User:Llewelynpritchard
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I was a VSO volunteer in Port Hope Simpson, Newfoundland and Labrador in 1969-70. And was invited back out to the Town's Coming Home Celebrations in July 2002.
[edit] References
Port Hope Simpson challenge, is a personal blog based on original research by the author about trying to find out what really happened in the early hours of 3 February 1940 in Port Hope Simpson, Labrador when Eric Williams (30.07.1913-03.02.1940,) 27, and Erica,(15.07.1936 - 03.02.1940) his three and a half year old daughter died in a house fire.
What emerges is that secrecy is the common denominator throughout this compelling piece of the Port Hope Simpson story.
On the basis of the author's established facts, the R.C.M.P. Serious Crimes Unit, Gander, Newfoundland has opened up its own investigation. So, if you are reading this and know anything at all about what happened, please do not hesitate in contacting your local R.C.M.P. detachment or the police force of jurisdiction in your area. If you live outside Canada, please contact your local police service and ask them to make a request for assistance from the appropriate Canadian law enforcement agency. You can click here to contact R.C.M.P. direct
A Summary of the established facts: There was suspicion about the trustworthiness of Keith Yonge, the local company manager whom J. O. Williams, (28.03.1886-06.07.1963) the owner, believed was out to gain control of the company for himself - which he did actually achieve (in Port Hope Simpson) but only after Eric, J.O.'s eldest son's death. The Yonge Contract to cut and export pitwood had been drawn up between Eric and Keith which turned out to be in Keith's financial favour. Acrimonious circumstances existed in the loggers' settlement because wage cheques hadn't been paid by February 1940. This followed on from a history of broken promises by Williams towards the loggers and their families about their expected pay and living conditions. According to the R.C.M.P. investigating officer, the people undoubtedly felt betrayed and it was quite possible that somebody stirred the pot and took the law into their own hands.
It was rumoured that Olga, (1915-08.11.2004) Eric's wife was having an affair with Keith Yonge at the time and it was reported in newspapers that they lost their lives in a forest fire 3 February 1940 but no evidence of a forest fire in an area most likely blanketed by snow has been found.
Clarence Dwyer, Newfoundland Ranger, a young man, was based in the Port Hope Simpson detachment at the time but a police investigation report about the deaths is missing. A large number of Newfoundland Ranger reports from Labrador are similarly missing from Provincial Archives, St. John's, Newfoundland. A doctor was in the settlement at the time and attended to Olga Williams. Yet a medical report about cause of deaths is yet again missing. The cause of the fire if that’s what killed them, has not yet been established. Neither has any forensic evidence about whether or not foul play occurred been found by the serious crimes unit, R.C.M.P. They have not collected any evidence along that path. The police do not consider they have sufficient grounds for requesting a court order for exhumation and full scientific investigation of the remains.
On exactly the same date as the deaths, Claude Fraser Sir John Hope Simpson's former secretary of natural resources, was ordered to the appointment of director of the Labrador development company. Thomas Lodge, the former commissioner of utilities who had been disgraced in the eyes of his political masters at the Dominion Office in London, for publishing his book "Dictatorship in Newfoundland", was instructed to take over the post not long after Fraser died and a veil of civil service silence was hastily drawn over the two deaths.
The daughter of Nellie Casey, the maid in the house when the fire started has stated that her mother had told her that she had seen Eric carrying Erica towards the back door as the burning floor gave way beneath them. (The daughter has been interviewed by R.C.M.P.) Mrs. Olga Williams was pulled out to safety through a window covered in blood without an injury on her. Olga Williams stated under R.C.M.P. questionning that the house was heated by oil but her son stated she may have been confused and it was in fact heated by woodburning stove. (Mrs. Olga d’Anitoff Williams,now deceased, had re-married Sam Wiseman, one of her rescuers who had died in 1993 and had been living in St. John's where she had been interviewed by the R.C.M.P.)
Local men were ordered to hastily bury the bodies in a concrete grave with a different inscription than the one that was finally decided upon by J. O. Williams, Eric’s father back home in Wales. The inscription on the headstone for the first grave makes mention of Olga Williams yet her name is missing from the final inscription on the tombstone. J. O. Williams stated that Olga was of bad character whilst Olga has stated that he was a difficult man to work for.
The discrepancies in the epitaph chosen by Williams are entirely consistent with the unreliable and untrustworthy way Jack the Lad, as he was known within his family, conducted himself in his business dealings: the innocent child's middle and surname has been omitted from the final inscription on their tombstone in Port Hope Simpson. The address of Mr. & Mrs. J.O. Williams is incorrect on the tombstone. Their last known addresses when the deaths occurred was Flat 14 Dunraven House and Flat 13 Kenilworth House, Westgate Street, Cardiff, Wales. Not Labrador House, Southerndown, Wales as inscribed. Erica was three and a half years old and not 18 months when she died. The descendents of J.O. Williams view the tombstone as a family memorial. Mrs. Olga Williams had been cut-off from any contact with Williams family and has not benefitted financially from the proceeds of the estate of her deceased husband. The descendents of J. O. Williams on the other hand have been able to benefit by moving into property dealings. The deaths are not something that is talked about, neither by the ancestors of Williams nor by those of Olga.
The company’s properties in Port Hope Simpson had been ransacked by locals sometime between 1940-45.
Eric had been sent out by his father in the Autumn of 1939 to find out what had been going on in Port Hope Simpson. In particular, why an excessive amount of stores had been ordered by Keith Yonge, the local manager. Eric returned a large amount of stores to St. John’s and Keith threatened to resign, resenting Eric’s interference. Eric and Keith made “The Keith Yonge” contract between them. Keith was authorised by Eric to cut wood as a self-contractor whilst still also employed by Williams as manager of the company. This contract meant that Keith benefitted financially after the death of Eric. Mr Hudson, the secretary of the Company claimed that wage cheques had not been received just before the time of the deaths.
Evidence clearly shows that J. O. Williams could well have afforded to pay Port Hope Simpson loggers a decent living wage. Their struggle to survive was compounded by the way he ran the only (Company) store on the credit or truck basis that generally existed at the time in Newfoundland and Labrador.
When the deaths occurred the Commission of Government had taken over control of the Company by their own appointed board of directors based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. In reality Williams never gave up his ownership of the Company. He continued to dictate to Keith Yonge how to run his Company’s affairs until Eric's death.
The £40,000 British government loan to Williams in 1934 for setting-up operations at Port Hope Simpson had been borrowed from the Colonial Fund under the false intention that 400 houses would be built for the loggers and their families.
As early as 4 May 1934, Williams and Sir John Hope Simpson, (23.07.1868- 10.04.1961 Commissioner of Natural Resources 1934-36 and self-appointed Acting-Commissioner of Justice's)business relationship about cutting Labrador wood had started to look extremely shaky. Civil servants at the dominions office in London soon regretted ever having entering into a business relationship with Williams on the recommendation of Simpson. They set about collecting evidence from their contacts in Cardiff to show that Williams was an unreliable character. They engineered an independent public enquiry into the affairs of his company in the hope such matters would be revealed, enabling them break their ties with Williams completely. This did not come about. Williams was able to hold a claim for compensation against the British government from when they were supposedly in charge of his company as a powerful bargaining chip in his final dealings with them from 1945.
Simpson continued his efforts, even after 1936 when he had resigned as commissioner, to keep the Newfoundland Rangers force he had set-up under the jurisdiction of the natural resources department instead of under the more rational authority of the Newfoundland justice department.
The exported wood was purchased by J. O. Williams Ltd, another company also owned by Williams in Cardiff. This meant that people were unable to find out what profits were being made and if they were being paid at an appropriate level for their labour. Williams manged to successfully hide his true financial position from the public enquiry but revealed the strength of his true financial position in a confidential letter he wrote to Yonge.
Eric's father had encountered a great deal of difficulty in obtaining staisfactory information from Young about the state of his son and granddaughter's grave. A letter from Yonge to Williams is known to be kept in the secret possession of Williams's surviving grandson.
