The coming of war in September 1939 quickly lifted Newfoundland out of the Great Depression and set the country on the road to a time of unprecedented prosperity.[1] In an age of air and submarine warfare, Newfoundland occupied a strategic location in the North Atlantic, a reality that was quickly acknowledged after fighting began by both Canada and the United States. In June 1940, with events in Europe having turned against the Allies, Canada assumed responsibility for running Newfoundland’s air bases — principally, the Newfoundland Airport at Gander — for the duration of the war. Eventually, Canada also operated a naval base in St. John’s on behalf of the Royal Navy and air bases at Torbay and Goose Bay, Labrador (for the latter, a 99-year lease was finalized in 1944). Following the Anglo-American destroyers for bases agreement of September 1940, American forces flooded into Newfoundland, as work proceeded apace on United States military bases in St. John’s, Argentia/Marquise, and Stephenville. By 1942, Newfoundland was enjoying the benefits of a base building boom.

The event above all others that was emblematic of Newfoundland’s changed standing in the world was the famous meeting in Placentia Bay, in August 1941, between Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom and President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, not yet a combatant. Churchill arrived in Newfoundland waters aboard hms Prince of Wales, which was accompanied by a number of other warships. Roosevelt travelled aboard the uss Augusta, at the heart of an American flotilla. On 14 August, the Anglo-American leaders issued the Atlantic Charter, a statement of “common principles” embodying their hopes for a “better future for the world.”[2] The document had eight sections, the third of which proclaimed “the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live.” In keeping with this, the two leaders expressed the wish “to see sovereign rights and self-government restored to those who have been forcibly deprived of them.” Much has been written about this celebrated document,[3] while the many photographs taken during the gathering in Placentia Bay have never lost their lustre. Historian Theodore A. Wilson has termed the meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt off Newfoundland “the first summit.”

At the time of their meeting, Newfoundland itself did not enjoy elective self-government, having had this suspended in 1934 as a result of a financial crisis brought on by the events of the Great Depression. Since 16 February of that year Newfoundland had been governed by a British-appointed Commission of Government, with a governor and six commissioners, three drawn from the United Kingdom and three from Newfoundland, but all appointed by London. The Commission had both executive and legislative power. Following the introduction of Commission of Government, the United Kingdom gave Newfoundland an annual grant-in-aid to balance its books, but starting in 1941 Newfoundland began making interest-free loans of Canadian dollars to the now hard-pressed British. Such was the measure of the change in economic fortune that the war had brought to the island. Recognizing that economic revival in Newfoundland would mean further constitutional change, the British soon began planning for this eventuality, the triggering event being a visit to Newfoundland in 1942 by the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Clement Attlee.[4]

At the time of the events that led to the Atlantic Charter, the Governor of Newfoundland was Vice-Admiral Sir Humphrey Walwyn. Born in Wrexham, Wales, on 25 January 1879, Walwyn trained on hms Britannia, Dartmouth, and was a midshipman aboard hms Camperdown and hms Magnificent. In 1904, he qualified as a gunnery lieutenant and thereafter served as gunnery officer on hms Drake under Prince Louis of Battenberg, making his first visit to Newfoundland in 1906 while on this ship. On 7 August 1912, now a Commander, he married Eileen Mary van Straubenzee at St. Mark’s Church, Milverton, Leamington (Warwickshire). In 1915, during the Great War, Walwyn became Commander of hms Warspite, and in May 1916 this vessel suffered heavy damage during the Battle of Jutland. For his valour on that occasion, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. In 1917, he was promoted Captain and in 1922, following post-war postings in British waters, was named Senior Officer Mediterranean Destroyers and joined hms Stuart, based in Malta. In 1924, he became director of the Gunnery Division of the Admiralty and in 1927 was given command of hms Valiant. In January 1928, he was promoted to Rear Admiral and made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. The same year, he was transferred to Bombay[5] to command the Royal Indian Marines. This appointment began a six-year period that saw the Walwyns travel extensively in the subcontinent, with excursions to the Persian Gulf, Ceylon,[6] Burma,[7] and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In the 1933 New Year’s Honours list, Walwyn was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, and he and Eileen returned home in 1934 as Vice-Admiral Sir Humphrey and Lady Walwyn. His appointment as Governor of Newfoundland, at age 56, followed on 3 December 1935.[8] His initial appointment was for three years, but this was eventually spun out to 10 years.

