Volume 24 www.legionnl.com 21 Newfoundland Labrador Command continued ... Howard was extremely good at Mathematics but – in 1934 depression-affected Newfoundland - his opportunities to pursue this skill were limited. Nevertheless, he enrolled in a Teacher Training program at (then) Memorial College in St. John’s and, at its completion six weeks later, was hired by the Bank of Nova Scotia in Twillingate. He often spoke with great fondness about his years there - especially how it gave him the opportunity to acquire business acumen and integrate it with his natural mathematical abilities. In 1938, the Bank transferred him to its Bay Roberts Branch. It was in Bay Roberts that another of Howard’s life adventures began. When my Dad arrived at the Bay Roberts Branch of the bank, he bought a used1930 Model V “74 Twin” Harley Davidson for $275.00. A treasured family tale is of my parents’ first meeting at the bank and the role his Harley played in it. When my 20 year-old adventurer Dad first saw my reserved 20 year-old school teacher Mom, he asked her if she’d like to go for a ride on his motorcycle. Covered in a thick layer of dust and bugs from a short ride on a gravelcovered country road, she arrived back home totally smitten. They were together from then on, marrying in 1943 – even WWII couldn’t keep them apart! My remarkable father was so much more than a very bright, mathematically-gifted business man who loved the outdoors. He was devoted to my mother and he was also a passionate patriot. As soon as WWII began, he was determined to defend his country. He and his closest childhood friend Alex (from Blackhead) hopped on his Harley and immediately drove three hours to the nearest Royal Air Force (RAF) recruiting office in St. John’s. They both were accepted and sent home with the understanding that they would receive instructions shortly regarding the next step. As I learned from Alex many years after Dad’s death, “waiting” was not an option for my father. After three weeks with no word from St. John’s, Dad resigned from the bank and drove his Harley “overseas” to Canada to volunteer for the RCAF – no waiting. After his death, I learned many other things about my father from family, friends, and total strangers. These things helped verify and solidify my innate understanding of my father’s quiet character. He NEVER spoke of his time in the service, yet he cherished his comrades and remained in touch. Although an avid trout and salmon angler – and partridge hunter – he told me just before his death at 66 that his wartime experiences gave him a new perspective on the sanctity of all life, and he could now never kill another bird. Almost 30 years after his death, I also learned from a family member what Dad had done for Mom in 1942. They were engaged at that time and preparing to wed the next year. It was Mom’s dearest wish to have her father with her at their wedding. If there was any way Dad could make this happen, he intended to try, regardless of the obstacles. These obstacles included the fact that he was a Newfoundlander stationed in another country (Canada) awaiting an imminent call to action overseas during a World War; that Mom’s father now lived in yet another country (Long Island, NY, USA); and that he had no money to travel that far. For a less determined person, this was an impossible dream; for Dad, not so much. Unbeknownst to Mom, he calmly requested (and was granted) leave; used his numerous connections and charm to make the five-day journey to New York; and, armed with only a street address, walked the streets of Long Island until he found her father’s home. Unfortunately by this time, her father’s health had declined to the point where he could not physically make the journey. For Mom, the effort Dad made spoke volumes. Another of his childhood friends (Sam) told me that, when both he and my father were living in Twillingate in the mid 1930s (he as a new teacher and my father as the banker), he went to the bank for a loan of $40. At that time, a Newfoundland teacher’s monthly salary was about $27.50, but Sam wanted to travel across the island to Howley at Christmastime to propose to his love – and $40 was what he needed for the return trip and engagement ring. Sam had no collateral as required by the bank; continued ...
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