ARCHIVES and SPECIAL COLLECTIONS QUEEN ELIZABETH II LIBRARY MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY, ST. JOHN'S, NL

Grenfell Medical Mission COLL-281 Website: Archives and Special Collections Author: Sara Flaherty Date: 2000

Scope and Content: This collection consists of over 100 photographs, postcards and magazine clippings relating to the Grenfell Mission at St. Anthony, during 1920's. There are images of the children under the care of the Grenfell mission, the day to day activities of the people of the area, photographs of the school and hospital established by the International Grenfell Association, and pictures and postcards depicting the rugged beauty of Northern Newfoundland and Labrador.

Custodial History: The photographs of the Grenfell Mission at St. Anthony, Newfoundland, were acquired from Schooner Books of Halifax, Nova Scotia in December, 1990. The cover of the album indicates that Evangeline Given was the original owner of the album and she was likely an employee of the Grenfell Mission at St. Anthony during the 1920's

Restrictions: There are no restrictions on access. Copyright laws and regulations may apply to all or to parts of this collection. All patrons should be aware that copyright regulations state that any copy of archival material is to be used solely for the purpose of research or private study. Any use of the copy for any other purpose may require the authorization of the copyright owner. It is the patron's responsibility to obtain such authorization.

Biography or History: In 1892 the medical missionary Sir Wilfred Grenfell arrived in Newfoundland and began his passionate attempt to bring medical care and social welfare programs to the people of Northern Newfoundland and Labrador. Grenfell, the son of a Church of England minister, was heavily influenced by a chance encounter with an American evangelist named D. L. Moody who preached that religion should be expressed by rendering services to mainkind. At that time Grenfell was a young medical student at the University of London. Upon completion of his medical studies, he was persuaded by his professor of surgery, Sir Frederick Treves, to join the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fisherman (RNMDSF), where he provided medical and spiritual aid to the fishermen of the North Sea.

In 1892, while still involved with the RNMDSF, Grenfell made a trip to Newfoundland and Labrador to determine the need for the Mission's services there. He arrived in St. John's that summer and saw the destruction caused by a fire earlier in the year. After spending a few days tending to those in need, he embarked on his journey down the Labrador Coast. Grenfell travelled as far north as Hopedale and was amazed by the poverty and the sickness of many of the people in the communities. Medical care of any kind was extremely rare in Labrador so people turned to folk remedies to treat injuries and illnesses. This often did more harm than good. Over the course of that first summer, Grenfell treated more than 900 people and dispensed all the supplies he had brought with him. In that short time he developed a reputation among the people of Labrador as a great healer. He would be known as this for the rest of his life.

Newfoundland and Labrador has requested help from the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen many times before but had not received aid because of a lack of funds. When Grenfell arrived back in St. John's in the Fall of 1892 fundraising efforts to support the mission were already underway. Grenfell returned to try to procure as much funding as possible for hospeitals, medical personnel and supplies. He began a speaking tour in which he vividly described the hardships endured by the people of the Labrador Coast. The tour was a great success. Proceeds from it provided enough funding to build two hospitals and buy a steam vessel. When Grenfell returned to Labrador in the Summer of 1893 he brought with him two doctors and two nurses recruited from the London hospital to help bring medical services to the people scattered throughout Northern Newfoundland and Coastal Labrador.

Grenfell established his first hospital at Battle Harbour and the second at Indian Bay. Over the course of the next few years he divided his time between tending to the sick and injured in Northern Newfoundland and Coastal Labrador and raising funds in , the United States and Europe. Although he was receiving acclaim for his good work, the Mission decided Grenfell should return to the North Sea, as he was devoting too much time and money to the Labrador mission. Over the next three years he would return to Labrador only occasionally. In 1899 Dr. Willway, who had replaced Grenfell on the Labrador coast, had to leave but suggested that Grenfell be sent back to resume his duties.

When Grenfell returned to Labrador he brought with him not only his medical skills and supplies but the belief that with social programs and improved economic conditions, the lives of the people he tended improved dramatically. His interest in social programs led to the establishment of an orphanage at St. Anthony on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula, a third hospital at Harrington, Labrador and the first Grenfell nursing station at Forteau. Grenfell continued to recruit medical personnel and volunteers to work with him. In 1909 the first inter- denominational school in Newfoundland was established at St. Anthony. Grenfell believed that children should not be segregated on the basis of religion and that it was better to have one large, well equipped school than several small, inferior ones.

Grenfell also attempted to improve the economics of the region. In 1896 he founded a cooperative store at Red Bay which did very well. Several others were also started but did not meet with the same success. In 1904 a sawmill was built at Canada Bay and it operated successfully for several years. Grenfell wanted to over throw the credit system under which fishermen and merchants operated because he believed that the system kept fisherman impoverished and powerless. Grenfell advocated for diversification of the economy through industrial works projects which would give people cash employment. He promoted the production of marketable commodities as an extra source of production. By 1914 there were fourteen industrial centres in operation.

