Weekly Ponderings: On a wing and a prayer – no life like it - Part 12 (126)

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We left the rescuers Matt Berry and Rex Terpening finding Our lady of Lourdes passengers. When found, the rescued adults and children told Matt and Rex their harrowing adventures prior to rescue. Apparently, their schooner became captive of ice buildup at Pearce Point on its way from Coppermine to Aklavik. They said, “their only hope was to reach Paulatuk before their meager food supply was exhausted, although they knew the trip would be doubly hazardous at this time of year because there was neither the quantity nor the quality of snow necessary for igloo-building.”

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In place of sheltering igloo material, they used caribou skins – also used as sleeping mats and cover. Carrying these cumbersome supplies slowed their progress, while at the same time made it possible. Food was quickly running out, no more available it seemed, until they came upon a seal. It had been dead for quite a while. Nevertheless, they camped beside it and salvaged as much of the blubber as possible – although “rotten” sustained them. Prayers answered.

The Junkers’ crew planned to leave for Aklavik the morning after rescue, however, reality delayed their departure. The conundrum – circumstances – location nearest gasoline cache; Mission seriously short of food – human and canine; as well as coal for heating. Would they stay another day to bring back a load of supplies from the closed Hudson’s Bay Post and pick up two of their missionaries at the Post? How could they not, although the urgency was there to depart while the weather held, and the days remained somewhat long. They could not refuse.

So, they took that supply run for Hudson’s Bay Post – successful. Although, departure with human and canine passengers for Aklavik was not for another 10 days. It’s winter in the Arctic, after all.

For this rescue flight and others, Matt Berry was awarded the Trans-Canada (McKee) Trophy in 1937. This flight established a new record – the farthest north an aircraft had been flown during the winter. The award was made at the Canadian Institute of Mining in Montreal with Honorary Air Vice-Marshal W. A. Billy Bishop, VC, presiding. 

The same year, 1937, Matt retired from professional flying to become manager of Northern Transportation Limited, operators of freighting vessels on the Mackenzie River, that is until Canadian government requested his service during Second World War as second-in-command of No. 7 Air Observer’s School at Portage La Prairie, Manitoba.

There was an alternate opportunity for Matt to serve his country in wartime. He had attempted to enlist. However, his older age dictated being turned down. There was, however, more than one way to serve his country during wartime. Grant McConachie, a fellow bush pilot, now of Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPA), had other ideas for Matt, who was working at the Air Observer School. 

McConachie recruited him in 1942 for the CANOL Project – a joint defence undertaking between Canada and the United States to carry oil from the Norman Wells oilfields to Whitehorse, then to Fairbanks, Alaska, for wartime purposes. The United States was looking for additional fuel supplies for its expanded industries. A network of pipelines meant communities and airfields needed to be built at strategic points along the Athabasca and Mackenzie rivers. McConachie’s CPA had the contract to fly men and supplies to build the landing strips.

Matt was appointed construction superintendent and worked through the remainder of the war providing personnel and equipment to Fort McMurray, Embarrass, Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Hay River, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Wrigley, CANOL Camp and Norman Wells. Following the war, he became the prime contractor for airport construction using surplus American equipment left behind.

Versatile – Matt became president of the Davenport Mining Company, Toronto, Ontario, in 1947. While, two years later in 1949, he operated an air charter service through the Northwest Territories. At one point he joined Max Ward in Yellowknife Airways.

Two years later, in 1951, he disposed of his flying interests to Associated Airways Limited to concentrate on his mining operations. Until his retirement in 1969, due to ill health, various mining ventures kept him busy.

Arthur Massey Berry died in Edmonton, May 12, 1970. He had married Eileen May Johnson, date unknown, and had two children: Kathleen Elizabeth, 1918, and Arthur Lawrence, 1925.

