Roll Call, Volume 10, Issue 1, March 2024, Newsletter of the Friends of the New Brunswick Military History Museum (FNBMHM)

ROLL CALL

NEWSLETTER OF THE FRIENDS OF THENEW BRUNSWICK MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM

AMIS/AMIESDE MUSEÉ D’HISTOIRE MILITAIRE DU NOUVEAU-BRUNSWICK

Volume 10, Issue 1                                                                    March 2024 

Roll Call is published four timesa year: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. This issue is the first for 2024.  Submissions or comments can be sent to theEditor, Hal Skaarup at hskaarup@rogers.com. For details on joining theFriends, please contact the Museum at 506-422-1304 or email us at: friendsnbmhm@gmail.com.

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Friends of the New BrunswickMilitary History Museum Executive:

President-Brian MacDonald

Vice-President- Hal Skaarup

Secretary- Doug Hall

Treasurer-Randall Haslett

Directors- Paul Belliveau, GaryCampbell, Robert Dallison, Brent Wilson, Harold Wright

From the Museum Manager

Hello Friends,

We have had a successful fall and winter. In October, the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, the Honourable Brenda Murphy, was the Guest of Honour at the Grand Opening of the Royal New Brunswick Regiment Gallery. She performed a ribbon cutting ceremony on the Museum's newest permanent gallery. The history of the Royal New Brunswick Regiment (RNBR) spans the 18th to the 21st centuries, pre-dates Canada, and even pre-dates New Brunswick. The Regiment's long and proud history is central to the military history of the province and this gallery is an important addition to the museum. 

The Museum was fortunate to receive a travelling exhibit from the Kings County Museum in Kentville, Nova Scotia. This feature exhibit is called "Knitting: Recognition and Remembrance." The exhibit tells the story of the hundreds of thousands of Canadian women who supported the war effort by making knitted comforts for Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen overseas. As well, the knitters made child-sized items for European refugees. The exhibit contains examples of items made by French and Dutch Resistance Members with Morse Code messages knitted right into the patterns of the items. By using these items, Resistance Fighters could run messages to others right under the noses of the German Occupiers. The NBMHM partnered with 2RCR, the NBMFRC and Briggs and Little Yarn Company. Together we created a hands-on activity where people from the NBMFRC knitting and crocheting group made knitted items to send over to the soldiers of 2RCR Battle Group currently deployed on Op REASSURANCE in Latvia. This exhibit will run until the end of March.

The NBMHM recently began a newprogram called Veteran's Coffee Break. In this program, Veterans are invitedfor a monthly get-together. We have had excellent feedback on this program.While this program is informal and casual, some future Coffee Breaks willfeature guest speakers. 

Coming up we will have Feature Exhibits on the 100th Anniversary of the RCAF, the 80th Anniversary of D-day, the history of Military Chaplains in New Brunswick and more! We will soon be staring the History on Film program where guests will be invited to watch a feature film on various military history topics. A guest speaker will talk about the history of the events portrayed on film. 

David C. Hughes, Museum Manger, NBMHM

(DND Photo)

‍Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) HMCS Coverdale (NRS) aerial view, c1940s.

H.M.C.S.COVERDALE

RIVERVIEW’SFORGOTTEN NAVY BASE

Dr. Paul E. Belliveau.

This article is a condensed version of a presentation made to the Riverview Veterans and Armed Forces Association by the author on February 18, 2014  

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           Few people realize that during the second world war there was a small navy base in Riverview staffed mainly by women that monitored German U-boats in the North Atlantic.  Or that, in May 1945, a Wren serving there as an intercept operator, scooped the Allies by intercepting a message, from German Admiral Doenitz, telling his forces that Hitler was dead.  However, more about that later, for now, let us go to the very beginning.

In 1942, Ottawa initiated two programs which, when combined, would become the pillars of H.M.C.S. Coverdale.  One was the program called the Royal Canadian Navy’s General Extension of Direction Finding (DF) Facilities and the other was the creation of the Women’s Royal Canadian Navel Service (WRCNS) commonly referred to as Wrens.

The Navy initially selected eleven sites across Canada for the Extension of the DF Facilities Program and Coverdale was one of them.  In November 1942, Treasury Board approved Coverdale as a Special Wireless Station and furthermore designated it as be the Control Station for the East Coast DF Network.

This facility was to consist of a Main Operations Building, a Subsidiary Operations Building, 3 HF/DF Shacks, Women’s barracks, and a three car Garage with men’s living quarters on the second floor.  It was to have 17 wooden antenna masts of varying heights, to capture radio waves of different frequencies.  And finally, it was to be equipped with a teletype circuit to Navy HQ in Ottawa, and an assortment of the latest radio equipment.

