World War II Archives | When World War II Came to Bell Island, Newfoundland

Gravestones of four sailors from SS Saganaga

These four graves are in the St. Boniface Anglican Cemetery on Bell Island. The bodies of Able Seamen Thomas C. Wood and Herbert Swain, along with Firemen George […]

German G7e torpedo

Both U-boat attacks at Bell Island were made using G7e/T2 torpedoes. These weapons were 7.2 metres long and 53.3 centimetres in diameter. They weighed 1603 kilograms, which included […]

English translation of U-518 logbook for November 2, 1942 attacks

U-518 logbook extracts from November 2, 1942: “06.36 – On closing three steamers are in sight, they lie off the roadstead at anchor. “07.32 – Shot from tube […]

Book: The Enemy on our Doorstep by Steve Neary

The most thorough historical account of the 1942 U-boat attacks and sinkings at Bell Island is contained in this book written by the late Steve Neary and published […]

Lloyd Rees

Photograph of teenager Lloyd Rees standing on the Lance Cove wharf with his bicycle during World War II. You can read Lloyd Rees’ teenage memories of the Bell […]

Emma Rees

Photo of Emma Rees of Lance Cove, Bell Island. Survivors of the 1942 Bell Island sinkings were brought to several homes in Lance Cove, including the home of […]

DOSCO correspondence: SS Rose Castle survivors

A letter dated August 26, 1943 from William Gilroy to J.A. Campbell, both of the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (DOSCO) in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The letter lists […]

Map of Bell Island, Newfoundland in 1942 (click to enlarge)

Map of Bell Island in Conception Bay, Newfoundland. Bell Island is roughly 10 kilometres long by 3.5 kilometres wide, and is 5 kilometres offshore of Portugal Cove. The […]

David Rees Interview and Virtual Tour, Lance Cove, Newfoundland

David Rees shares stories from his grandmother Emma Rees of how survivors from the two German U-boat attacks and sinkings in 1942 were cared for in Emma’s home […]

Scuba Divers Commemorate Remembrance Day on Shipwreck

A group of scuba divers place a cross with poppies on the P.L.M. 27 shipwreck for Remembrance Day 2017. Ocean Quest Adventures takes local scuba divers out to […]

75th Anniversary of U-boat Attacks and Sinkings at Bell Island

The 75th anniversary of the U-boat attacks and sinkings at Bell Island took place at Lance Cove, Newfoundland on September 16, 2017. This photo shows members of Branch […]

Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland & Labrador

The Honourable Frank Fagan (on right), Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland & Labrador, delivers a speech of remembrance at the commemoration ceremony for the 75th anniversary of the U-boat attacks […]