Gander Airport

Research and writing have been going well of late. I have been making plans for future research, and finishing up a peer-reviewed paper that should be released soon. The Provincial Archaeology Office Annual Review was recently released, with a little information about a site in Harbour Buffett that I had the pleasure of visiting with Neil Burgess of the Newfoundland and Labrador Shipwreck Preservation Society. To see the article, either click here to download the pdf, or the PAO link above and scroll down to volume 22 for 2023 Field Season.

A picture of the author holding a piece of corrugated metal while standing in a pond. The straps from the waders the author is wearing are visible, as is the black shirt with the top of an anchor with a tentacle curled around it. The author is smiling and her curly red hair is tied back in a ponytail. The water is dark but calm, and trees and bushes are visible in the background.
Not exactly a flattering picture, but recording the wreck of US Navy Hudson
PBO-1 Bomber #03844 at Harbour Buffett. From Burgess & Daly 2024.

Now this blog post comes about when a family member, who was in an airport waiting for a flight at the time, messaged me to ask if I knew about a plane that crashed in the long range mountains during the war (Second World War), where everyone on board survived. They then brought the plane to Gander and put it back together. I didn’t know anything about that off the top of my head, as my work does usually deal with the physical remains of aircraft. There often isn’t much to see when an aircraft has been completely recovered, though I did one potentially determine the site of a crash where nothing remained based on photographs of the tree line from the Second World War to the current tree line (some of that story can be found in issue 46 of Riddle Fence). I asked a few more questions, and they were talking to someone whose father was a Newfoundland Ranger and was part of the crew who found the men and the airplane.

I decided to look around the resources in my personal library, and of course first check Darrell Hillier’s North Atlantic Crossroads (if you don’t have it yet, pick it up, it’s a fantastic book. And maybe check out Their Sturdy Pride while you’re there…). Second, I grabbed the two books I have on the dedicated topic of the Newfoundland Rangers, in particular, The Newfoundland Rangers by Darrin McGrath, Robert Smith, Ches Parsons, and Norman Chase. Most of this post does rely on the research done by Darrell Hillier, and as I didn’t get a chance to visit the archives, his archival research as noted in his references. As always, Hillier does fantastic research.

According to Hillier’s research, on 16 March 1942, RAF Ferry Command Hudson FH235 had engine trouble and had to do a wheels-up landing on a snow-covered barren hill on Brooms Hill near the town of Codroy. On board the aircraft were pilot Captain Jahaziah Shaw Web, an American, navigator Gordon A.L. Webby of New Zealand, and radio operator Louis A. Caldwell (country of origin not listed). There were no injuries in the crash. Due to the blowing snow and low visibility, the crew mistakenly thought they were near the Magdalen Islands, but a search of the area could not find them. Once the weather cleared, they managed to pinpoint their location and a search spotted them and confirmed that location, and the RCAF dropped supplies. The crew left the site of the crash, and started to walk to Codroy.

Once in Codroy, the airmen, in full flying gear which left an impression on a six-year-old Kendall Samms, were able to report their arrival via Kendall’s mother, Lottie Samms, who was the local postmistress and Aircraft Detection Corps observer. Hudson FH235 was then put under guard by the Newfoundland Rangers.

A black and white photo of seven men. Four are standing behind three who are crouched before them. They are in various outfits, from Newfoundland Ranger and RAF uniforms to suits, to casual clothes.
Newfoundland Rangers group portrait following crash of RAF Lockheed Hudson.
Standing: James Tompkins, Afton Farm, Tompkins; Newfoundland Ranger Harry Walters (Regt. #29); Captain J. Shaw-Webb, Pilot, R.A.F. Ferry Command; Officer L.A. Caldwell, R.A.F. Ferry Command. Front row: Ronnie Bethune, Agricultural representative; Newfoundland Ranger Fred Thompson (Regt. #62), Codroy Valley detachment, Tompkins; Navigator G.A.L. Webby, Royal New Zealand Air Force. From The Rooms VA 128-17.1.