           In December 1942, the Navy initiated negotiations with the Nolan brothers to purchase some of their land in Coverdale.  However, the brothers did not want to sell, but they were willing to lease the land.  As a result, in March 1943, a lease was signed for approximately 32 acres.  Within the space of 8 months, the station was completed, and it became operational in January 1944, when Wrens started arriving in strength.  The initial personnel strength was approved at 150 all ranks, consisting of 7 officers (4 females and 3 males) and 143other ranks (140 females and 3 males). In other words, the station was mainly operated by Wrens.

           The second pillar of the genesis of H.M.C.S. Coverdale was the creation of the Wrens.  In the spring of 1941, due to the increasing need for manpower in the war effort, NDHQ asked the Navy, Army, and Air Force to determine what roles women could perform in uniform service.  In May 1942, a memorandum was sent to the War Cabinet Committee listing a number of positions or tasks that could be filled by women in the Navy: cipher duties, clerical work, teleprinter operators, telephone switchboard operators, wireless telegraphic operators, cooks, stewards, messengers, and motor transport drivers. Ottawa approved the request and the Navy started recruiting females.  By the end of the war, Wrens were working in48 trades and “Signals” was a very popular occupation for which there was ahigh demand.  These women trained as operators and also as technicians to maintain the equipment.  

           Unlike the Army and Air Force, the Wrens became an integral part of the RCN, and not an auxiliary formation.  Therefore, according to regulations, this meant that female rank, authority, and pay was the same as for men in the Navy. By Jan 1945, there were over 200 Wrens posted at Coverdale.  

           During the War, Coverdale’s major activity was taking DF bearings on German U-boats and also assisting with search and rescue operations for aircrafts in distress. The first Commanding Officer (1944–1945)was Lt Margaret Stinson who eventually went on to become an Anglican Minister in London, ON.  She was followed, in the summer of 1945, by Lt Evelyn Cross.  The Chief Petty Officer, during the war years, was Irene Carter who, after the war, was awarded the British Empire Medal for her excellent intercept work at Coverdale.

           The Operations Building was a huge room, with a dividing wall in the center. Along both sides of the wall, Wrens, wearing headphones, sat in front of Marconi CSR5 Receivers.  These intercept operators would search radio bands for established characteristics of enemy signals.  When an intercept was identified, they would forward the frequency to the three HF/DF (Huff Duff) field shacks, located in a triangle each being about 1 mile apart.  

These shacks contained the new High Frequency/Direct Finding equipment with its glowing cathode-ray tubes and its sine waves streaking across the round faces.  When alerted that a U-boat was transmitting on a specific frequency, the Wrens, in the shacks, would take bearings.  Several bearings from different stations wouldprovide a reliable fix.  It is said that a good DF operator could ascertain the bearing of a U-boat from a 10 second transmission.

           The data was transmitted to Ottawa where Map Plotters took over.  At times, this data was retransmitted to Whitehall in the UK for further action.  Sometimes, this resulted in convoys being rerouted and, in other cases, planes and/or war ships were sent to engage the U-boats.  Occasionally Coverdale would get a report back, that the “traffic” copied on a specific watch had resulted in putting a sub out of action.

           On many occasions, the operators listened to naval engagements as far as the Baltic Sea.  The station also listened to reports from life rafts with Allied seaman aboard. These reports gave the location and also the speed of drift.  It is interesting to note that radio operators could tell the progress of the Allied Forces in France, after D-Day,from intercepted German High Command messages.

           In May 1945, Wren Elsie Michaels, serving at Coverdale, intercepted a message from German Admiral Karl Doenitz, advising all his forces that Hitler was dead.  Coverdale actually scooped the Allies with this news, which quickly circulated around the world.  This message illustrates the arrogance and lies perpetuated by the German High Command right up to the bitter end and serves as a testament of the reprehensible nature of the Nazi Party.  The message reads as follows:

“The Fuehrer has fallen, true to his great idea of defending the people of Europe against Bolshevism, he staked his life and met a hero’s death, with him has passed away one of the greatest heroes of German history.  In proud reverence and grief, we lower our flags to half-mast.  The Fuehrer has designated me as his successor and chief of state, and supreme commander of the armed forces.  I assume supreme command over the struggle against Bolshevism until the fighting troops and the hundreds of thousands of families in eastern Germany have been saved from enslavement or annihilation.