The Walwyns and their entourage travelled from Liverpool to St. John’s aboard the Furness Withy ship ss Newfoundland and arrived on 16 January 1936, a fine winter day. At the time, all the original commissioners were still in office and their transition to a new governor was unsettling. “We are suffering at the moment, I am sure very temporarily,” Commissioner for Natural Resources Sir John Hope Simpson wrote in a family letter on 16 February 1936, “from over-zeal on the part of our new Governor. He is an admiral with a fine quarter-deck manner, and an astonishingly free use of the broadside. He is rapidly becoming chastened, and learning that, as Governor, he is impotent to do or to order anything, and, as chairman of the Commission, in effective possession of one vote only, like every other Commissioner, unless there is equality, when he has a casting vote. Le pauvre homme.”[9]This was a shaky start, but though there would be other clashes in the months and years ahead, Walwyn’s relations with his Commission colleagues gradually settled into predictable routines, a process helped along by the departure later in 1936 of Hope Simpson and another outspoken British Commissioner, Thomas Lodge (Public Utilities). In June 1939, the Walwyns were at the fore during the brief visit King George vi and Queen Elizabeth made to St. John’s and vicinity, at the conclusion of their Canadian and American tour. The outbreak of war the following September highlighted Walwyn’s command strengths and gave him ample scope for his salty administrative approach. He made much of being commander-in-chief in Newfoundland and he and Lady Walwyn entertained on a grand scale at Government House, St. John’s, during the war years. Following his own brief visit to St. John’s, Attlee wrote that, within the Newfoundland government, Walwyn “more nearly” represented “vox populi than anyone else.”[10]Walwyn heard about Churchill’s planned visit to Newfoundland waters in a secret and personal dispatch he received from London on Saturday, 9 August 1941, the same day the Prime Minister arrived in Placentia Bay. The next day, the Governor left St. John’s in response to Churchill’s invitation to meet. He travelled aboard the “Terra Nova,” the private car of the Newfoundland Railway,[11] and was accompanied by his honorary private secretary, the prominent businessman Lieutenant- Colonel Leonard Cecil Outerbridge (1888–1986).[12] What followed was described in vivid detail by Walwyn in the quarterly dispatch (No. 196) he addressed on 4 October 1941 to Lord Cranborne, Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs.[13] In a quarterly dispatch, the practice was for the Governor to reflect on general conditions in his jurisdiction and summarize his public activities during the previous three months. The section of Walwyn’s dispatch that refers to the historic events of 1941 in Placentia Bay is excerpted below from the copy at The Rooms Provincial Archives, St. John’s (gn1/3/a, box 241, file 15/41, “Quarterly Reports”).[14] In editing the report for publication, we have corrected obvious errors, added italics, appended explanatory notes, and made other minor adjustments in the interest of easy reading. In 1967 Leonard Outerbridge published his own account of a memorable encounter (“Churchill and Roosevelt in Newfoundland’’) in volume 4, pp. 430–36, of J.R. Smallwood and James R. Thoms, eds., The Book of Newfoundland (St. John’s: Newfoundland Book Publishers).

As events worked out for them, Sir Humphrey and Lady Walwyn were at Government House, St. John’s, longer than any vice-regal couple in the twentieth century. Their departure from the city aboard the “Terra Nova,” on 17 January 1946, signalled the end of the British Empire in Newfoundland and the eventual return, in 1949, of elective self- government, albeit within the framework of the Canadian federation.

On Saturday[15] August 9th, I received a secret and personal despatch from you containing, in gist, the following information:

1. The Prime Minister, accompanied by the First Sea Lord, the Chief of the General Staff, Sir Alexander Cadogan,[16] and others, were on board h.m.s. Prince of Wales en route to meet the President of the United States.

