By GLENDA MCCARTHY,
the Georgian
During the early days of the Second World War, Britain made a deal with the American government that would forever change the tiny village of Stephenville.
On Oct. 20, 1940 a total of 8,159 acres along the northeast end of St. George's Bay was selected for the construction of a US Army Air Force base, the largest military airport to be constructed outside of the continental USA. It was to be known as the Stephenville Air Base.
At that time, the village of Stephenville was small with only 500 residents. Their homes were scattered all over the area and many had to relocated so the huge military base could be constructed.
The population of Stephenville grew from 500 to 7,000 almost overnight because of base construction as the village was transformed into a "boom-town".
The first contingent of US Army troops arrived in Stephenville in January, 1941 and consisted of a handful of engineers and key US civilian personnel who surveyed the area to determine what would be constructed where.
Temporary facilities
In February, Newfoundland Base Contractors working under the US Corps of Engineers awarded its first contract to an American contracting company to build the airfield. In the original contract, all structures, including hangars, were to be temporarily constructed. This contract was changed in December to semi- permanent hangars, which were later changed to permanent hangars.
Actual construction of the base began on June 23, and employed over 1,500 civilians. It was on that same day that the Stephenville Air Base was officially named Harmon Field, in honour of Captain Ernest Emery Harmon of the United States Patent Office, who was killed during a test flight from Maryland to Mitchel Field in 1933.
When the US declared war on Japan in December 1941, the construction of the base was not finished. Buildings occupied by the Newfoundland Base Contractors, which were supposed to be demolished when the base was completed, were left in place and US Army Air Force personnel were put in tents and temporary structures until new quarters were completed.
Tent City
In April, 1942 over 700 troops arrived in Stephenville by sea transport and had to stay aboard the ships until tents could be erected. One hundred mammoth tents were put in place to form Camp Morris, the largest "tent city" in Newfoundland at the time.
By April 1943, there were 17 military units and over 4,000 US soldiers in Harmon Field but it wasn't until August that the runway was open to heavy air traffic.
Prior to that time the runways of the airfield were only open for emergency landings. The first non-emergency aircraft to land was September 15, 1942.
In September 1943, Harmon Field transferred to the Army Air Transport Service, but was still under the Newfoundland Base Command. Its mission was to service aircraft going to Europe.
Permanent presence
In 1947 the first major project began to construct permanent buildings to replace the temporary ones so that the base would be expanded and used as a permanent overseas US Air Force Base. The construction continued until 1950 and employed hundreds of civilians.
The runways were extended and many new up to date service buildings erected. By the end of 1950 the Harmon base was one of the most "elegant of any overseas military installations." (On July 1, 1948 Harmon Field had been renamed Ernest Harmon Air Force Base.)
Each year up to 1965, over 4,500 trans-atlantic flights stopped at Harmon. For that 17 year period, 132,000 passengers passed through Harmon's facilities annually.
The base underwent its second major construction project in 1953. Runways were lengthened, new buildings built, and a $2 million hospital with a 100-bed capacity constructed. Aircraft parking aprons were widened and underground refuelling lines and hydrants were installed. Over $10 million was spent on the base construction from 1958 to 1966.
Base closes
However on Dec. 16, 1966 the base officially closed and was turned over to the federal government. It was valued at $179 million.
Thirty-six years after closing, many of the buildings still stand and are used by the residents of the Town of Stephenville.
The Harmon Hilton dormitories were built at a cost of $2 million each. These now make up the Stephenville Manor and the College of the North Atlantic headquarters and residence.
The Hotel DeGinque is now known as the Stephenville Hotel, the BX store is currently the Harmon Mall, the Base Commissary is now the Stephenville Indian Head Co-op store, and the Base Chapel which accommodated up to 1,500 people is now the Zion Pentecostal Church.
The Base Gym was built in 1956 and had a seating capacity of 500, four wall courts and two squash courts. Now the gym or West Coast Training Centre is used for basketball, badminton, Tea Kwon Do, weight training and squash.
The Harmon Theatre was built in 1960 with a seating capacity of over 600 people. Its large screen and stage were used for movies and live performances.
Some of the people who performed or appeared here include Elvis Presley, Bob Hope, Marlene Dietrich, and Joan Blondell.
A replica of a fighter jet, the Delta Dagger, which was well known in the skies of Stephenville, was erected as a monument and a reminder of the impact it had on Stephenville. The monument still stands today, next to the Stephenville town office.
The physical landscape of Stephenville obviously still bears many reminders of the 'base days', but perhaps even more enduring are the memories that live on in local residents who lived during that period.
Information taken from A Friendly Invasion The American Military in Newfoundland:1940-1990 by John N. Cardoulis, and from www.heritage.nf.ca,
Who was Ernest Harmon?
"Ernest Emery Harmon was born in Dallas, Texas, on February 8, 1893. His education consisted of attending Bethany College in West Virginia and George Washington University for a year afterwards.
"It was in 1917 that Capt. Harmon enlisted in the aviation section of the signal corps reserve. From there he was sent to Austin, Texas. After receiving flight training he became a second Lieutenant on April 5, 1918. He was then appointed as a second Lieutenant in the regular army on July 1, 1920. Following being stationed in several locations, Ernest Harmon earned a living as a test pilot for the United States Patent Office. He was chosen to fly the Martin Bomber in the 'Round the Rim' flight of 1919. He won the Detroit News Trophy at the International Air Races when he flew the Huff Daland light bomber at an average speed of 119.19 miles per hour.
"The death of this great aviation pioneer rocked the United States aviation world. While making a test flight from Maryland to Mitchel Field on August 27, 1933, Capt. Harmon lost his life when the aircraft ran out of fuel near Stamford, Connecticut. He attempted to parachute to safety, but he was too low for the chute to open.
"Even though he has never been here, or most likely even heard about the small town of Stephenville, we still honour this great aviation pioneer every two years with Harmon Field Day."
Information taken from: http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/stephenville/basename.html
The main gate or entrance to Harmon Base from the town of Stephenville was a busy place till the base closed in 1966. It was located at the old bridge where Main Street turns into Carolina Avenue, site of Canada Post and McDonald's today.
The first plane landed at the Stephenville airport on Sept. 15, 1942 at 12:30. Conditions were still very primitive or preliminary.
During Armed Forces Day in 1956, local civilians took tours of the hangars located on the ramp. This was the forerunner to Harmon Field Day, now held every two years.
This helicopter was open to the inspection of civilians during the 1956 Armed Forces Day.
This building formerly known as the BX was a base store. It is now the Harmon Mall located on Carolina Avenue.
This plane crashed in the Bay St. George area sometime in the late 1940s.