DAILY DIARY
30 RADIO DETACHMENT - CAPE BAULD, NFLD
August 7, 1944 to October 31, 1944
7 Aug 44
Monday - The Beaver is coming shortly from Goose with 450 barrels of diesel oil, and will require immediate attention. R172429 LAC Butterfield arrived today by boat from St Anthony for a special radio job.
8 Aug 44
Tuesday - Temp 48.6º. Wind NW 2 mph. Clear and calm today. Max Range of A/C 131 miles. No of tracks 6. Max length of A/C tracks 84 miles. Total plots 34.
It has been a perfect day for unloading supplies and a start was made on getting stuff from the warehouse around the island to Lighthouse Cove. However, the day started a little too early to suit some. It happened that the "Ranger" was nowhere to be seen even by noon yesterday and Mr Houston and his men were nearly frantic last night, hourly, and later momentarily, expecting her to be reported via "grape" from Raleigh, the farthest port on the west coast with which Quirpon has phone connection. When it had not come by midnight they bunked down for the night wherever they could get. The "Ranger" arived at five-thirty next morning, that is today, large as life and not a bit ashamed of herself.
The exchange of men was completed without confusion and the new men set off in two local trap boats to go the long way around to Lighthouse Cove. It was a beautiful summer morning, and in spite of their determination to find everything as grim and forbidding as possible, they could not help but relax a bit to find things a bit better than they had hoped for. This camp is an unattractive sight for a newcomer even on a fine day, but they took it all in good spirit.
The carting of provisions proceeded apace. A lot of stuff was landed at Lighthouse Cove, and by noon our 5650 lbs. of fresh meat had been safely transferred from the Eskimo to the local fish freezing plant at Quirpon for temporary storage. At 4 pm the O/C signed the papers receiving the cargo. The Eskimo prepared to sail.
9 Aug 44
Wednesday - Temp. 52.4º. Wind W. 12 mph. Clear and calm all day. Max. range of A/C 98. No. of tracks 3. Max. length of A/C track 88. Total plots 26.
The remaining supplies were hauled from the warehouse to Lighthouse Cove by noon today, and that spot has all the appearance of a real beachhead. A year's rations for fifty men is piled there, and is quickly dwindling as numerous natives and an increasing number of airmen lug it over the 600 yards of rock and bog a box at a time on their shoulders. The tractor is unserviceable and apparently the spares which were ordered have not arrived. Other expected items are appearing to be missing also as the stuff is carefully against what was ordered.
29 Oct 44
The personnel are all posted now. The OC is posted to #37 RU, Brig Harbour to replace F/L Redding there, effective 28 Oct. All other ranks are posted to the new unit called No 1 Release Centre, Halifax, NS, effective 31 Oct with the exception of two SP's posted previously to 14 RU Torbay, and our Cpl Seaman who is to return back to EAC Marine Squadron once he finishes up here. It is arranged that thirty-three men are to leave by the Norther Ranger when she arrives here on her way to Humbermouth approximately Nov 7. The remaining thirteen men will have the big job of finishing up the packing and the crating. They will have a difficult job to do and one that will require careful planning. So far the going has been fairly straight-forward, but when in November the last group of thirteen men and two officers attack the four great diesel units, the radar transmitter, the piano, the stoves and the other heavy items, the difficulties from this distance seem frightful. If the expected tractor does not arrive from Torbay on this Ranger, "We'll 'ave 'ad it."
An EAC signal advised us today that the official date of disbandment is set at Oct 31.
30 Oct 44
Today has been cold and windy. The ground has been half frozen and there were squalls of snow and rain throughout the day. Added to the usual "Blue Monday" feeling on the camp the day brought only small headway. The pony is still recuperating and the king's Canadian airmen make a poor and unwilling substitute.
31 Oct 44
Today is the last day in the official history of No 30 Detachment. The work of clearing up the camp is going gayly ahead in the frosty air. The men are looking forward to the arrival of the Norther Ranger in a week's time, and meanwhile have been advised that the situation will require their utmost effort to the last day. There is a very understandable tendency on their part to want to ease up, but it can not be allowed yet.
The SS Kyle is expected to go by tomorrow, and since this is the last boat of the season going up the Labrador, the OC should catch it. However he cannot leave here without a proper clearance of public finds imprest, and inventory, and unless specific instructions to do so are received today, he will be forced to remain and count on transportation by air. In any case his dog Juno is going with him
No instructions have been received yet from EAC with regards to the closing up of the buildings or the removal of fixtures. These instructions should have been sent weeks ago, and have been asked for several times. No doubt last minute orders will arrive which we shall not have time to implement properly.
There has been no sickness or colds on the camp this month. There have however been many sore backs, shoulders and feet, some real and some imaginary, and the first week of November will see lots more.
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Updated: April 8, 2003