SECOND WORLD WAR
Woods Workers for the Wars

1: Anticipation (MUSIC)

A significant number of men joined the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit (NOFU) to help support the Second World War effort. Unlike those who served with the Newfoundland Forestry Companies (NFC) in the First World War, the NOFU men served as civilian workers. Also, they began supporting the war effort very soon after the conflict began—on September 1, 1939.

Imagine a social gathering in a parish hall, school, or kitchen. Collaborate with others and “workshop” a song to pay tribute to the people volunteering to serve. Imagine what they themselves might have felt—maybe excitement and anticipation, or pride at serving their country and supporting compatriots who would be fighting on the battlefields. 

2. Symbols: Creating an Inclusive Identity (VISUAL ART/GRAPHIC DESIGN)

For centuries, if not millennia, the woodland caribou has been embraced as a cultural or national symbol by people in Newfoundland and Labrador. The NOFU was one group that adopted it as part of their identity, as well. It tied them to their country and to those who served before them in the First World War.

Building on the symbolism of the caribou (and other elements if desired), create a three-dimensional emblem for the NOFU. If possible, use a 3D printer to realize your design. Or fashion it out of plasticine, clay, wood, papier mâché, or another medium to duplicate your design. 

Variation – Craft an emblem that might be chosen if a similar forestry unit was formed today—would you use a caribou or different symbols? What factors would you consider in preparing a contemporary emblem?

3: A Good Bureaucrat (PERSUASIVE WRITING)

The speeches that politicians give, and the letters they send, are often written by someone else—a speech writer, a research officer, a constituency aide, or another type of bureaucrat.

Assuming one of these roles, prepare a speech for a commissioner (one of six unelected members of government appointed to administer Newfoundland’s affairs at that time). Consider how to both encourage patriotism and participation in the war effort yet assuage the fears of parents and relatives of those who signed up, some of whom lost family members in the First World War. Also consider that service in the NOFU was paid work, which was at a premium in both Newfoundland and the United Kingdom at the time.

Variation: Prepare this response as a short dramatic work suitable for staging in a classroom or at a small gathering.

4: A Parting Tribute (POETRY/SPOKEN WORD)

After their required six-month commitment to their Unit ended, some NOFU members supported the war effort by renewing their contracts with the unit, and some men enlisted in other branches of the armed forces.  

Assume that your unit is holding a farewell dinner for men who have completed their service. Some are bound for home, others will carry on to other forces and remain overseas.

Write a poem to read as a toast during this special dinner. Choose words and phrasings of the time or a modern style of speaking.

5: Documentary (FILMMAKING)

Using archival images, write and produce a short film that could help explain the significance of the NOFU to the war effort. 

Important note: Ensure that the copyright on your images has expired—that is, they are in the public domain—and you are free to use them in your project.