The Ranger who was stationed in the area at the time was Frederick Thompson, Regimental Number 62. Fred Thompson was born in St. John’s on 14 December 1917, educated at St. Bon’s College, and joined the Rangers in August 1937. He was posted in Codroy, Badger, and Port aux Basques and left the Rangers with an honourable discharge in 1942. The Chief Ranger wrote of him that “His work at all times was of a very excellent standard, and had he elected to remain with the Force would have attained N.C.O.’s rank. His character was exemplary.” Thompson went on to become a radio operator with the RCAF and Transport Canada and retired as Inspector-in-Charge, Radio Regulations, Newfoundland and Labrador in 1971. He had three children with Margaret Thompkins, whom he wed in 1940, Terrence, Carl, and Mark, though I’m not sure who was at the airport that day to start this little post.

Black and white portrait of Fred Thompson in his Newfoundland Rangers uniform.
Portrait of Frederick Thompson, Regimental Number 62. From The Newfoundland Rangers by McGrath, Smith, Parsons & Crane.

Joseph Gilmore became involved with the incident as Gander’s superintendent of maintenance (Gilmore has also been recognized as an exceptional person of the past by Heritage NL. See more, including a paper by Darrell Hillier about Gilmore here). Gilmore quickly made his way by train to Codroy with a team of Ferry Command mechanics and mechanic’s helpers. On 21 March 1942, Gilmore had locals take four teams of horses the five miles up to the crash site. Because of the snow, the horses could only make it three miles, and the men had to walk the rest of the way.

Gilmore assessed the structural integrity of the Hudson aircraft and decided it could be completely salvaged. He, with the help of his team and locals of Codroy, worked with horse and dog teams dismantle the aircraft. The weather was cold, so the work was slow, and then delayed by a morning when a snowstorm on 23 March forced them back to Codroy. That afternoon they removed the flaps and tail assembly before returning to Codroy. The next day they removed the port and starboard wings and removed the fuel from the Hudson. Again, they were pushed back to Codroy by a snowstorm. They returned to the crash site the next day, using horse-drawn sleighs, they removed the twin Wright air-cooled radial engines and the barrels of fuel they had pumped the day before. The fuselage and wings were pulled to the edge of a wooded area. The next five days saw the rest of the aircraft dismantled and removed by Gilmore, his crew, and local help. The fuselage turned out to be the most challenging part, and they had to use horses, mules, dog teams, and of course, their own strength, to drag the aircraft down on a jury-rigged sleigh-like frame. The heavy snow was a challenge throughout the recovery.

A black and white photo of a group of men pulling and pushing the fuselage of an aircraft down a steep slope. The area is covered in snow, and snow can be seen on all of the trees surrounding the path of the team.
The team of men pulling Hudson FH235 to Codroy. From North Atlantic Crossroads by Hillier.

Once at Codroy, the aircraft had to wait until the spring thaw. While waiting in Codroy, a new name was given to the aircraft. “Spirit of Codroy” was stenciled on the nose to honour the work done by the locals in the recovery of the aircraft. Once it was possible to do so, Hudson FH235 was shipped to Montreal for repairs.

Black and white photo of Magistrate Jack Dawson stands in front of salvaged aircraft. Note "Spirit of Codroy NFLD." painted on the nose. The wings and engines are missing from the aircraft, and the nose cone and cockpit are covered with tarpaulins.
Magistrate Jack Dawson standing in front of Hudson FH235, Spirit of Codroy NFLD. From The Rooms VA 128-16.2.

Later, the people of Codroy were again recognized, this time by Air Chief Marshal Bowhill, who, in April 1942, send a letter to the Newfoundland Commissioner for Justice and Defence, the Honourable Lewis E. Emerson for “the valuable work rendered by Ranger F.A. Thompson, both to the crew of the Hudson […] and to Mr. Gilmore. [… and] great appreciation […] to the people of the village of Codroy [for their] extremely valuable help.”

Hudson FH235 was repaired and returned to flying condition. It reentered service, but was written off in February 1943 in a fatal crash near Wilmington, New York.

