Helen C. Escott's Blog: The Helen C. Escott Book Club: A Novel Idea, page 3

We Will Meet Again is a testament to the strength of women

The main character in We Will Meet Again, Hadley Hynes lost her first love in WWII. The impact on that tragedy impacted her whole life. Now she has to go back and undo the wrongs of the past as she turns 100 years old and knows death in on her doorstep.

The body of her first love, a Newfoundland soldier, was never returned home so she has always seen the War Memorial as his tombstone. In this historical, romance, she explains the Monument to her great children:

The lady on the top of the Memorial represents the Spirit of Newfoundland. She is holding a flaming torch in her left hand high above her head which symbolizes freedom. It was supposed to be lit to guide sailors into the harbour, but it never was. In her right hand, she holds a sword which represents both Newfoundland and Labrador’s willingness to serve during the First World War and loyalty to the British Empire.

The sword is below her waist, but not completely lowered, and poised for battle, and is meant to depict that while the war is over, Newfoundland and Labrador was, and is, ready and willing to fight for its freedom and liberty.

The four figures around the base represent a sailor from the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve, a soldier from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, a lumberman from the Forestry Corps, and a fisherman in oilskins. It’s meant to honour those who served overseas and on the home front.

It was built on Duckworth/ Water Street because this is where Newfoundland soldiers departed and returned from the First World War. It’s also where Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England.

For more information, press here.

We Will Meet Again is a tribute to the women who kept the home fires burning during the war. Available at Coles, Chapters and on line at here.

Coins for Remembrance

Have you noticed coins on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at our War Memorial?

We adopted this British tradition in Newfoundland and Labrador because we were British until 1949.

Nickels or dimes mean you knew someone injured or killed, a loonie was left if you served in the same war.

We Will Meet Again is a tribute to the women who fought a war at home. Available at Coles, Chapters, and stores throughout the province. Online at Indigo, Amazon & wherever books are sold.

 #newfoundland #warmemorial #UnknownSoldier

We Will Meet Again

We Will Meet Again - In stores now

A Testament to the strength of Woman.

Book signing:

I will be signing copies this Saturday, July 13th from 2- 3:30 at Cole's, Avalon Mall.

Share with a friend - Win a signed copy!

Get the 1st chapter of We Will Meet Again free & enter to win an autographed copy by signing up for my newsletter at https://helencescott.com 

Draw date Aug. 1, 2024

This novel honours the women of Newfoundland and Labrador who kept the home fires burning during the Second World War while the province lost a generation of men.

While cleaning out the cupboards of her grandmother's home, Ava finds a hidden box of love letters from a Newfoundlander Sailor. It begins a journey of discovery into a generational trauma that becomes generational strength. 

We Will Meet Again is the love story of four generations of women and how they healed their past to protect their future.

We Will Meet Again is available at Chapters, Coles, Costco, and stores throughout the province. Available online at Amazon, Indigo, or wherever books are sold.

#freebooks #giveaway #contest #newfoundland #historicalfiction

Book Launch Alert

We Will Meet Again is in stores this week!

I will be signing copies at: Chapters St. John's this Saturday, July 6th from 1-3 and Coles Avalon Mall  Sunday, July 7th from 2-3:30.

The books are also available at Indigo & helencescott.com Flanker Press Ltd. #wewillmeetagain #booklaunch #fiction #historicalfiction #women Flanker Press Ltd. 

Hope to see you there.

Win a signed copy and join in September's Book Club Discussion!

We Will Meet Again honours the women of Newfoundland and Labrador who kept the home fires burning during the Second World War while the province lost a generation of men.

Get the 1st chapter free & enter to win an autographed copy by signing up for my newsletter at https://helencescott.com

Draw date Aug. 1, 2024. Share it with a friend so they can join in too.

The Helen C. Escott Book Club starts this September and I am featuring We Will Meet Again.

Each week I will ask a new questions to spark discussion. Join in as I ask and answer many of your questions while discussing your thoughts on this novel.

We will be talking about the story in detail in the comments so if you have not read the book yet, please keep scrolling to avoid spoilers.

Pick up a copy to join in. Available now in print and eBook at Chapters, Coles, Costco, Indigo, Amazon, and wherever books are sold

@FlankerPress #freebooks #giveaway #contest 

You are invited to the book launch for We Will Meet Again July 6th

We Will Meet Again – A Testament to the strength of Newfoundland and Labrador Woman.

Bestselling, award-winning author Helen C. Escott’s eighth novel, We Will Meet Again, from Flanker Press will be released in July 2024. The book launch will take place Saturday, July 6th from 1-3 pm at Chapters, Kenmount Road, St. John’s.

Escott says the novel honours the women of Newfoundland and Labrador who kept the home fires burning during the Second World War while the province lost a generation of men. The release coincides with the repatriation of the Unknown Solider at the National War Memorial and Memorial Day on July first.

When Newfoundland soldiers were killed in World War II, it sent shock waves through families that are felt to this very day. We Will Meet Again follows the lives of four women from the same family who learn to turn this generational trauma into generational strength.

It is about the special bond between mothers and daughters. Hadley Hynes is days away from celebrating her 100th birthday. Her daughter, Patricia, granddaughter Ava, and great-granddaughter Christine are planning one last birthday party in her house on Victoria Street which Hadley has lived in for over eighty years.