In 1912 the International Grenfell Mission was founded to oversee the running of the works Dr. Grenfell had undertaken. After this Grenfell spent most of his time away from Labrador, across the ocean in Europe finding funding to keep the mission going. By now, Grenfell was also the author of articles and books which told of his adventures in his adopted home. One particularly popular publication was Adrift on an Ice Pan, which told of one of his most dangerous experiences while in Labrador. In attempting to answer a call, Grenfell became stranded on a piece of ice which had started to drift out to sea. Grenfell survived the night on the ice pan but in order to keep himself alive he had to sacrifice three of his dogs for their fur coats. The next morning he was saved by some fishermen.

Grenfell's unfailing courage and determination to help others earned him many accolades and awards, including an Honorary Doctorate of Medicine from Oxford University, the first ever awarded. In 1907 he was appointed a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. In 1928 he was chosed as fifth Honorary Knight for Life of the Loyal Knights of the Round Table, a rank reserved for men who have done great service to humanity. In 1911, he was awarded the Murchison Prize from the Royal Geographical Society for his maps and chart of Labrador.

Dr. Grenfell retired from his years or service to the people of Northern Newfoundland and Labrador in 1935 at the age of seventy. He and his wife, Anne McClanhan, a wealthy American he had married in 1909, went to live in Vermont. By that time there were in operation five hospitals, seven nursing stations, two orphanages, fourteen industrial centres, four summer schools, three agricultural stations, twelve clothing distributing centres, four hospital ships, one supply schooner, a dozen community centres, several cooperative stores, a cooperative lumber mill and a haul-up slip for ship repairs.

Sir Wilfred Grenfell died at his home in Vermont in 1940. His ashes, along with those of his wife who had died two years before, were brought back to Labrador.