References:
Hillier, Darrell. 2021. North Atlantic Crossroads: The Royal Air Force Ferry Command Gander Unit, 1940-1946. Atlantic Crossroads Press: Canada.
McGrath, Darrin, Robert Smith, Ches Parsons and Norman Crane. 2005. The Newfoundland Rangers. DRC Publishing: St. John’s.

While I haven’t been posting, I’ve been working hard. I have been working on a peer-reviewed article for the Journal of Newfoundland and Labrador Studies, and finishing my book with Nelson Sherren, Their Sturdy Pride, which is now in the hands of my publisher, Engen Books, for layout. It should be available very soon, though not likely in time for Christmas. This past month I also gave two presentations, one at the Newfoundland and Labrador Archaeological Society symposium and another at Avalon Expo. This is the presentation I gave at NLAS.

Title page to a power point presentation. The background is plain white, with a grey line that highlights the title. The page reads: Their Sturdy Pride: Aviation Archaeology in Newfoundland and Labrador by Lisa M. Daly, PhD

An overview of some of the aviation archaeology that has been done in Newfoundland and Labrador. Areas of study include early aviation such as the search for the Oiseau Blanc lost in 1927, through the Second World War with a focus on Gander, to early commercial travel in 1946, and community focused stewardship of a 1978 crash site. Finally, a brief look at why aviation archaeology goes beyond wreck chasing to become a legitimate area of archaeological study.

A sepia image of an aircraft with the name Atlantic stenciled on the nose. The propellers are turning and three unnamed men are standing in front of the aircraft.

The text reads: The 1919 Great Atlantic Air Race. Flyers took off, or attempted to take off, from Newfoundland as it was the closest point of land for a non-stop transatlantic flight. 
Image caption: PANL 67-29.4: Biplane Atlantic in Harbour Grace

Most early aviation work in Newfoundland and Labrador is historical research. Little material culture remains from the 1919 Air Race which saw aviators come to Newfoundland to try to be the first to make a non-stop flight across the Atlantic and win the Daily Mail prize of £1,000. What remains are parts of the aircraft, housed in museums, and numerous pictures.

The Great Atlantic Air race recognized that, due to its geography, Newfoundland was the best hopping off point for transatlantic flights. Where it juts out into the Atlantic, it reduced the distance needed to fly, and, later when aircraft attempted to take off from other areas, they would still often fly over Newfoundland. For example, on Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight from New York to Paris to win the Orteig Prize, he flew over Signal Hill, and the Hindenburg passed over Newfoundland multiple times during transatlantic crossings.

Black and white photo of an aircraft on skis on show with the propeller turning. There is a hangar in the background, and the bottom of a St. John's street. 

Text reads: Sidney Cotton, 1920-1923, 1927. Cotton attempted to start an aerial seal spotting business with poor results. He had better results acquiring mail delivery contracts from the Newfoundland Government. Cotton returned in 1927 to search for the Oiseau Blanc.

Caption: PANL VA 123a-29.2: Sidney Cotton's Martynside aircraft with skis on for winter flights at Quidi Vidi Lake, St. John's.

In the 1920s, aircraft became a more common sight in Newfoundland as Sidney Cotton attempted to start aerial seal spotting and mail delivery, which mixed success. But his aircraft were seen around Newfoundland and into Labrador.

My archaeological work starts with sites potentially dating to 1927.

Black and white image of two aviators in winter flying suits in a white aircraft. On the side of the aircraft is a black heart with a coffin and skull and cross bones.

Text: Nungesser and Coli in the Oiseau Blanc, 1927. Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli went missing trying to fly from Paris to New York.

Caption: PANL A46-119: Nungesser and Coli in the Oiseau Blanc.

In 1927, before Lindbergh made his historic flight, others were trying to win the Orteig Prize, including Nungesser and Coli in the Oiseau Blanc, two decorated French aviators. They left Paris on May 5th, 1927, and never made it to New York. An extensive search was conducted for the missing aviators. Searches occurred along the Irish coast, in Maine, northern Quebec, Saint Pierre, and Newfoundland. Ships were told to be on the lookout for the aviators or any airplane wreckage. In 1919, two aviators, Hawker and Grieve, ditched in the ocean and were picked up by a ship, so many were hopeful that this would happen for Nungesser and Coli. In July of 1927, Sidney Cotton returned to Newfoundland and did an extensive search of the island, and into Labrador and Saint Pierre, but no trace of the aviators were found.

