In 1916, as a costly war raged in Europe, the Newfoundland Government sought to curb spending on social support programs in order to finance the war effort. This decision led to deadly consequences for a group of people in Fortune Bay. A lightkeeper on St. Jacques Island, after witnessing the capsizing of a motorized yacht during a July storm, led a heroic effort to rescue the local welfare officer and the owner of the vessel. At the same time, a small schooner used as a floating medical clinic approached the stricken vessel to aid its passengers, when catastrophe struck—she was rammed and sunk by a former whaling ship plying the waters nearby.

Outcomes from that historic night rippled through the lives of St. Jacques residents for generations. Recalled by John Guille Millais, a British naturalist and explorer who had lived among these people, we get to meet each of them in the lives they lived.

Originally broadcast on February 16, 2026 on CHMR 93.5 FM in St. John's, and on other great stations across the country.

Check out As Loved Our Fathers, the latest book from Write Project host Matthew LeDrew: https://amzn.to/3HB7BAB

It's a hunt for the Holy Grail taken on by an American Anthropologist and a Newfoundland History professor that unveils hidden secrets within Newfoundland history!

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Produced and recorded at CHMR 93.5 FM in St. John's, Newfoundland. Listen on CHMR online at http://www.chmr.ca/​

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This recording copyright © 2026 Matthew LeDrew