1.0 Grenfell Photographs 1.01 Grenfell Photographs, 1920's 1.01.001 Two little girls, one holding ... 1.01.002 Young boy in snow 1.01.003 Huskie dogs 1.01.004 S.S. Newfoundland 1.01.005 Captain Westgarth 1.01.006 Bowring Park, St. John's, 1925 1.01.007 Bowring Park, St. John's, 1927 1.01.008 Ships in a frozen harbour at Exploits 1.01.009 People identified as Patey, Sally and Van walking in snow with backs turned 1.01.010 Three women on the balicasters 1.01.011 Women wearing snowshoes 1.01.012 Man identified as Steve Pilley with his dogs 1.01.013 Two women sitting on slabs of ice on Ireland Bight 1.01.014 Ice pan in the shape of a mushroom at St. Anthony 1.01.015 Girl and woman identified as Evie and Cleave 1.01.016 Woman identified as Dot 1.01.017 Child identified as William Henry 1.01.018 Seven girls from the Ex-Nursery 1.01.019 Child identified as Flossie Maid 1.01.020 Nine children from the Nursery 1.01.021 Trader ship in St. Anthony Harbour 1.01.022 Woman identified as Dora Soward 1.01.023 From Fishing Head, St. Anthony Harbour 1.01.024 Scenery at Old Man's Neck 1.01.025 Scenery at Old Man's Neck 1.01.026 Scenery at Old Man's Neck 1.01.027 Scenery at Old Man's Neck 1.01.028 Children playing in snow 1.01.029 Four boys on a toboggan 1.01.030 Group photo in snow 1.01.031 Three children and a dog in the snow 1.01.032 Women and girls outside in the snow 1.01.033 Standing in the snow 1.01.034 Children at play on swings 1.01.035 Children on swings in wintertime 1.01.036 Two children identified as the Hopkins children 1.01.037 S.S. Kyle 1.01.038 Harbour 1.01.039 S.S. Kyle 1.01.040 Lighthouse 1.01.041 S.S. Kyle 1.01.042 Winter scene 1.01.043 Winter scene taken from the Bight 1.01.044 Winter scene taken from the Bight 1.01.045 Winter scene taken from the Bight 1.01.046 Ice in the Harbour 1.01.047 Harbour in winter 1.01.048 Along Cremailliere 1.01.049 Along Cremailliere 1.01.050 Along Cremailliere 1.01.051 Along Cremailliere 1.01.052 Children at play in snow 1.01.053 Child identified as Jimmie playing on a wooden horse 1.01.054 Child identified as Jim holding a doll called Goldie 1.01.055 Lake in winter 1.01.056 Lighthouse at Cape Bauld 1.01.057 Lake in winter 1.01.058 Harbour 1.01.059 Small boats coming fro freight 1.01.060 Schooner 1.01.061 Iceberg in harbour 1.01.062 Iceberg in harbour 1.01.063 Iceberg in harbour 1.01.064 Schooner in harbour 1.01.065 Boy standing on a rock in water 1.01.066 Boys standing in water 1.01.067 Boys standing in water 1.01.068 Boy wading in water 1.01.069 Two figures wading in water 1.01.070 Building a boat 1.01.071 Hay loaded on to sled 1.01.072 House identified as the Broomfield's house 1.01.073 'Lady and her pups' 1.01.074 Boy and dog identified as George and Buff 1.01.075 'The Mission Schooner Santa Maria' 1.01.076 'The Mission Schooner Santa Maria' 1.01.077 'The Mission Schooner Santa Maria' 1.01.078 People dressed up at wharf 1.01.079 Children identified as the Decker's 1.01.080 Houses by the sea 1.01.081 Child identified as Johnny Dyson 1.01.082 Boy and dog identified as Bob and Lady 1.01.083 Ships in the harbour 1.01.084 Two women, one of whom was the owner of this album - identified only as myself and Miss Beyer 1.01.085 Woman with three children 1.01.086 Man and two women having a cook out 1.01.087 Woman and children 1.01.088 Woman and two boys at work in garden 1.01.089 Woman and two boys in their Sunday best 1.01.090 Man identified as Mr. FitzPatrick 1.01.091 Two boys, one of whom is cutting the other's hair 1.01.092 Boy and his dog 1.01.093 Girl and boy 1.01.094 Two little boys outside in the snow 1.01.095 Little boy standing in a doorway 1.01.096 Child in a hospital bed 1.01.097 Child in a hospital bed with a note reading "Forget me not" 1.01.098 Four children in winter cloths 1.01.099 Five children at play in the snow 1.01.100 Man outside with dogs 1.01.101 Eight children outside in snow 1.01.102 Lighthouse at Cape Bould 1.01.103 Dogs drinking from a river 1.01.104 Ships in a harbour 1.01.105 Cape Onion? 1.01.106 Ship Cove Harbour 1.01.107 Cape Onion 1.01.108 Interior of school at Sandy Cove 1.01.109 "Havelock and Beulah": a little boy an girl 1.01.110 Group of young children 1.01.111 Two small children 1.01.112 "Packing the Fish": Three men standing on a wharf with barrels and crates 1.01.113 "Dotty, Lester, and Joyce": three small children 1.01.114 A young boy and girl standing in the sea holding lobsters in their hands 1.01.115 Man and woman standing outdoors. ? Mr. And Mrs. Decker 1.01.116 "Orange Hall" 1.01.117 "Jim and Effie" : man and women outdoors 1.01.118 "Capt Field": sitting on the deck of a ship 1.01.119 "The Glencoe - Brig Bay" 1.01.120 "" 1.01.121 "H. M. Custom House " 1.01.122 "Lewisporte": buildings and possibly train track 1.01.123 "Lewisporte": road, house and fence 1.01.124 "Along the West Coast" three small views of communities 1.01.125 "Along the West Coast" On the postcard it says "Icebergs Straits of Belle Isle" 1.01.126 "Along the West Coast": a community that is a farming area: lots of fences and ploughed fields 1.01.127 A ship at sea 1.01.128 "West Coast" landscape 1.01.129 "West Coast" two views of 1.01.130 "Tilt Cove" 