Black and white photo of a woman in a large aircraft with a hangar in the background.

Text: Frances Grayson and The Dawn, 1927. Frances Grayson attempted to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, and planned to do some of the flying herself (she was a pilot, but trained for smaller craft). The Dawn, with Grayson, Oskar Omdal, Brice Goldsborough, and Fred Koehler was last seen leaving Roosevelt Field, NY, en route to Harbour Grace on December 23rd, 1927.

Caption: Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives: Frances Grayson in The Dawn.

Later that year, aviatrix Frances Grayson made an attempt to be the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air. After a few failed attempts in October 1927, Grayson had her aircraft, The Dawn, repaired and made another attempt in December. She and her crew left Old Orchard, Maine, and were never seen again.

In both cases, the Oiseau Blanc and the Dawn were said to have been sighted over Newfoundland, and there are signed affidavits at the Rooms from those who witnessed the Oiseau Blanc. About a decade later, stories start around the Cape Shore of aircraft remains in a pond. The stories say the aircraft pieces were painted blue, and some of this aluminum was removed from Gull Pond in the middle of the Cape Shore. Since then, every piece that was removed or found at the site, seems to have disappeared or been destroyed, so there are only stories left.

Three images. The top is a rusted piece of steel, long and slightly curved. The lower left is a round piece of steel, and the lower right is a piece of copper wire twisted into a loop.

Text: Gull Pond artifacts, CgAl-01. Non-diagnostic metal objects recovered from Gull Pond. Top: piece of steel recovered by TIGHAR in the 1990s. Bottom: Round steel disk and copper wire recovered in 2021.

Caption: Photos by author, 2021.

Archaeology was conduced around this pond in the 1990s by a group called TIGHAR. A local group also tried to investigate the site at the same time, but didn’t have an archaeologist to be able to obtain a permit, and local archaeologist Roy Skanes was already working with TIGHAR. In their search, TIGHAR found a piece of metal and made claims that it was likely from the Oiseau Blanc.

Image of a pond with a thick border of low-growing spruce along the edge. In the middle of the pond, just barely visible, is a small white island.

Text: Gull Pond, Cape Shore, NL. Rumours about Gull Pond circulated around the Cape Shore from the 1930s to the 1950s. None of the "plane" parts recovered are available for analysis.

Caption: Photo by author, 2023

I visited the site a couple of times, first with the television show “Expedition Unknown” as the on-site archaeologist, then with TIGHAR who wanted to further investigate the site. With Expedition Unknown, two more objects were recovered from the edge of a small island in the pond, though there is still no evidence that these belong to an aircraft. In June 2022, I went out again with TIGHAR who wanted to survey the pond to come back with underwater archaeologist Ken Keeping (we were acting as partners for this project), but they found the waters too rough and shallow for diving. Having walked some of the perimeter of the pond and investigated outflows, there is a lot of evidence that people use the area (we found pop cans and Vienna Sausage cans) but nothing indicating an aircraft ever crashed into the pond.

Overall, while the fate of the Oiseau Blanc and the Dawn are still mysteries, and I am certain people will continue to search for them.

Photo of inside the aviation room of the Conception Bay Museum. A model of the Atlantic is suspended from the ceiling, and a display of smaller aircraft is under the larger model. In the background are panels where the dates visible are 1919 an 1927. A window is in between the two panels and shows the harbour and trees.

Caption: Photo by author, 2021.

I have been doing work with the Conception Bay Museum and their aviation history, such as the many flights that used the Harbour Grace Airstrip from 1927 to 1936, and I know there was a walkover done by the PAO on the airstrip at one point, but right now my work in that area has been strictly documentary, but I do encourage everyone to visit their aviation exhibit that I recently helped update, or their digital exhibit on Digital Museums Canada.

Top photo is a sepia image of a small aircraft on skis. In the background is a building that indicates the photo is at Gander. Bottom photo are two GPR images showing "noise" at the Gander Airport dump which could indicate the location of an object of interest.