Against the English and Americans, I must continue the fight in so far as, and so long as, they hinder me in the prosecution of the battle against Bolshevism.  The situation requires a further unconditional pledge of you, who have already accomplished such great historical deeds and who now yearn for the end of the war.  I demand discipline and obedience.  Only by unqualified execution of my commands can chaos and defeat be avoided.

Coward and traitor is he who, at this moment, evades his duty and thereby abandons German women and children to death and slavery. German soldiers, do your duty.  The life of the people is at stake.”

Another key message which was copied by Coverdale was received on June 2, 1945, at 1251 hours and was addressed to 38 U-boats:

“If you do not act in accordance with the conditions of surrender, signed by the gross admiral, requiring that all hostilities cease, there will be serious consequences for you and for Germany.  Therefore, you are to come to the surface immediately and report your position to GZZ10 on 5970 KHz or to another coastal radio station on 500 KHz. You are to remain on the surface and await further instructions.”

           After the war, with men returning from oversee, the original reason for creating the WRCNS was deemed obsolete and, in July 1946, this service was disbanded. However, it was revived as part of the Naval Reserve at the beginning of the Korean War and finally disbanded for good in 1968 with the unification of the Canadian Forces.

In Dec 1949, the Coverdale Special Wireless Station was renamed HMC NRS (Naval Radio Station) Coverdale and 16 PMQs were constructed.  In 1950, the RCN and the USN formally agreed to coordinate and standardize land-based HF/DF activities.   This initiative resulted in the integration of all Canadian and US stations into two networks, one on each coast.  Coverdale was also designated as the Alternate Net Control Station for the Atlantic Network.  In actual practice, Coverdale performed this function about 25% of the time just to maintain operational readiness.  This network was now tracking Soviet instead of German submarines.  In 1952, twenty-four more PMQs were built and in July 1956 the station was renamed H.M.C.S. Coverdale.

Asa result of the unification of the Armed Forces in 1966, the station was once again renamed; this time as C.F.S. Coverdale. Another fall-out from the unification of the Armed Forces was the creation the Canadian Forces Supplementary Radio System (CFSRS), with a mandate to reduce maintenance cost and enhance operational effectiveness, by consolidating wireless stations.  As a result, in June 1971, C.FS. Coverdale was closed and its operations and personnel were transferred to 770 Communications Research Squadron in Gander, Newfoundland.

In its aftermath, in 1972, DND transferred all of its assets, at the Coverdale Station, to Transport Canada for the construction of an Air Traffic Control Centre.  This facility was completed in1978, and it became operational in 1980. Finally, the Centre was privatized in 1996, and became known as the NavCan Air Traffic Control Centre.  This Centre sits where the H.M.C.S Coverdale ball field used to be.  In conclusion, there is no doubt that the men and women who served at the Coverdale Base, between 1944 and 1971,made an important and unique contribution to the effectiveness of ocean surveillance of the North Atlantic and also played a significant role in the gathering of intelligence by radio in both war and peace.

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Paul E. Belliveau, BSc, MSc, PhD, CD was Environment Canada’s Regional Manager of Laboratories in the Atlantic Regions.  He also served in the Reserve Army from 1960to 1994 retiring with the rank of Major as a Senior Staff Officer at the NB/PEI District Headquarters.  He is the author of several military history books, essays, and articles.

Ann Connolly was a post-war WREN who served in Coverdale in the early 1950s. Ann and her generation of WRCNS now listened to dispatches from a new enemy, namely, the Soviet Union. She spent most of her time  intercepting Morse code signals from Russian subs and ships. Occasionally Soviet signals were intercepted from within Canada's borders said Ann. "We picked up messages that there were spies in Canada. When the messages were cross-referenced they found the spies". Ann really enjoyed her work at Coverdale however, marriage ended her time there  in the mid 1950s. Women were expected to leave if they were starting a family.  In full view is the Mackay model 3100A receiver which could tune  from 15 KHz to 635 KHz. Behind her is a HammarlundSP-600 receiver. (Photo courtesy of the Ann Connolly family)

NBMHM Supports & Promotes “International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Randall Haslett

What started as a Parody, “International Talk Like A Pirate Day” has been adopted as Day for Geocachers to do something special. International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon,^] who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. It has since been adopted by the Pastafarianism movement and Geocaching.com as an annual event.  The call for creative geocaches came in June 2023 and Randall Haslett the Treasurer of Friends of NBMHM and a dedicated geocacher decided that he would like to participate in a big way by building a pirate ship.  He knew of a fellow cacher (Howard Baird) who could be the master carpenter and all that was needed was a location to build the pirate ship. So the next step in the process was a location to build and stage the ship.  He approached David Hughes Executive Director of the NBMHM to see if this would be a suitable home.  He loved the idea as did Melynda Jarratt, Curator of NBMHM.  She saw the potential for an event hosted by a partnership with Geocachers and the Museum that could attract families to the Museum.

