Newfoundland army uniforms in Newfoundland in WWII?

[Mark Axworthy]

I have seen only one photograph of the Newfoundland Militia (later Newfoundland Regiment) in WWII.

This seems to be of the first recruits in early training in 1939/40.

In it they appear to be wearing a one-piece overall, (possibly of khaki?).

I have also seen a written reference to the Commission of Government ordering uniforms, but it is unclear from where.

What uniforms did the Newfoundland Militia/Regiment wear in WWII? Were some (the overalls?) perhaps ordered locally?

Presumably battledress was issued later, but was it of Canadian or British manufacture?

Are there any sources of photos of the Newfoundland Militia/Regiment in WWII?

Many thanks for any assistance.

 

[kkwd]

The Newfoundland Provincial Archives can be found at The Rooms. You may be able to find what you are looking for there.

 

[larry Strong]

This is probably one of the better threads on the internet for the RNR in WW2

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195215

A caveat; I cant remember if you have to register to see the photo's


Cheers
Larry

 

[BinRat55]

http://fishermansroad.blogspot.ca/2014/12/cassie-browns-account-of-1942-k-of-c.html

 

[BinRat55]

You got me curious so of course I went and did a little research. I found out that maybe the reason you are finding it difficult to find reference material to uniforms is that Newfoundland never sent "militia" overseas. There were two factios:

The 166th (Newfoundland) Field Regiment served in Britain, North Africa, and Italy; the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment defended England’s coastline for three years before fighting in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Before the war ended, some 2,343 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians fought with the Royal Artillery.

Aside from some 50 Rangers and 260 members of the Newfoundland Constabulary, Newfoundland and Labrador lacked any form of armed forces when war broke out in September 1939. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which fought in the First World War, and the Royal Naval Reserve, which trained local fishermen and seamen for service with the Royal Navy, had both disbanded by 1921.

Of immediate concern to the Commission of Government was the establishment of a home defence force. In October, it created the Newfoundland Militia, later renamed the Newfoundland Regiment in 1943. Before hostilities ended, the Regiment had enlisted some 1,668 men, whose mission was to guard vulnerable areas in St. John’s, Bell Island, Harbour Grace, Bay Roberts, Whitbourne, and St. Lawrence. The Commission also formed Home Guard units in Grand Falls and Corner Brook to defend those towns and their valuable paper mills in the event of attack.

Not possessing the financial resources with which to raise and equip ground, air, or naval forces for service overseas – as had been the case with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War – the Commission of Government instead allowed Britain and other Allied countries to recruit men and women from Newfoundland and Labrador into their armed forces.

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/newfoundlanders-labradorians-wwii.php

 

[Blackadder1916]

Presumably battledress was issued later, but was it of Canadian or British manufacture?

http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/cns_publish/FraserManuscript.pdf

The arms and equipment of the militia consist of Short Lee Enfield and
Ross rifles, Lewis guns, and two coastal defence guns and two searchlights.
The uniforms have been manufactured locally and the equipment either
purchased or held on loan from the Canadian government.

. . . Newfoundland never sent "militia" overseas.

Though there wasn't a repeat of Newfoundlanders going overseas as formed units, apparently, the Newfoundland "Militia" (later Regiment) did eventually have a role in the training of soldiers for the RA Newfoundland units.

In 1942, the decision was taken to utilize the militia as a training depot
for volunteers for the Royal Artillery regiments stationed in the United
Kingdom. Grade I recruits offered themselves in sufficient numbers to replace
many militia men, with the result that in the fall of 1942 one hundred trained
soldiers who had served in the militia were able to join their fellow
Newfoundlanders in the Royal Artillery. These men had been waiting two and
three years for the chance to go overseas. At the close of 1942, another 200
eager young men were in training with the militia preparatory to enlistment in
the Royal Artillery as soon as opportunity afforded.

Though the linked paper does not include a bibliography of documentary references, it was (according to the introduction) mostly an "official" contemporaneously written "HISTORY OF THE PARTICIPATION BY NEWFOUNDLAND IN WORLD WAR II".

 

[Mark Axworthy]

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for the help thus far.

The Fraser Document seems to be referring to 1939-40 when it says:

The arms and equipment of the militia consist of Short Lee Enfield and Ross rifles, Lewis guns, and two coastal defence guns and two searchlights. The uniforms have been manufactured locally and the equipment either purchased or held on loan from the Canadian government.

The Fraser Document also says: of the 1943-44 Budget:

(3) A further amount of $25,000 was spent to meet increased expenditure on uniforms for the Newfoundland Regiment. In this connection, the Honourable Commissioner explained that, since the Newfoundland Regiment had become the recruiting and training establishment for the artillery regiments overseas, there had been a considerable increase in the number of men provided with uniforms and outfitted in Newfoundland at the expense of the Newfoundland government.

Unfortunately it doesn't explain the nature or source of either the early or late war uniforms - hence my original query.

Again, many thanks.

 

[Mark Axworthy]

I have found the following quote:

"Other nations produced Battle Dress during the Second World War, including Australia, Britain, India, New Zealand, and the United States, who produced "War Aid" Battle Dress."

But was Newfoundland amongst them?

 

[Blackadder1916]

I have found the following quote:

Repeating a "quote" is meaningless unless it is attributed.  What is the context?  The wider discussion?  The credibility, bias or scholarship of the author?

All those should probably be judged to determine:

a.  was the author even aware of Newfoundland  (as a Newfoundlander, I've been surprised - well not really- by the people who have no knowledge of its existence;
b.  if aware of our little island "paradise", did they automatically lump it in with Canada;
c.  if aware, did they even care about the miniscule quantities of uniforms that would have been produced there; and
d.  if aware, did they consider Newfoundland a "nation" at that time or would it be in the same vein as Hong Kong, Bermuda, Gibraltor, Malta, Ceylon, a dozen or more African jurisdictions, etc that may have also locally produced uniforms for their locally engaged and employed soldiers.

 

[Mark Axworthy]

Hi Blackadder....,

I don't agree that "a "quote" is meaningless unless it is attributed", unless we are talking about an academic paper, in which case it is de rigeur.

However, an attribution is certainly helpful, so here is the source: http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/uniforms/battledress.htm I think it will answer many of your queries.

I have previously checked out whether Newfoundland had a tailoring industry for local consumption and, according to a 1945 promotional booklet for the Dominion, it did. So it appears that the potential existed to produce uniforms in the relatively "minuscule quantities" necessary.

I am simply trying to find out whether Newfoundland actually did so.

There seem to be two sorts of uniform in photos:

1) An overall apparently worn by the Newfoundland Militia in 1939-40

and

2) Battledress, worn later.

The origin of neither is clear.

However, if either were produced locally, it would add a little local character to Newfoundland's war effort.

Cheers.

 

[Mark Axworthy]

Further to the above post:

p.19 of Information Booklet of Newfoundland & Labrador (St. John's, 1945), states that Newfoundland had a woolen mill, three manufacturers of men's clothing, and three manufacturers of boots and shoes. Thus there appears to have been sufficient manufacturing potential to produce enough uniforms to outfit the ±500 men in the Newfoundland Militia/Regiment at any one time.

The question remains whether such uniforms actually were acquired locally?

Many thanks.