As regards the Argentia, Newfoundland base, it was still a very active USN submarine base, into the early 1990's. Had a average base population of about 6,000 USN and USMC personnel.

I have a friend whose father was one of the first Newfoundlanders to be hired at that base, in 1943, as a plumber. He stayed on utill he retired in 1980. He was paid in US dollars and was allowed to shop at the PX, and his kids attended the base school, and used all the base recreation facilities, such as the pool and movie theatre. He gets a USN pension now and has VA medical rights.

The base was returned to Canadian control in 1995, and WE ARE STILL CLEANING IT UP. Huge amounts of PCBs and other chemicals are still being removed from the soil there. The US Government has refused to pay for any of that clean up.

Cornerbrook and Goose Bay/Happy Valley are now Canadian airports and during the North American aviation "shut down " after the September 11th attacks, they were knee deep in commercial air planes, that had been diverted from their original USA destinations.

We called it ........ " Twenty Five thousand people are dropping in for dinner and staying for 4 days ". In typical Newfie style they fed and housed thousands of complete strangers, with great big smiles and no whining.

Jim Bunting. Toronto.