Description

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Vice Admiral Sir Humphrey Thomas Walwyn (1879–1957) was the British-appointed governor of Newfoundland from 1936 to 1946 – a period of remarkable change that would culminate in Newfoundland’s union with Canada in 1949. Assembling records from the British national archives and the provincial archives in Newfoundland and Labrador, Out Here presents readers with Walwyn’s quarterly reports to the secretary of state for dominion affairs in London throughout his tenure as governor. Walwyn’s position offered him a unique vantage point on the political and economic situation in Newfoundland throughout this tumultuous period. His reports bear witness to profound change, chronicling the economic downturn experienced in the final years of the Great Depression, followed by the unprecedented prosperity sparked by the Second World War that set the stage for debates over governance and for significant constitutional advance. The detailed accounts of Walwyn’s daily life in Newfoundland feature rich descriptions of capital city, company town, and outport mores; they paint a picture of coastal life in the mid-twentieth century and introduce the wide array of characters the governor encountered. Throughout, the candid insider accounts of Governor Walwyn are augmented by expert historical context and illustrated with a generous selection of contemporary photographs. As a whole, Out Here stands as an invaluable primary-source record and an important trove of information on wartime experiences in Atlantic Canada.

About the Author

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Melvin Baker is an historian and retired archivist for Memorial University. Peter Neary is professor emeritus in the Department of History at the University of Western Ontario.

Praise For…

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“This is a gem of a historical resource. Walwyn casts a measured, discerning eye on Newfoundland and the editors provide context and introduce Walwyn to readers, highlighting the qualities that made him an important actor in Newfoundland’s history. The volume will be profoundly valuable to future researchers of the Second World War era in Canadian and international history.” Michael Whitby, retired senior naval historian with Canada’s Department of National Defence