2. No action was required on my part.

3. No news of the presence of the Prime Minister or of the meeting was to leave Newfoundland.

4. The Prime Minister would like me to lunch with him, time and place to be notified later.

As h.m.s. Prince of Wales was due to arrive at about the same time as the private despatch was received, and as no further word had been sent, I decided to leave St. John’s by train, in coach “Terra Nova,” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, August 10th, since it seemed likely that my presence at lunch would be required on Monday, August 11th, which subsequently proved to be the case. The possibility of bad weather made it too risky to delay proceeding to Argentia until Monday morning. Accordingly, attended by my Private Secretary, I left St. John’s by rail at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 10th, arriving at Argentia at 5.30 p.m., and remained on the coach “Terra Nova” while there. The coach was placed on a siding by the sea, overlooking the north-west entrance to Placentia Sound. From a height of land near the siding h.m.s. Prince of Wales, U.S. Cruiser Augusta, U.S. Battleship Arkansas, another U.S. Cruiser, and some four or five British Destroyers, and many more American Destroyers, Mine Sweepers, Corvettes, Oil Tankers — in all about twenty-four naval ships — could be distinguished through field glasses.

At about 6 p.m. the same day, I met Lieutenant Stephens,[17] United States Naval Officer commanding the United States Naval and Marine Base at Argentia, and I arranged with Lieut. Stephens to have sent on board h.m.s. Prince of Wales a letter addressed to the Captain, Captain Leach,[18] stating that I was in Argentia awaiting the pleasure of the Prime Minister.

Lieutenant Stephens and Surgeon-Captain Crossland[19] then conducted the party around the Marine and Naval Base. The drive, which took an hour, including visiting the meteorological bureau, barracks, cement works, rock-crushing operations, the aerodrome under construction, including the partially finished runways, sites of bomb-proof electric station, workshops, sea-plane and other hangars, etc., etc. The tour ended in time for dinner in the coach at 8 p.m.

After dinner a Paymaster-Lieutenant from h.m.s. Prince of Wales called at the coach to say that he was delivering in person a signal which was about to be made to me at Government House in St. John’s. The signal contained information that the Prime Minister would like me to come to lunch on Monday at 13.30 on board Prince of Wales.[20]

Monday, August 11th. At 10 a.m. Lieut. Stephens called suggesting that ship’s time should be verified with Newfoundland time and undertook to signal Augusta (President Roosevelt on board) to check with Prince of Wales and advise what time the latter was keeping. Shortly after this, at about 10.15 a.m., an Officer arrived from Prince of Wales asking me to ascertain if Lord Beaverbrook,[21] who left England by aeroplane for Gander on Sunday night, had arrived there and when he would reach Prince of Wales. Another officer from Prince of Wales called to say that ship’s time was one and a half hours later than Newfoundland time; consequently 13.00 ship’s time (1 p.m.) was 14.30 Newfoundland time (2:30 p.m.). H.V. Morton, the author, was with him but did not enter the coach.

No answer having as yet been received from Gander I boarded barge at jetty for Prince of Wales at 13.00, arriving at 13.20. I was met by the Prime Minister at the top of the ladder, and was received by Governor’s Guard and Salute. The First Sea Lord, Air Marshall Sir Wilfrid Freeman, and others were also on the Quarter Deck and shook hands with me. The Prime Minister took me down to his cabin, followed by the First Sea Lord and Private Secretary.

I expected to find the Prime Minister jaded and tired but he was in wonderful spirits and looked so well and was charming to talk to. He was never left for five minutes to himself but a constant stream of telegrams and despatches came in which he personally dealt with.

While waiting for lunch I requested Commander Thompson[22] to send the following signal to Augusta:

“To u.s.s. Augusta
From h.m.s. Prince of Wales
Captain Beardall[23] From Commander Thompson
His Excellency the Governor of Newfoundland is on board Prince of Wales and would like to take the opportunity of paying his respects to the President, if the President so wishes. If this would be convenient would you let me know what time. His Excellency would be able to leave the ship at about 15.00.”

During lunch[24] and after my impressions during my conversation with the Prime Minister, may be listed as follows:

1. Newfoundland’s financial recovery and the Prime Minister’s congratulations, and appreciation of Newfoundland’s contribution towards the war in both man power and money.

2. Great Britain was not in urgent need of further man power from Newfoundland at present and was glad that this fact would enable many young Newfoundlanders to earn good wages from employment furnished by the American and Canadian military, naval, and air base operations.

3. The Prime Minister said he would let me know when more men were urgently required and I assured him that the country would loyally respond to any call.