Matt Berry’s name is associated with a large residential area in northwest Edmonton – Pilot Sound. It has six separate neighbourhoods named for well-known local pilots, who made history flying in the North. They are (Wilfred Leigh) Brintnell; (Herbert) Hollick-Kenyon; (Grant) McConachie; and Matt Berry – all four were inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame – Matt in 1974 – “Few pilots have contributed more to the development of Northern Canada, and the application of his professional abilities to the welfare of his fellow aviators was most noteworthy. His numerous aerial contributions have been of outstanding benefit to Canadian aviation.” The two other neighbourhoods in Edmonton’s Pilot Sound are: Cy Becker and (George) Gorman.

We, in Peace River were part of the same CANOL Project as Matt Berry, albeit from a distance, when American troops set up camp in the Jackpines, where Lions Campground resided. About 1,600 American troops –800 from the 388^th Engineer Battalion, another 800 from the 90^th Engineer Battalion. Many of the soldiers were from the southern States and had never experienced snow or cold weather. It was even more of a shock as the year 1942-43 was particularly cold in the Peace Country.

The engineers’ task – construct a pipeline from Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, to Alaska.  Actually it would go from Imperial Oil field at Norman Wells, NWT, to refinery at Whitehorse, Yukon, from which refined oil would be sent by pipeline to Fairbanks, Alaska. Before getting to Norman Wells, a winter road had to be built from the Third Battle on Highway 35 to Norman Wells.

The pipes travelled to Peace River by rail, then were hauled by truck to Norman Wells. Three years prior, the Canadian federal and provincial governments surveyed a road to break the bottleneck to the Northwest Territories. A civilian company – Bechtel, Price, Callaghan – was awarded the roadbuilding contract, which employed civilians.

Convoys took supplies and vehicles to the army wintered at Norman Wells. “The army also learned to leave the trucks running all night in order to prevent the trucks from freezing. Sometimes a chewed pack of gum would help a broken hose until the truck reached the base at Peace River for proper repairs.”

The Americans created an interesting time for the people of Peace River with guards on the railway, banks, and roads out of town. “People who walked home at night would hear a voice boom out of the darkness, ‘Who goes there?’”, writes Fred Fox in Peace River Remembers. They also livened the place that was in a bit of a slump before their arrival. The Americans held regular Saturday night dances at Athabasca Hall to which locals were invited. “As a result of this interaction between the local residents and the soldiers, about five percent of the Battalion married girls from the area.”

The army’s “tent town” across the railway bridge was pretty much self-sufficient, but Athabasca Hall was rented for administrative offices and a post office to which Dave Halkett delivered the mail. The army bought milk from Cecil Thompson’s farm at top of East Hill, where Northern Sunrise County offices and Cecil Thompson Park are now. Truck drivers, sent for the milk, often enjoyed coffee and conversation with Cecil before returning to camp.

A year after the army’s arrival, work on the pipeline and road – Mackenzie  Highway were complete. In fall of 1943, its mission accomplished, the army broke camp and returned home to United States. Many of the soldiers were shipped overseas. Eventually, abandoned camp buildings were sold and moved into town to be used as residences – others dismantled and rebuilt as granaries or barns on farms.

More interesting aircraft and flying-related stories in next Ponderings.

Sources: Peace River Remembers; Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada; Canadian Encyclopedia; Bush Pilot With a Briefcase book review by John S. Goulet; May 1941 edition of Canadian Aviation; Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre files; Vancouver History: Grant McConachie by Rebecca Bollwitt; Famous, Should be Famous, and Infamous Canadians; Punch Dickins Flies the Barrens; Punch Dickins – Snow Eagle; Bush Pilots and Barnstormers – Punch Dickins; Bush Pilots, Canada’s Wilderness Daredevils, Peter Boer; Globe and Mail – How a flying entrepreneur helped forge Canada’s aviation industry; Max Ward; Quality Above All; Max Ward and His Maverick Airline by Hugh Quigley; Remarkable Albertans – Alberta Order of Excellence Legacy Collection; Amazing Flights and Flyers, Shirlee Smith Matheson; Wings Magazine; Alberta Teachers’ Association – David Kirkham; Globe and Mail; Record-Gazette; Flying Canucks

Beth Wilkins is a researcher at the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre.