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The Heritage Mat Challenge To celebrate the launch of our new book "Hooked Mats of Newfoundland and Labrador: Beauty Born of Necessity" a challenge was given to members to hook a heritage mat and present it at Rug Camp 2007. All the mats were on display during the Rug Camp and campers were invited to cast their vote for the Campers Choice Award.
Dianne Warren's mat " The Hudson Bomber" was selected. Below is her mat and her explanation for her selection, a tribute to her father who worked in the airline industry in Gander, and of her growing up years in Gander.
My Heritage (Hudson Bomber over Gander)
by Dianne Warren Newfoundland was a colony of Britain at that time, and my father was a young man, one of many brave Newfoundlanders who signed up to serve. He joined the RAF, and took a boat to England where he was exposed to the operations and maintenance of airplanes like the Hudson Bombers and Spitfires. Following the war, he returned to the United States to finish his schooling and train as a certified aircraft mechanic and crew chief, and was hired by an American company, Allied Aviation, to work at the new airport town of Gander. Growing up in Gander, my siblings, friends, and I watched planes and jets of all sorts and sizes fly overhead to and from the airport. Many times we would rush to the airport to view those parked on the tarmac that were of unique interest, and often, we would hear stories, and sometimes see famous dignitaries who landed for refueling on their way to or from Europe. A Sunday afternoon’s entertainment was often an afternoon sitting in the main lounge of the new airport, with its unusual artwork and sculptures. My heritage is founded on the airport town of Gander, for years known as the Crossroads of the World, and its contribution to WWII. The Aviation Museum located along the TCH in Gander has a WWII RAF Hudson Bomber parked outside the museum building, which was used as a model for my mat. The background depicts an aerial view of the old terminal buildings/hangers where my father worked, the runways that crossed over each other, Gander Lake, the peak of Mount Peyton on the horizon, and the Town of Gander. |
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During World War II, Gander was
identified as an ideal location for an airport, so the small, isolated
logging camp became a buzz of construction. The Americans, British and
Canadians all contributed to construction of runways, airport buildings,
and housing needs, hospitals and churches, and the entire necessary
infrastructure to support the war effort and the infamous Ferry Command
operation that changed the course of the war.