Text: Searching for the VO-ADE Fox Moth. Douglas Fraser landing the Fox Moth at Gander, the first aircraft to land at the airfield, and GPR data from a search for the historic aircraft.

Caption: Top: PANL A32-45. Bottom: From Leer, M. & V. Grimes. 2017. (link to article if you click on the picture)

That brings us to the war era. Most of the archaeological work in the province is from this era. Of course, Mike Deal has done a great deal of work, and he’s the one who introduced me to the field. The archaeological work has focused on investigating airplane crash sites, but other work has been done, such as Mike’s work trying to locate historic aircraft in Gander, and my own excavations at the Globe Theatre, a theatre on the Canadian side of the Gander airbase. The Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador has also been doing work in this field, including finding the location of the B-24 which crashed into Gander Lake in 1943.

Four photos. Top left, light green Coke bottle fragment. Top right, clear glass with a red label and the letters E P. Bottom left, a piece of movie film. Bottom right, dark green base of a bottle.

Text: The Globe Theatre, Gander, DfAp-12. Bottle glass and film were some of the more common artifacts found at the Globe Theatre on the Canadian side of the airbase. Bottle glass and coins indicating possible consumption by Americans, Canadians, and Newfoundlanders.

Caption: Photos by Courtney Merner, 2013.

The excavations at the Globe Theatre were interesting because it showed a snapshot of how the different countries on the base interacted and consumed. Some of the documents available, especially the American ones, make it sound like there was very little mixing between the four countries present at the Gander Airbase, Americans, Canadians, British, and of course, Newfoundlanders. The Canadian publications and the newspaper the Grand Falls Advisor do admit to more cultural mixing, with dances in Grand Falls being attended by servicemen from the US and Canada, and the Canadian magazine The Gander, sharing stories about sporting event where the countries played against each other. The archaeological record also saw some of that, with bottle glass and coins from Canada, the US, and Newfoundland found on site. Coca-Cola, in particular, was found on every American base, and for the same cost, during the Second World War. It wasn’t as common in Newfoundland before that, with Newfoundlanders generally drinking “beer” (brewed sodas) such as the Keep Kool line by Gaden. The Canadian impact isn’t as well seen, as some bottles for Newfoundland soda companies were bought from Canada, but numerous bottles did have Canadian makers marks. Newfoundland, American, and Canadian coins were also found on site, most of which were found near the front entrance to the Globe, so were likely coins dropped when paying admission to the theatre. Now, the timeline for the Globe is a little skewed, as it did remain open after the war period and after the military left, and continued to be used by the civilian population until the 1950s or 1960s when Gander moved from directly next to the airport to where it stands now.

A document called a crash card with information about a United States Navy aircraft that crashed on 29 January 1942.

Text: Searching for military records. Like so much historical archaeology, the amount of information available varies for each crash site, and can sometimes be challenging to access.

Caption: Crash Card for a US Navy aircraft, PBO-1 #03844 that crashed at Harbour Buffett and was recently surveyed by Neil Burgess and myself.
Correction, the website should be aviationarchaeology.com.

Plane crash sites can offer varying information. For the most part, there are detailed air crash or incident reports available, often containing witness statements and details about the accident. In other cases, there is no official report available, but information may be found in personnel files, though due to privacy restrictions, personnel files may only be available to the individual or immediate family members if the person survived the war. In particular, British and American files can be more challenging to access, while Canadian and Australian records for those who died in service can be accessed online. As well, the state of the material culture record can vary. Some sites are almost untouched, having been recovered by the miliary during the war and only visited infrequently after the war, while others have very little that remains, having had almost everything, especially any recyclable material, removed from the site.

Photo of a large potion of aircraft fuselage in a fall woods. Other parts of the aircraft are scattered through the fall leaf litter. 

Text: RCAF Canso 9807, DfAp-07. This site has seen little disturbance, and has detailed documentation, including statements from witnesses and the lone survivor.

Caption: Photo by author, 2009.

