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Newfoundland Overseas
Forestry Unit
1939-1946
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This
site is dedicated to the men of the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry
Unit,
who responded to a call for
volunteers
to leave their families and work overseas in Great Britain during the
second
world war. This unit was a very
important
part of the overall war effort, and it is felt by many that the men of
the Unit did not receive the recognition they deserved. The
demand for local lumber in Britain was extreme due to restrictions to
off-shore
supplies as a result of
the
conflict,
and many of the local able bodied men were away in the armed
forces.Unfortunately,
there appears to be very little information available today regarding
their
story. Many of the original records were apparently destroyed by fire
in
Glovertown, B.B., a number of years ago. One source that I am aware of
is a book by Tom Curran, entitled ' They Also Served', published by
Jesperson
Press in St. John's in 1987. This book is a fine record of the
Unit,
and contains many pictures and details of interest. Much of the
information
contained here is documented in this book
There
were approximately
3,680 men in the group.
On
November
17, 1939 the Commissioner for Natural Resources announced
by
radio the need to recruit volunteer loggers to work in Great
Britain.
The men would be paid the sum of $2:00 / day or $12:00 / week.
Accommodation,
transport and medical requirements would be supplied. All personal
needs
such as clothing were to be supplied by the men themselves. There
would be a $1:00 / day compulsory deduction from wages which was
forwarded to the families back in Newfoundland.
Our
purpose here
is to ensure that the history of the N.O.F.U. and it's members is not
forgotten,
and to
provide
a
venue in which to share information with others who also have an
interest
in such a goal. There are links to pages which contain some pictures
from
the Unit in Scotland. If you can help identify any of the men pictured
we will add the names to the page. Also included is a copy of a plea
from
Caldecote, Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, asking those men
already
overseas to extend their contract due to the pressing need
for
additional timber.
.(
The information
posted at this site is based on current knowledge, and may in fact
contain
errors. Please let me know if you see anything misleading here, and I
will
make the necessary corrections)
The
Unit published
a booklet entitled "Timber" in Scotland . A number of these booklets
were
shipped to Newfoundland for distribution there, but were destroyed by a
forest fire at Glovertown shortly after their arrival. How many copies
exist today?
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