4. The Prime Minister seemed optimistic and fairly well satisfied with the general course of the war. He specifically gave the following impressions:

   1. He seemed satisfied with the progress of the Battle of the Atlantic;

   2. He told me that the time had not yet arrived when America was ready to enter into the war;

   3. He was certain America would strain every effort to expedite and increase British war supplies and food.

5. The Prime Minister considered his meeting with the President was one of the most momentous meetings in the world, as the representatives of the two Anglo-Saxon Democracies would speak in one voice. He told me that a joint statement would be published on Thursday morning next.[25]

No news of Lord Beaverbrook’s arrival had been as yet received, and during lunch the Prime Minister was handed a radiogram which indicated that the plane must be eight hours overdue. He showed great anxiety and was deeply perturbed. A few seconds afterwards, a further message was handed to him stating that Lord Beaverbrook had arrived at Gander at the due time early in the morning. The relief at this news and his annoyance at having been handed the first message while the latter message was in existence were evident.

He was evidently extremely anxious that Lord Beaverbrook should join in the remaining consultations and arrive aboard the Prince of Wales at the earliest possible moment, and indeed the delay and difficulty in this respect caused him much concern.

During lunch the Prime Minister asked if there were any salmon in Newfoundland as he had not been able to get any. Colonel Outer-bridge thoughtfully wired to St. John’s and had six 15 lb. salmon in ice sent by my car, which was much appreciated.

I then proceeded by barge to U.S. Cruiser Augusta to pay my respects, as arranged, to the President of the United States. It rained heavily during the journey.

I was received on board the Augusta with the appropriate honours and was met by Admiral King,[26] Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and taken immediately to the President’s cabin. Admiral King then retired and Captain Beardall remained. Those present at the interview were the President, myself, Captain Beardall, and Private Secretary.

The President was most courteous, friendly and informal and the subjects discussed were:

1. I informed the President of the excellent behaviour of the United States troops stationed in Newfoundland, which fact evidently gave great pleasure to the President, who jocularly remarked: “What will their behaviour be like when the winter comes?”

2. I informed the President that the relationship between the American, Canadian and Newfoundland troops was most friendly and satisfactory, and that Newfoundland as a whole approved of the military association with the United States which was arranged in London and that public relationships were excellent. I remarked that perhaps the American authorities in Newfoundland were exceeding slightly certain questions concerning customs and jurisdiction as understood by Newfoundland under the terms of the London Agreement.[27]The President replied that such matters would no doubt be soon ironed out, and mentioned that similar minor difficulties were quickly and easily overcome in the case of Bermuda.

3. The President spoke enthusiastically about two salmon-fishing holidays he had formerly enjoyed in Newfoundland and he spoke admiringly of the country and people.

4. The President expressed his pleasure that the financial condition of the country had improved, and hoped that the large expenditure in Newfoundland on the American Bases contributed towards this and the financial betterment of many Newfoundlanders.

5. The President expressed concern over, to quote his own words, “the fact that Winston Churchill is entirely oblivious of his personal safety and of danger.” He said that he urged the Prime Minister, so far without any apparent hope or avail, to leave the Prince of Wales in the neighbourhood of Iceland [and] fly to England. The President reiterated his fears and the fact that he could make no impression on this point on the Prime Minister.

He said that he had given out that he was cruising in his yacht Potomac with three destroyers as escort off Nova Scotia and that he was unwell, “rather good camouflage” he said. I told him that the Christian Science Monitor from Boston had broadcast the news about the meeting on Thursday night and that the New York Times had published full details in its Friday issue. He at once rang for secretaries and dictated red hot telegrams to Washington.

The interview then ended and General Moore,[28] one of the Deputy Chiefs of the General Staff, United States Army, was introduced to me. I impressed on him the fine behaviour of the American troops stationed in Newfoundland and the personal efficiency of Colonel Welty,[29] who was mainly responsible for this satisfactory condition of affairs which has prevailed ever since the advent of the American troops in Newfoundland.