The pirate ship would be built out of pallets and would be an interactive piece that children could pretend to be pirates on board the ship and let their imaginations flourish. Randall had gathered materials (pallets) for another geocaching project.  He had recently suffered from a congestive heart failure event and needed a project to occupy his time.  So the project began in July 2023. The ship was built in three components; the main deck, rear deck and a forward gundeck.  The length of the ship is 18 feet(5.48 meters), the width is 5 feet (1.52 meters), and the rear deck is 5 feet(1.52 meters) above ground.  It has two masts and the tallest is 12 feet (3.65 meters). The rear deck was a crate used to ship a custom light box sign for a local car dealership and is big enough to create the Captain’s cabin and house the actual geocache container. The rear deck also has the ship’s wheel and was made from a metal farm equipment wheel and painted in the Geocaching colours allowing kids of all ages to steer the ship as the wheel is mounted on an axle and moves freely. The main deck was a custom pallet and was 5’ by 7’ which fit perfectly to the rear deck.  It provides the entrance to the ship as well as the rear deck.  The gun deck houses two four inch (10 cms) replica cannons, much to the delight of pirates of all ages!

The NBMHM hosted “Talk Like a Pirate Day” on Saturday 23 Sep 23. We had games, cake, storytelling, and of course prizes!! Over 50 folks attended including 15 children, some of whom came dressed as Pirates. It was a wonderful day to say “Arrrr!”  And of course, visits to play on the Pirate Ship.

Naturally, the ship has a ship’s bell as well as the Union Jack. The pirate flag would be hoisted moments before an attack and the cannon covers would be raised to demonstrate that these pirates meant business!  “Be prepared to be boarded!!  Aye, matey!  Arrrgh”.

EclipseFest

On Monday April 8 , a total solar eclipse will take place and Fredericton will be one of the best spots in the world to see this spectacular phenomenon. The city of Fredericton is celebrating this grand spectacle of nature with exhibits, public observing session, special programming and presentations with EclipseFest isa 3-day celebration April 6-7 -8.  Plans are underway in hopes of incorporating a 403 Helicopter Squadron Flypast, along the Fredericton Waterfront during the darkest moment (1633 hrs).  We hope you can join us for the event

OPERATIONECLIPSE

Saturday,20 July 1963 marked the third time that the Royal Canadian Air Force had made aircraft available for the viewing of a total eclipse of the sun from the air. The previous occasions were on 9 July 1945 and 30 June 1954.

In 1945,the base of operations was the RCAF Central Navigation School at Rivers, Manitoba and the aircraft used were a Mitchell, a Spitfire and two Ansons. The aircraft were operated at altitudes varying from 17,000 to 33,000 feet over the general area around Dauphin, Manitoba. The duration of totality was between 33and 38 seconds. Only photographic observations were made and eight cameras of various types were used. From these, motion and still pictures of the stages of the eclipse and of the chromosphere and the corona were recorded, together with spectrographic data.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3574063)

Tri-metrogon camera installation in a North American Mitchell Mk. II, No. 413 'Tusker' (P) Squadron, RCAF, 19 June 1945.

Totality during the 1999 solar eclipse. Solar prominences can be seen along the limb (in red) as well as extensive coronal filaments.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3583349)

North American Mitchell Mk. II, RCAF (Serial No. 894), close up view of camera modification, No. 13 (P) Squadron, 4 July 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3583160)

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. VI, RCAF (Serial No. X4492), flown by Tony Grub of No. 13Squadron, 26 Feb 1944.  Built as X F Mk.1 4492, later converted to X F Mk.V.

RCAF Supermarine Spitfire (Serial No. X4492) was flown in trials from Mar to Jul1943.  It was in Saint John, New Brunswick, then flown to RCAF Station Rivers, Manitoba, to photograph the total eclipse of the sun on 9 July 1945. It was equipped with an F24 oblique camera installed to sight upwards. Another pilot of this Spitfire was F/Lt Tom Percival.  X4492 was flown over Lake Winnipeg at 35,000 feet, a record breaking altitude record for photographing a solar eclipse. 

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3545923)

Avro Anson Mk. V, RCAF, No. 414 Squadron, 1944.

The eclipse was photographed from four aircraft, with three of the aircraft, the Spitfire, Mitchell, and one Anson, being outfitted with a total of seven aerial cameras. The second Anson carried a motion picture camera. The altitude of the aircraft ranged between 17,000 ft and 34,000 ft, with the Spitfire the highest. The eclipse photos obtained during the mission may have been the first-ever taken from an aircraft.

