communications Construction Squadron started to curtail the number of personnel in the squadron. On January 1, 1955 there were 12 officers, 188 airmen and 11 civilians assigned. By June 30, 1955 there were 10 officers, 90 airmen and 5 civilians assigned. 1st. Communications Construction Squadron had a heavy work schedule at other bases in the Northeast Air Command. Thule Air Base Repairing of damage telephone cable, installing 1360 feet of new telephone cable. A seventeen mile route was surveyed for future installation of buried cable. Goose Air Base Installed 8900 feet of telephone cable, 11 terminal boxes, 4200 feet of messenger wire, trans- mission lines at Northwest Point and operate a switchboard for a specialized unit. Frobisher Air Base Rehabilitate a aerial cable line and replace sections of this cable. Ernest Harmon Air Force Base Rehabilitate the antenna form, rebuild an "H" type frame at both receiver and transmitter sites, strengthen the Pole line, install 1500 feet of underground telephone cable, 3050 feet of aerial cable and 2950 feet of messenger wire. Sondestrom Air Base Install approximately 200 feet of cable and remove an excess cable leg. Narsarssuack Air Base Connected the Outside Plant to the Main Frame. Key Personnel of the squadron in this period included Major Vincient R. Biondino, as Commander, Major Walter J. Brown after his arrival was Long Line Surveillance Officer. Captain Philip B. Meyer was Adjutant until May 1, 1955, when Captain Charles R. Koons Jr. replaced him as Adjutant. Captain Meyer rotated to the Zone of Interior, [United States]. Master Sergeant Yarcy C. Young was the First Sergeant. Captain Thomas J. McIntyre was Supply Officer for the Long Lines Flight, and CWO Cleveland P. Dennis Jr. was the Unit Supply Officer. Captain Baughn W. Perry was assistant Long Lines Surveillance Officer. First Lieutenant Robert E. McDaniel and Second Lieutenant Floyd O. Martin were Flight Commanders of the Cable Splicing and Maintenance Teams. First Lieutenant Harland S. Tappmeyer was Long Lines Outside Plant Supervisor. Chief Warrant Officer Virgil L. Lucas became Long Lines Inside Plant Supervisor upon his arrival. This last update is information made available from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Georgia. _______________ |
| "A 90 ft pole showing the ice buildup....you have to pick it off to climb them.". |
| The group of Airmen that were with Dayton on the P Mountain job. From left, Wells, Martin, Porter and Davis. Another Airman Roberts was with them who is not in the photo. Dayton took the photo. |
| "On top of the P mountain AC&W station somewhere north of Thule where we spent six weeks. This was part of the DEW line that extended across North America for detecting aircraft coming from Russia. The site had a transmitter site and a receiver site about a mile apart. We put up towers and antennas at both. The radar site had about 75 people. All buildings were connected at the main site." |
| Dayton and crew assembling a radio tower. Dayton is facing the camera. |
| "We are getting ready to lift the tower with the antennas installed. You can see the gin pole [small tower] on the left with blocks attached. We later got a crane to set them up....that was a big help." |
| Closer view of the Module building. Note the anchor cables to keep the building from blowing away. Two 1st Comm. men on the pole and one on top of the building. Dayton wrote: "The best I remember it took us an hour by truck to get to the top of P mountain from the main base.[Thule] Every few miles there was a little emergency hut by the side of the road in case of a storm. Also we could be in a phase one storm on P mountain and the weather at Thule would be OK....It was one Bad place." The Module building was about 1/4 mile from the main AC&W station. There were two operators on duty in the building 24 hours. Dayton wrote: "One time a storm blew in and we had to spend the night there.. could not take a chance on making the 1/4 mile back to the main station." |
| December 15, 2007. Dayton sent me these two photos of 1st. Comm. fellows at P mountain. He was able to ID just one, airman Davis. He is on the left in the jeep photo and on the right in the group photo. The photo on the left was taken next to the module building. |
| Page-2 |
| Sept.18,2004 First Communications Construction Squadron At Thule, Greenland Dayton Moses sent me these photographs and narrations of his service at Thule, Greenland in 1955 while assigned to 1st Comm. Constr. Sq. The photos were taken at Pingarssuit Mountain where the 931st AC&W Squadron was located. |