The information that can come from crash sites does differ based on what is available. For instance, a relatively intact site with significant detailed documentation can confirm or refute some of the witness statements. An intact site can also give some indications about the crash mechanics, though nothing as detailed as a crash investigation is typically possible because generally key parts of the aircraft would have been removed during the initial crash investigation/recovery, such as instruments, engines, and any other sensitive equipment.

Photo of a landing gear in a swampy looking pond. The steel is rusted, and trees surround the piece.

Text: USAAF B-24 44-6344, DfAp-08. This aircraft is very close to the TCH, and easily accessible. Very little remains to the crash site, only material that cannot be sold for scrap or worth collecting. Most information about this site came from the detailed accident report.

Caption: Photo by Shannon K. Green, 2010.

In other cases, a site may have a lot of documentation, but very little material culture. This is common for sites that are easily accessible, often near roads, where large amount of material can be easily removed. The archaeology often gives more information about site use and reuse rather than anything relating to the crash itself. Using the detailed documentation, especially if there are photographs available, and sharing them with the public, can help communities protect sites. Having visuals that show just how much a site has changed can sometimes create a greater sense of stewardship with local historical organizations and museums, who, in some cases, will take it upon themselves to help protect all sites, both those with little material culture and those relatively intact.

Two photos. Top is a black and white on part of an aircraft in a pond and trees in the background. Bottom is a grown in bond with lots of small woody plants. Int he background is a landscape with a similar tree line to the black and white photo.

Text: RCAF Hurricane 5496, DfAp-16. Comparing the photographs from the crash scene to the current landscape gives a strong indication of where the aircraft crashed after colliding with a USAAF A-20/Boston.

Caption: Top: From Bollis, W.L.J., R. Loomis, & W.D. Ward. 1944. Accident No. 44-12-29-52. US Army Air Forces Report on Accident. War Department Record. Bottom: Photo by author, 2011.

In one case, the detailed documentation allowed for archaeologists to locate where an aircraft had crashed based on the incident report photos and comparing them to the current landscape. The aircraft had been recovered during the war, and the pond it had crashed in drained when the runways was being extended after the war. No material culture could be found, but using the photographs and local informants gave enough information to theorize where the aircraft had crashed.

Photo is the fuselage of an aircraft taken from just past a wing tip. Other parts of the aircraft are visible in the area. Two archaeologists are at the front of the aircraft looking into the fuselage.

Text: RAF Ventura AJ471, DfAo-01. Documents of RAF sites can be difficult to obtain, and some have been destroyed since the war, and the histories can sometimes be pieced together from various sources rather than accident reports.

Caption: Photo by author, 2010.

Some sites have very little documentation, but more material culture. Generally, because modern war history has such an active group of professional and amateur historians, some information can usually be found, though it is fragmentary and, depending on the source, not always accurate. The material culture of the site might be able to offer more information, such as if the crash was high or low energy, based on the amount of damage, as well as help positively identify the aircraft.

Photo of some small pieces of aluminum and steel amongst leaf litter and branches.

Text: RAF Hudson FK690, DfAp-11. Most of the information found for this aircraft was recovered from the personnel files of two Royal Australian Airforce servicemen who died in the crash.

Caption: Photo by author, 2010.

Finally, there are a few unfortunate sites with very little material culture and very little documentation. Sometimes, in these cases, some creativity might be involved to trace the history of the crash, such as searching for the personnel files for the victims of the crash, and using local stories to try to piece together the story.

Photo of an interpretation panel with a line drawing of the crash site. In the background is a small path to a crushed engine.

Text: USAAF B-24 42-97493 in the Thomas Howe Demonstration Forest, DfAp-09. Once given the report on the archaeology and a list of artifacts, the Thomas Howe Demonstration Forest in Gander used the information to monitor the site.

Caption: Photo by author, 2010.

Second World War aviation sites are all over our province, and they are generally at risk to scrappers and collectors. Conducting archaeological investigations and giving these sites statues as archaeological sites does help protect them to a certain extent. What may help even more is sharing the information garnered, whether accident reports or current pictures of the sites, with communities and community organizations. There is a general appreciation for the research (not always, but most of the time) and the information sharing, which leads to greater community involvement and protection for the sites. In some cases, like the Thomas Howe Demonstration Forest in Gander, site inventories can be used by the organization to help monitor disturbances to the sites on their land.

