The Churchill–Roosevelt Bases of 1940: The Question of Heritage in their Adaptive Reuse

Abstract

The US military bases in the British Western Atlantic colonies, negotiated between Churchill and Roosevelt and formalised in the 1941 Destroyers–Bases Agreement, were all abandoned by the 1990s. In the process of their reuse the question of heritage meanings arises. From existing thoughts on heritage in older military bases, the paper considers the legitimacy of recent (living memory) bases as heritage, by reference to various cases among which Malta is particularly persuasive. The Churchill–Roosevelt bases and their heritage potential are then reviewed. The paper examines the three principal naval/military bases involved, namely Argentia (Newfoundland), Bermuda and Chaguaramas (Trinidad), with respect to what heritage perspectives exist among redevelopment agencies and other concerned institutional actors. In all cases heritage constitutes a recessive if not contentious issue among the priorities of base reuse in now post‐colonial environments.

Keywords:

• USA
• British Empire
• Naval Bases
• Heritage Tourism
• Post‐colonialism
• Adaptive Reuse
• Malta
• Bermuda
• Trinidad
• Newfoundland

Acknowledgements

Unreferenced assistance is gladly acknowledged to W. Brenton, Argentia Management Authority; G. Chalker, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador; C. Earl, Carleton colleague, for cartography, E. Joell, Bermuda Land Development Company Ltd; M. Regis, Trinidad and Tobago High Commission, Ottawa; and to my Chimo, for our many walks in his declining days that inspired and sustained this research.

Notes

John Tunbridge, Carleton University. Correspondence to: [email protected]

Clark and Pinder, ‘Naval Heritage and the Revitalisation Challenge’.

Tunbridge, ‘Large Heritage Waterfronts on Small Tourist Islands’. See caption, figure 6.

Pinder and Smith, ‘Heritage and Change on the Naval Waterfront’; Clark, ‘Vintage Ports or Deserted Dockyards’.

Ibid., 875.

Ashworth and Tunbridge, The Tourist‐historic City, 222.

Clark, ‘Vintage Ports or Deserted Dockyards’, 85; Pinder and Smith, 870.

Vice‐Admiral C. B. Ballard, ‘The Development of Malta as a First‐class Naval Base since its Inclusion in the British Empire’.

Elliott, The Cross and the Ensign, chap. 6.

Ibid., chaps. 8–10; Smith, Pedestal.

Elliott, The Cross and the Ensign, chap.16.

Pinder and Smith, ‘Heritage and Change on the Naval Waterfront’, 885.

Attard, The Battle of Malta, 53.

Churchill, The Second World War, vol. II: Their Finest Hour, chap. XX: ‘United States Destroyers and West Indian Bases’; see also vol. III: The Grand Alliance.

Baptiste, War, Cooperation and Conflict. He also discusses (Epilog) the pre‐war US coveting of these territories.

Ibid., chaps. 8, 9; Brereton, A History of Modern Trinidad, 1783–1962, 189ff.

Houlihan, Uprooted!

Buchanan, ‘Defence Outpost for North America; Brereton, A History of Modern Trinidad.

Houlihan, Uprooted!, chap. 10. See also Canadian National Film Board production Seven Brides for Uncle Sam.

Elliott, The Cross and the Ensign; Ballard, ‘The Development of Malta as a First‐class Naval Base’; Whittingham, Bermuda; Calnan, ‘The Transformation of Dockyard’, The Bermudian, January 2000, 44–46.

Brereton, A History of Modern Trinidad; Palmer, ‘Black American Soldiers in Trinidad, 1942–44’.

Attard, The Battle of Malta, 19.

Government of Antigua, ‘We Too Rejoice: Antigua in Coronation Year’, 1953, commemorative/promotional document held in Royal Commonwealth Society Collection, Cambridge University Library.

Brereton, A History of Modern Trinidad.

Elliott, The Cross and the Ensign, chap.16.

www.heritage.nf.ca/society/stephenville (28 August 2002).

Lisa Perez, local activist, pers. comm., 2002.

Headquarters of the North Atlantic, www.argentia.nf.ca/headquarters.htm

www.alliesmuseum.8m.com

C. Cooney, President, Placentia Historical Society, pers. comm., 2001–2003.

Attributed to Washington by S. H. Lloyd, Sketches of Bermuda 218; it is also quoted by Whittingham, Bermuda, 125.

K. A. Forbes, www.bermuda‐online.org/milquit.htm (The Royal Gazette) (8 June 2003).

www.bldc.com (19 August 2002).

Ibid.

www.bldc.com; Forbes, www.bermuda‐online.org/milquit.htm; and pers. comm., 2003.

E. C. Harris, Director, Bermuda Maritime Museum, pers. comm., 2003; S. Conway, Director, Bermuda National Trust, pers. comm., 2003.

Forbes, www.bermuda‐online.org/milquit.htm

Baptiste, War, Cooperation and Conflict, chap.12; Kelshall, The U‐boat War in the Caribbean.

Brereton, A History of Modern Trinidad.

S. Sharpe‐Gomez, Marketing and Product Development, Chaguaramas Development Authority, pers. comm., 2002–2003; www.chagdev.com (16 October 2003).

Pers. comm., 2002; www.trinbagoinfo.com/cmham (16 October 2003).

Mario Farrugia, Executive Director, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, pers. comm., 2003.

Brereton, A History of Modern Trinidad.

Tunbridge and Ashworth, Dissonant Heritage.

Warson, ‘Canada's Decommissioned Military Bases’, 4–9.

Royle, ‘Conservation and Heritage in the Face of Insular Urbanization’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John E. Tunbridge

John Tunbridge, Carleton University. Correspondence to: [email protected]