In 1954,the "Ice Wagon", a North Star aircraft converted for studies of icing during flight, was used. The operation was organized at RCAF Station Rockcliffe and all the practice flights originated from there. The aircraft was moved to Goose Bay, Labrador for the actual observations, which were made at an altitude of 27,500 feet to the east of this base. On this occasion the period of darkness was nearly two minutes. In addition to photographic and spectrographic observations, visual observations were made of the solar prominences during totality and the dark sky searched for a daytime display of aurora.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3643748)

CanadairCL-2 North Star Mk. I, RCAF (Serial No. 17513), Rockcliffe Ice Wagon, Experimental Proving Establishment, 8 Aug 1959.

Initial planning for the present operation began during the summer of 1961, when the Chief of the Air Staff gave his approval to the undertaking. While the operation was fully supported by the Defence Research Board, the main interest centered on the Dominion Observatory. As a result, the Dominion Astronomer coordinated the programme of scientific observations. After examining the characteristics of the several types of transports available, it was decided that the large turboprop-driven Canadair CC-106 Yukon was the only one which would be satisfactory and 412(T) Squadron, based on Station Uplands near Ottawa, was given the responsibility of carrying out the operation.

(DND Photo)

CanadairCC-106 Yukon, a Canadian turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft based on the Bristol Britannia, developed and produced by Canadair in the late 1950s and early 1960s

As the path of totality extended across Canada from the Alaska-Yukon border to the southern tip of Nova Scotia, there was a wide choice of areas for viewing the eclipse. In order to obtain the greatest period of darkness, the aircraft was flown along the path of the eclipse in the same direction as the movement of the moon's shadow (i.e. towards the east). An altitude of 30,000 feet was chosen to be above weather. Because of the intricacy of the scientific equipment, it was necessary to have the sun directly off the beam of the aircraft. This condition was only to be found along the Mackenzie River between Fort Simpson and Fort Providence, near the western end of Great Slave Lake. The eclipse required just over 1½ hours to progress from the Alaska-Yukon border to the southern tip of Nova Scotia and in terms of local standard time ranged from11:10 am in the Yukon to 5:45 pm off Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. At Great Slave Lake, the local standard time was 12:40 pm-— the time past noon just compensating for the southerly component of the flight direction— and the period of totality was 99 seconds. The speed of the aircraft increased the time of darkness by about 20 percent.

The scientific programme was much more elaborate than on the previous operations. It included photometric measurements of the sun's corona and the airglow in the suddenly darkened sky. The northern sky was photographed with an auroral camera in the search for a daytime display of aurora and visual observations were made of the solar prominences during totality. This latter information was transmitted immediately following the eclipse to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to assist them in their television coverage of the eclipse in the region of Three Rivers, Quebec, approximately one hour later. Three special glass windows were used in place of the standard plastic ones for those measurements which would be impaired by optical distortion.

The scientists aboard the aircraft represented: Defence Research Board, Dominion Observatory, National Research Council, University of Saskatchewan, Oxford University, England, and the Royal Canadian Air Force.

LocationVisibility Duration, All of Eclipse Duration of Totality Partial Begins FullBegins Max. Time Full Ends Partial Ends

Fredericton100% 2h, 18 m, 14 s 2 m, 17 s 3:23:41 pm 4:33:49 pm 4:34:57 pm 4:36:06 pm5:41:55.

(MSGTRobert A Whitehead, USAF Photo)

No.403(Helicopter) Operational Training Squadron is a squadron of the RCAF, basedat5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.  It iscurrently equipped with Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopters and providesoperational aircrew training to the crews who will fly the helicopter. The squadron also conducts operational test and evaluation, developsaviation tactics and carries out operations in support of the 1 Wing mission. It also supports the local Army requirements of the Combat Training Centreat 5 CDSB Gagetown. It was founded as No. 403 Squadron RCAF.

Frederictonflypast for the eclipse 2024

OnMonday, 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse will pass through certain parts ofNew Brunswick, Canada. The areas of Fredericton, Woodstock,Florenceville-Bristol and Miramichi will all experience100% totality, that is,a complete coverage of the sun. The path of this extraordinary cosmic eventwill also cross the southern tips of Ontario and Quebec, western P.E.I. andcentral Newfoundland.

The planis to have the helicopters from 403Squadron fly over the spectators in downtownFredericton during the max period of darkness from 16:33 to 16:34 (plus orminus).

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