I returned to Prince of Wales about 15.30, when Captain Leach conducted me over the ship, including the Admiral’s and Captain’s Bridges. A thorough inspection was made of the gun turrets. We had tea with Captain Leach, who gave a detailed and intensely interesting description of the encounter with Bismarck.[30]

After tea I had a personal interview with First Sea Lord, Sir Dudley Pound, and the following impressions were received by me as a result of this discussion:

1. On the subject of Japan, the First Sea Lord thought we would by every possible means avoid a war with Japan while we had Germany on our hands.

2. He was very satisfied with the progress of the Battle of the Atlantic.

3. My responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief of Newfoundland were discussed and the First Sea Lord made a note that the limits of responsibility would be defined in writing and I should be advised.

On leaving the Prince of Wales the Prime Minister again shook hands and said good-bye to me and asked the Private Secretary to do everything possible to get Lord Beaverbrook to the Prince of Wales at the earliest possible moment, either by plane or train, and that a British plane be sent to the Prince of Wales to take urgent secret despatches and films to Gander, thence to be flown by bomber to England.

At about 10 p.m. a message was received stating that Lord Beaver-book would arrive at Argentia from Gander by rail, probably tomorrow morning, all necessary arrangements taken, and this was forwarded to the Prime Minister stating that any further information would be immediately conveyed to him. Later on a message was received stating that the special train with Lord Beaverbrook had left Gander at 8 p.m. and was due at Argentia at 4.30 a.m. This information was radioed to the Augusta and transmitted to the Prince of Wales.

Tuesday, August 12th. Lord Beaverbrook arrived from Gander Airport by train at 5.15 a.m., accompanied by Messrs. Long[31] and Bickell.[32] The former stated that he is in charge of the trans-Atlantic bomber ferry service, with headquarters in Montreal. Lord Beaver-brook came in an improvised train, the only sleeping accommodation being a “caboose.” He proceeded immediately on board Prince of Wales. The Private Secretary was requested to arrange that a special train with sleeper should be ready at Argentia for him to return to Gander at any time after 2 p.m. the same day. This was done.

General Arnold, U.S. Army, and a U.S. Naval Representative of the Joint United States–Canada Defence Board called and paid their respects to me.

After lunch I toured the Naval Base by car kindly placed at my disposal and driven by Lieut. Stephens. We then had tea at Lieut. Stephens’s house, when the following were present: Mrs. Stephens, Surgeon-Captain and Mrs. Crossland, Lieutenant and Mrs. Silliman,[33] and Major and Mrs. Deunkelberger.[34]

I then met the Reverend Father Dee,[35] the Parish Priest at Argentia. I learned from him that there was now general satisfaction among those who had to be removed from the area and that the compensation paid by the United States authorities was considered adequate and that the new houses were well under way.[36] I also learned that most of the men belonging to the families affected were employed in the work of constructing the Base.

On return to the coach “Terra Nova” a good view was obtained of the departure of the Prince of Wales, preceded by mine sweepers, and escorted by destroyers, followed at a short interval by the Augusta escorted by cruisers and destroyers. The U.S. battleship Arkansas remained at Argentia.

Lord Beaverbrook’s train pulled out from Argentia shortly after six o’clock and stopped at the “Terra Nova’s” Siding. Lord Beaverbrook and Mr. Averell Harriman called on me. Lord Beaverbrook was obviously tired after his long journey but was most interesting about the supply question and American production.

In the course of conversation he deliberately said “I can tell you this, the war will end very suddenly in a way none of us expect.” It has caused us all to think what he meant by this.

Paymaster-Captain Ritchie[37] (who writes as “Bartamaeus”) proceeded by the same train to Gander, taking with him the films made on board the Prince of Wales and also the Prime Minister’s secret dispatches to London.

Wednesday, August 13th. I was taken by Mr. R.M. Sneider[38] in his car around the Military base on the north side of the Harbour, where the plans of the base were examined and the site covered and the construction in progress inspected.

Roughly speaking, about two-thirds of the labour employed on the Naval and Military Bases consists of Newfoundlanders, including a small percentage of foremen. About three thousand Newfoundlanders are employed at the former and about fifteen hundred at the latter Base.

I invited the American Officers and their wives whom I had met during my tour to take sherry with me on the “Terra Nova” at 12.30 p.m.

I left Argentia at 3 p.m. and arrived in St. John’s at 6.45 p.m. after a very memorable experience.