1.01.131 "Tilt Cove": view of a house with four men standing outside 1.01.132 "Tilt Cove" : view of a community from the water 1.01.133 "Tilt Cove": view of mountain with houses below: on back of photo is written "May 30 Tilt Cove Murray's Hill Hotel marked X" 1.01.134 "St. Anthony Harbour": view of the community 1.01.135 "St. Anthony Harbour" 1.01.136 "Orphanage - Staff room" St. Anthony 1.01.137 "Broadway" view of a road and landscape 1.01.138 "Drying seal skins" 1.01.139 "Ethel Fequet" a young girl standing outside a house with a dog 1.01.140 "Rhoda Burden" a young women standing outside a building 1.01.141 "Martha Ann Ward" a young girl standing outdoors 1.01.142 "Joey Ward": a young boy sitting on a komatik 1.01.143 Group of people sitting outdoors on a rock 1.01.144 "Some Happy Crew": group of people sitting on the deck of a ship. On back of photo is written: "Please explain to your friends that there wasn't a barber at Ship Cove" 1.01.145 Group of people having a mug up in the woods 1.01.146 Two young children, one on a slide and the other pulling the slide 1.01.147 Three young children on a komatik 1.01.148 Group of young children standing near the rail of a wharf 1.01.149 Three women outdoors in the snow. "The Tilt" 1.01.150 "The Huskies": two dogs in a pen with a dog house 1.01.151 View of houses, buildings, and sea 1.01.152 St. Anthony Harbour 1.01.153 "Cap. Kean" 1.01.154 "Chief McKinley" man in uniform. ? chief officer, with a woman standing in the background 1.01.155 "The Babies" eleven children standing on a bridge 1.01.156 "The Bottom St. Anthony" 1.01.157 Sea and ice 1.01.158 "Dot and Evelyn": two children sitting in a snow bank 1.01.159 "Dr. Grenfell's House" 1.01.160 A woman sitting outdoors in a snow bank with snow shoes on 1.01.161 "Our Gang": four people standing outdoors, winter 1.01.162 "The Moore Children": two children and a dog, winter 1.01.163 "Typical early winter scene, Beyer, Jakway, Drown" 1.01.164 "Maude Mont" 1.01.165 "School children": large group of children standing outside a building 1.01.166 "Mary and Dot": two women sitting outdoors, winter 1.01.167 Children on a komatik with dog team 1.01.168 Six children sitting outdoors, winter 1.01.169 "Truman Turnbull", a small child outside a building 1.01.170 "Uncle Dave's House": man standing by a house buried in snow 1.01.171 Two women standing outdoors in winter 1.01.172 "Sally, Van, and Ann": three women standing on the steps of a house outdoors, winter 1.01.173 "On the Ballicaters" 1.01.174 Women leaning against a pile of wood on a komatik with two dogs 1.01.175 Two men standing on the deck of a ship: one man in uniform 1.01.176 "Cleve": woman standing outdoors, winter 1.01.177 Woman sitting outdoors, winter 1.01.178 Four women standing outdoors, winter 1.01.179 Woman lying in the snow 1.01.180 Two women outdoors, spring 1.01.181 A young woman sitting on top of a swing 1.01.182 "Triffie Gray, February 1926" a young woman sitting on top of a swing 1.01.183 Man standing in a garden next to a komatik, winter 1.01.184 Young person standing by a komatik, winter 1.01.185 Young person standing outside a building holding a snowball 1.01.186 "The Lighthouse" 1.01.187 "Jackie's Lookout": people and dogs waling up a steep hill 1.01.188 Man outdoors, winter 1.01.189 Woman outdoors, winter 1.01.190 "Up the Rattle", group of people waling up hill, winter 1.01.191 Three people snowshoeing, winter 1.01.192 Caribou, winter 1.01.193 Three people laying in the snow 1.01.194 Two people outdoors, winter 1.01.195 "Ladies Race": dogs, women snow 1.01.196 "Sports Day March 24th" 1.01.197 "Sports Day March 24th" 1.01.198 "Sports Day March 24th: Men's Dog Team Racing" 1.01.199 "Sports Day March 24th: Patey and her dog" 1.01.200 "St. Anthony Hospital" 1.01.201 Ship in ice 1.01.202 "Pulling off the Amber Jack" 1.01.203 Ships caught in ice "Getting the rubbish out on the ice in spring. When the ice goes out of the harbour the rubbish will go out with it." 1.01.204 "Austin" 1.01.205 "Noah" 1.01.206 "Finley Oliver" 1.01.207 "Simon Peter Burden" 1.01.208 "Back Harry" 1.01.209 Group of people sitting on the ice 1.01.210 "Orphanage Team, February 1926" 1.01.211 "Mary Ann Applin" 1.01.212 "Watching for the steamer" 1.01.213 "The first boat" 1.01.214 "The tea house" 1.01.215 "The tea house" 1.01.216 "Spring": woman standing near pan of ice 1.01.217 "Spring": woman standing near pan of ice 1.01.218 "Spring": woman standing near pan of ice 1.01.219 "Patey and Bill" 1.01.220 Woman standing near shoreline, winter 1.01.221 "Mary" 1.02 Grenfell Postcards 1.02.001 Torbay, Newfoundland 1.02.002 Seals on the ice 1.02.003 Two Eskimo and their three dogs 1.02.004 Middle Cove at St. John's 1.02.005 Topsail Beach, Conception Bay 1.02.006 Drying seal skins 1.02.007 Eskimo women 1.02.008 Torbay, Newfoundland 1.02.009 Petty Harbour, Newfoundland 1.03 Magazine Clippings 1.03.001 Emily Beaver Chamberlain Hospital, North West River, Labrador 1.03.002 Children's New Home and School, Cartwright, Labrador 1.03.003 Children's New Home and School, Cartwright, Labrador 1.03.004 Group of Orphan Boys at Children's Home, St. Anthony 1.03.005 Dr. Paddon in Winter Costume