A repository of useful histories, documents, articles, websites, and videos
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Histories
• Thomas Ricketts: Newfoundland’s Reluctant War Hero – Frank Gogos (PDF)
• The Amulree Report, Commission of Government, and The Second World War – NL Dept of Education Study Guide (PDF)
• A Brief History of Newfoundland in Two World Wars – Friends of the Canadian War Museum (PDF)
• Six Years of War: The Official History of the Canadian Army During The Second World War, Vol. I – CP Stacey (PDF)
• The Victory Campaign: The Official History of the Canadian Army During the Second World War, Vol. II – G. W. L. Nicholson (PDF)
• The Canadians in Italy: The Official History of the Canadian Army During the Second World War, Vol. III – CP Stacey (PDF)
• The Creation of a National Air Force, Volume II: The Official History of The Royal Canadian Air Force – WAB Douglas (PDF)
• The Naval Service of Canada, Volume II: Activities On Shore During The Second World War – Gilbert Tucker (PDF)
• Occupied St. John’s: A Social History of a City at War, 1939-1945 – Steven High, Ed. (External Link)
• Newfoundland in the North Atlantic World, 1929-1949 – Peter Neary (External Link)
Theses
• Dead Men Advancing: Newfoundland’s Myth, Memory, and Remembrance of Beaumont-Hamel – RW Bonnell (PDF)
• The History of the Participation by Newfoundland in World War II – Alan M Fraser (PDF)
• W-Force: The Canadian Army and the Defence of Newfoundland During the Second World War – Robert L Kavanagh (PDF)
• On the Perimeter: A Reconstruction of the Military Geography of Newfoundland and Labrador During the Second World War, 1939-1945 – William C Parrott (PDF)
• Aviation Archaeology of World War Two Gander: An Examination of Military and Civilian Life at the Newfoundland Airport – Lisa Daly (PDF)
• “Sailors Ashore”: A Comparative Analysis of Wartime Recreation and Leisure in Halifax and St. John’s During The Second World War – Marc V Koechi (PDF)
• Leadmark to Confederation: The Second World War Militarization of Newfoundland – EG Forward (PDF)
Journal Articles
• Sites in the Imagination: The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial on the Somme – Paul Gough (PDF)
• Canada’s “Newfyjohn” Tenancy: The Royal Canadian Navy in St. John’s, 1941-1945 – Bernard Ransom (PDF)
• The Command and Control of Canadian and American Maritime Air Power in the Northwest Atlantic, 1941-1943- Richard Goette (PDF)
• Command in the Canadian Navy: An Historical Survey – Richard H Gimblett (PDF)
• Death By Choice or By Chance? U69 and the First Newfoundland Ferry Caribou – Malcolm Macleod (PDF)
• Working for Uncle Sam: The “Comings” and “Goings” of Newfoundland Base Construction Labour, 1940-1945 – Steven High (PDF)
• Introduction to Sea Dumped Munitions and Hazardous Wrecks – Terrance P. Long (PDF)
• The Canadian Battle of Normandy Study Tour 2001 – Canadian Military History (PDF)
• Was the RCN Ever the Third Largest Navy? – Rob Stuart (PDF)
• Kriegsgefangenenlager: A POW’s Account of the Loss of HMCS Athabaskan in 1944 – Pat Jessup (PDF)
Online Articles
• The Sinking of HMHS Newfoundland During the Second World War (External Link)
• Ocean Bridge: The History of RAF Ferry Command – Carl A Christie (External Link)
• The 1942 Knights of Columbus Fire, St. John’s (External Link)
• The Sinking of U-166 – Martin K A Morgan (External Link)
• Group On Mission To Prove There Is Truth In Legends That Nazi Submarines Went Far Inland From Canadian Coast – Tristin Hopper (External Link)
• The History of Newfoundland and Labrador During the Second World War – Peter Neary (External Link)
• The Myth of Beaumont-Hamel: How Newfoundland’s Tragic Death March Became A Noble Advance – Joe O’Connor (External Link)
• Dead Reckoning: The USS Pollux- USS Truxtun Disaster Feb 18, 1942 (External Link)
• The Battle of the Atlantic is Misnamed – Canadian Naval Review (External Link)
• Working With Bombs, Mines, and Seafloor Lines – Kevin Barbour (External Link)
• ‘We were sworn to secrecy’: Canadian Women Share Stories of Their Efforts to Help Win WWII – Michelle Gagnon (External Link)
• The Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence – Veterans Affairs Canada (External Link)
• Historians Question Criticism of Canada’s Normandy Battles – Lee Berthiaume (External Link)
• Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig: The Most Controversial Figure of WWI – George Winston (External Link)
• Celebrations in the Streets: VE-Day – Archival Moments (External Link)
• That Little Known Problem of Nazis in Newfoundland – Alex Conde (External Link)
• Seizing the Christoph Van Doornum, Botwood, September 1939 – Bryan Marsh (External Link)
Documents and Photographs
• An Economic and Financial Review of Newfoundland During the Second World War – David Mackenzie, ed (PDF)
• British Deputy PM Clement Atlee’s Report On His Visit to Newfoundland During The Second World War – Peter Neary, ed (PDF)
• Air Raid Precautions Notice Newfoundland WWII (JPEG)
• War Cabinet Memo of November 18, 1943 about Newfoundland Self-Government (PDF)
• Report of Proceedings: HMCS Assiniboine and the Destruction of U-210 – Juno Beach Centre (External Link)
• Dunfield Report on 1942 K of C Fire (PDF)
• Crow’s Nest Artifacts and Photos – The Virtual Museum of Canada (External Link)
• For Posterity’s Sake – A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project (External Link)
• Notice of Installation of Chain Rock beacon 1925 (JPEG)
• Aerial view of RCN Barracks Buckmasters Field (JPEG)
• WWII Civil Defense Notice – Newfoundland Quarterly (JPEG)
• Victory Bonds (JPEG)
• Second World War Advertisement for Victory Bonds (JPEG)
• RCN/RCAF Operations Room ,St. John’s, Newfoundland, September 24, 1942 (JPEG)
Museums, Memorials, and National Historic Sites
• The North Atlantic Aviation Museum – Gander, Newfoundland (External Link)
• The Crow’s Nest Officers’ Club, St. John’s, Newfoundland – National Historic Site (External Link)
• The Bell Island Community Museum (External Link)
• HMCS Haida – National Historic Site (External Link)
• HMCS Sackville – Canada’s Naval Memorial (External Link)
• HMCS Alberni – Museum and Memorial (External Link)
• Naval Museum of Manitoba (External Link)
• Saskatchewan Military Museum (External Link)
• Military Museums of Alberta (External Link)
• The Virtual Museum Of Canada (External Link)
• U-505 – Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, USA (External Link)
• U-534 – U-boat Story, Birkenhead, UK (External Link)
• U-995 – Naval Memorial Museum, Laboe, Germany (External Link)
• U-2540 (Wilhelm Bauer) – Technikmuseum, Bremerhaven, Germany (External Link)
Websites
• Plane Crash Girl – Exploring Newfoundland and Labrador’s Aviation History (External Link)
• Ocean Quest Adventures – Diving the 1942 Bell Island Wrecks (External Link)
• Directorate of History and Heritage, DND (External Link)
• U-boat Net: The U-boat Wars 1939-1945 (External Link)
• War History Online (External Link)
• Where to Find Royal Navy Service Records – Imperial War Museum (External Link)
• The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Historic Commemorations Program (External Link)
• CBC Archives (External Link)
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission (External Link)
• BBC History Magazine (External Link)
• Juno Beach Centre (External Link)
• WW2 Nation (External Link)
• The Canadian Naval Review (External Link)
• The Canadian War Museum (External Link)
• Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador Website (External Link)
• Beaumont-Hamel National Historic Site of Canada – Parks Canada (External Link)
• Sharkhunters International (External Link)
• Gander Airport Historical Society (External Link)
• Naval Today (External Link)
Videos
• Wartime Wreck of HMS/m P-514 Found Off Trepassey, Newfoundland (External Video Link)
• The 1892 Great Fire, St. John’s, Newfoundland (External Video Link)
• The 1992 Fire, St. John’s (External Video Link)
• The Perfectly Preserved Wreck of U-166 Found in the Gulf of Mexico (External Video Link)
• Surrender Of German U-Boats, World War II (1945) – British Pathé News (External Video Link)
This website promotes Newfoundland’s little known Second World War experience, and is a free resource for anyone interested in Battle of the Atlantic/Second World War/Newfoundland History. The cost of producing this site comes out of my own pocket (which is getting smaller all the time), and every year I have to decide whether I can really afford to keep it going. If this website aids you in your own research, be it academic or personal, please consider making a small donation below towards its ongoing operation and maintenance. Thank you.