Black and white photo of a twisted propeller around broken branches.

Text: USAAF C-54 42-107427, DcBt-01. Crash reports are sometimes available online, but are often physical documents or microfilm stored in archives and available through other researchers, such as aair.com.

Caption: from Barnes, G.E., B.B McEntire, & R.H. Augustinus. 1944. U.S. Army Air Forces Report of Aircraft Accident. War Department: Harmon Field, Newfoundland.

While talking about the information available around Second World War sites, it is not always easily accessible. Some reports were acquired through interlibrary loan (I’m not even sure if I can access that anymore) or had a cost to acquire through archive organizations. For many of my reports about United States incidents, I paid an individual who has made a business of copying microfilm available only in-person, and selling the incident reports, though at this point we’ve hit more of a barter situation where we share information, which is nice for my bank account. It’s not always easy to locate the material, so there are those who were involved in some of these accidents who do not know how to find the information. Over the years, I have been in contact with many people, from family members who lost someone in a crash, or servicemen who went on missions to crash sites without knowing the story of the event. Being able to provide any information can sometimes create a level of closure for questions that have gone unanswered for over 75 years. Even if I have a detailed report, there is a strong chance that those getting in touch with me have not been able to find such documents themselves, and I am always happy to share the information I have, when I can.

Pieces of a wrecked aircraft, with much of the tail visible on the side of a pond.

Text: RAF Hudson T9449, Musgrave Harbour. Sir Frederick Banting died after the aircraft that was carrying him from Gander to England crashed near Musgrave Harbour. Banting died soon after the crash. Much of the wreckage now sits outside the Banting Memorial Interpretation Centre at Musgrave Harbour.

Caption: Photo by author, 2023

The archaeological work doesn’t end after the Second World War, but the nature of the crashes and the information available changes. During the war, many of the crashes and incidents were not reported on in the media, some exceptions, of course, and, from a Newfoundland perspective, after the crash of Sir Frederick Banting’s Hudson in 1941, most of the documentation is internal. The first crash at Gander, which had no fatalities, has a report in The Rooms, and there is a significant file on the crash, rescue, and recovery of Banting’s crash. That one also made international headlines. A big part of that was the celebrity of Sir Banting as a co-discoverer of insulin. But after that, the media would often only report on incidents that impacted communities that they were allowed to report on. Even then, that information was often limited.

After the war, the information on aircraft incidents changes again as the secrecy was no longer as important and the media could report on events surrounding commercial flights. In particular, the media followed the crash of the Sabena near Gander in September 1946 and the subsequent helicopter rescue (first one on the island), and two weeks later, the crash of an American Overseas Airlines commercial flight outside of Stephenville. There are also documents relating to both crashes in the Rooms, though the internal documents for American Overseas Airlines seem to have gone missing as the airline changed ownership and its name multiple times since 1946. As well, relying on media information can have its own challenges, as misinformation can spread as stories about the accidents are told, or even just trying to confirm a passenger list, as I recently discovered trying to list all the passengers and their occupations or reasons for trying to fly to Berlin. Names can be misspelled between documents, and information can vary between news sources.

On the other hand, post-war military crashes will sometimes be covered in the media, such as the crash of the B-36 near Burgoyne’s Cove, but often not with the same level of coverage or as much speculation as seen in the commercial crashes. Not to say that there isn’t speculation about these incidents, because there are almost always theories and conspiracies surrounding a crash site, regardless of if it is military or commercial. But that’s another topic for another time.

Picture of an engine tangled in trees on the side of a hill.

Text: American Overseas Airlines NC90904, DbDo-02. Commercial air disasters were covered extensively by the international media. Accident report were sometimes done by different organizations, some of which have gone missing over the years.

Caption: Photo by author, 2014.

