North Atlantic Crossroads
The Royal Air Force Ferry Command  Gander Unit, 1940-1946
by Darrell Hillier

Review By Fred Hutcheson
This book is the history of a very specific unit during the Second World War.  It covers the activities and people of one unit in one airport over six years.  The Unit was part of the RAF “Ferry Command” (ignoring preceding/succeeding Command identifiers) which had its North American Headquarters in Saint Hubert and Dorval, PQ, and included units in many other airports along the routes to the UK.  The airport is the one at Gander, Newfoundland; one of several airports that were created in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), just before, or during the Second World War. The author notes that this is a “micro-history” and suggests another book for the full Ferry Command story.
Front cover illustration
The book covers the development of Gander Airport, beginning with studies and meetings from the early 1930s, to actual ground surveys in 1935. Actual construction began in 1937, and the basic airport was ready in the spring of 1939. During most of 1939, the primary activity was "weather" flights to aid weather forecasting. In mid-1940, the RCAF sent patrol bombers to Gander to provide some defence to the area, and Canadian Army troops were stationed at the airport to provide security. At the same time, the use of the airport to fly new aircraft to Europe was being discussed. 

In August 1940, the UK Ministry of Aircraft Production organized a unit to start the “air bridge” carrying North American-built aircraft to the UK. The first product was to be the Lockheed Hudson. Members of the RAF arrived at Gander in early October 1940 and began the preparations for operations. The first Hudson arrived at Gander on 29 October 1940, in a snowstorm!  The first group of seven bombers took off in the evening of 10 November, and all safely arrived in Aldergrove, Ireland, the next morning.  And so it began.

With the USA joining the fight in December 1941, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) set up a unit in Gander to manage the air delivery of the large 4-engine bombers and other aircraft to Europe. This led to more international co-operation on weather forecasting, pilot briefings, and flight control/scheduling.

The story continues through the war years, until Canada and the United Kingdom handed all parts of the airport back to Newfoundland on 31 March 1946. There is further discussion outlining the creation of the civil airport. As a side note, the hangers built by the RAF still exist, and one is the home of the NL Government water bombers.

Along the way, the reader is introduced to many people that interacted with Ferry Command and Gander airport. One important person was J. J. ‘Joe’ Gilmore who led the ground engineering section at Gander for most of the War. His main job was preparing the planes for the flight by making sure everything was “right”. Gilmore also organized several salvage operations of crashed aircraft, including one that was switched to skis and flown back to Gander.  Another operation required that the fuselage and wings be pulled by men to the railroad so they could be returned to Gander.

The death of Dr. F. Banting is recorded, and the names of many of the aircrew involved in other crashes are noted. There is a fifty-day survival story, and many mercy flights are detailed. There are also appearances by Newfoundland’s most famous pig farmer, J. R. "Joey" Smallwood.  Captain Doug Fraser appears in the early years and the wartime activities of the Newfoundland-registered Fox Moth, VO-ADE, are chronicled.

This is a detailed, well-researched study with extensive endnotes, a large bibliography, and a comprehensive index. There are three pages listing acronyms and abbreviations. Also included are 26 unnumbered pages of photographs in the middle of the book. 
Anyone with an interest in Newfoundland aviation history, or the broader story of the "air bridge", will find this book worth reading.
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