Often, there is very little follow up on any of these sites. Once the crash investigation is over, little is often done with a site. They can sometimes be visited by those in the woods, whether hunting or trapping, or just hiking. The deeper in the wilderness, the less likely they are to be visited. In some cases, such as the 1946 AOA crash, the site can be “lost”. There were aerial photos, and it was known that it had crashed on Crash Hill, formerly Hare Hill, but not exactly where. An archaeological investigation used images from the time and Google Earth images to determine exactly where the site was, and I was guided there by a local outdoorsman who had never seen the site even though he had hiked the area many times. Finding the site, I could assess the state of the site, and through documentary research, share that the cemetery at the top of the hill did not contain the bodies of the victims, though the mass graves reported to be on site were not located on the brief site visit. Three family members of the victims have reached out to me and I have shared information, one even visited Newfoundland on a cruise ship, and a member of the Stephenville Regional History Museum picked them up from Corner Brook, took them to Stephenville, and showed them around, though not to the crash site as it is difficult to access.

Black and white aerial image of the top of a hill. A small cemetery can be seen on the top of the hill, and a slide of rocks can be seen on the side of the hill.

Text: American Overseas Airlines NC90904, DbBo-02. A photo of the crash site and memorial cemetery on Crash Hill that was used with modern online maps to determine the location of the crash.

Caption: undated photo from the Our Lady of Mercy Church Complex.

Finally, I have worked on more recent aviation sites. Using the same techniques to record sites old enough to be considered archaeological, at the request of the town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, I recorded a 1978 crash on some farmland in the community. The work was done in advance of the 40th anniversary of the crash and both Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s and Torbay planned to try to do something in commemoration. I’m not sure, but it seems that the memorial is still in the works. All on board were killed in the crash, including the then-mayor of Torbay. The town is now using the site inventory to monitor the remains of the wreckage. The investigation also allowed some of the myths and stories around the site to be dispelled, including a statement from the owner of the airline, who said the pilot tried to turn back to the Torbay Airport when it crashed, though this is not indicated in the crash investigation, which says the cause was poor weather, and confirmed that the aircraft was facing away from the airport when it crashed, likely hitting the hill in a thick fog.

Image of a book cover. The book reads: Hunter W. Whitehead, Megan Lickliter-Mundon, Editors. Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology. The second image, to the right, is a line drawing of an aircraft in front of a hangar and the title, Aviation Cultures Spotlight.

Text: Researchers are attempting to standardize methodology. Left is a textbook recently published with mostly North American aviation archaeologists, including myself.
Right is from the conference organization, Aviation Cultures, involving international historians archaeologists, journalists, and aviation professionals who wish to continue the work of standardizing methods.

Overall, aviation archaeology is still trying to standardized methods, and practitioners discuss the theoretic approaches to interpretation in an attempt to separate aviation archaeology. Recently, a group of North American archaeologists, including myself, published a textbook called Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology. This is inspiring a group in Australia who do an international conference called Aviation Cultures to bring together a selection of aviation archaeologists from around the world to write another book from that broader perspective.

Aviation archaeology is still a relatively new field, and still has a lot of growing and learning. It will take a lot of time to shake off the title of wreck chasers, especially when there are still a lot of people out in the world drawing conclusions to fit the story they want to tell and who are making a lot of money doing that. The aviation archaeology community is still small, and the types of work vary, from excavating war-era camps, bases, and other infrastructure, to finding, recording, and researching aircraft wreck sites to preserve and memorialize the sites. A great deal of work is underwater work, with limited work being done on terrestrial crash sites. But overall, the field is growing and figuring out how to define it as a legitimate branch of modern archaeology.

Image is a book cover. A burgundy cover with a black and white image of an aircraft in the snow. The title reads Their Sturdy Pride: RCAF Torbay History and Aviation Mysteries of Newfoundland and Labrador, by Lisa M. Daly, PhD, Nelson Sherren, CD.

Text: Shameless plug. I am releasing a non-academic book written in part by the late Nelson Sherren next month through Engen Books. It will cover a history of the Torbay Airport, the history and archaeology of a Second World War crash site and the American Overseas Airlines crash, and the history and archaeology surrounding Gull Pond on the Cape Shore.
Find a link to mine and Nelson Sherren’s book at Engen Books!