While cleaning out the cupboards Ava comes across a hidden box of love letters from Hadley’s first love, John Vincent, a Newfoundlander who volunteered to serve in the British Royal Navy. It is only then they discover that John died during WWII and Hadley married his best friend, Michael. 

As the story unfolds each woman reveals a secret that has paralyzed their life. They pack up boxes and bags only to discover how each of them has nurtured a generational trauma and turned it into a family tradition. 

We Will Meet Again is the love story of four generations of women and how they healed their past to protect their future. Escott says it touches on everything we hold sacred in this province: Nan, Jesus, and Elvis.

“I don’t know how you can listen to Elvis and pray to Jesus at the same time,” Ava yelled over the music. “I can hardly hear myself think.”

“Maybe I’m listening to Jesus and praying to Elvis.” Hadley quirked a grin.  “They’re both kings.”

Helen Escott acknowledges the support of ArtsNL for this novel. Last year they invested $3.2 million to foster and promote the creation and enjoyment of the arts for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Helen C. Escott’s Operation Series optioned for film and TV

May 10, 2024 -- Bestselling author Helen C. Escott’s five-book Operation Series published by Flanker Press has been optioned by Rink Rat Productions for film and television.

The series is set in Newfoundland and Labrador and follows the careers of Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Sgt. Nicholas Myra and RCMP Corporal Gail McNaughton. This bestselling, award-winning series takes you on lightning-paced, chillingly current criminal investigations that are surprising at every twist and completely unpredictable right up to their astonishing conclusions.

In Photo: From Flanker Press- Jerry Cranford, Nick Cranford, Margo Cranford, author Helen C. Escott, President of Rink Rat Productions Mary Sexton and from Flanker Press Garry Cranford.

Flanker Press is celebrating 30 years in publishing and continues to provide a quality publishing service to the local and regional writing community.

Publisher, Jerry Cranford - “I would like to congratulate Helen C. Escott on taking this huge step in her professional writing career. When I published Operation Wormwood in 2018, I felt right away that this talented writer is going places. Adaptation of her novels into film and television seemed inevitable to me."

Rink Rat Productions has produced high-quality programing for over 25 years. Most recently they co-produced the critically acclaimed feature film Maudie, an international co-production between Newfoundland (Rink Rat), Ontario (Screen Door), and Ireland (Parallel Films). Rink Rat also produced the movie-of-the-week - A Christmas Fury, for CBC. Mary Sexton, President of Rink Rat Productions has a new feature film being released in the Fall -Skeet, which she produced and is written and directed by her son Nik Sexton.

Sexton is thrilled to be optioning Helen C. Escott's Operation Series. She added, “We are very much looking forward to working with Helen & a local scriptwriter to bring the Operation Series to Life! The best part of my job is telling Newfoundland and Labrador stories. Helen is an amazing writer; I have high expectations!”

Author Helen C. Escott is thrilled with the news. “I always knew the Operation Series would make great TV, and I love that they will be shot here. Newfoundland and Labrador are a main character in all my books, and I am very happy that they were picked up by a local production company with such a great track record.”

Escott’s eighth book will be released in July 2025 - We Will Meet Again, is a testament to the strength of Newfoundland women. 

If you would like more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:Helen C. Escott: h.escott@hotmail.com 709-727-1927Jerry Cranford/ Flanker Press jcranford@flankerpress.com 709-739-4477Mary Sexton/ Rink Rat Productions msexton@rinkratproductions.com 709-727-7465

The Operation Series and other books by Helen C. Escott are available at: Chapters, and Coles. Also, online at indigo.ca Apple – iTunes, Nook – (Barnes & Noble), Amazon, and Kobo. Or at https://flankerpress.com or https://www.helencescott.com/books

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Flanker PressUnit 1, 1243 Kenmount Road, Paradise NL A1L 0V8Toll-free: 1-866-739-4420   Email: info@flankerpress.com     Website: www.flankerpress.com

We Will Meet Again – A Testament to the strength of Newfoundland and Labrador Woman

COMING SOON -- Bestselling, award-winning author Helen C. Escott’s eighth novel, We Will Meet Again, from Flanker Press will be released in July 2024.

The book launch will take place Saturday, July 6th from 1-3 pm at Chapters, Kenmount Road, St. John’s.

Escott says the novel honours the women of Newfoundland and Labrador who kept the home fires burning during the Second World War while the province lost a generation of men. The release coincides with the repatriation of the Unknown Solider at the National War Memorial and Memorial Day on July first.

When Newfoundland soldiers were killed in World War II, it sent shock waves through families that are felt to this very day. We Will Meet Again follows the lives of four women from the same family who learn to turn this generational trauma into generational strength.

It is about the special bond between mothers and daughters. Hadley Hynes is days away from celebrating her 100th birthday. Her daughter, Patricia, granddaughter Ava, and great-granddaughter Christine are planning one last birthday party in her house on Victoria Street which Hadley has lived in for over eighty years.

While cleaning out the cupboards Ava comes across a hidden box of love letters from Hadley’s first love, John Vincent, a Newfoundlander who volunteered to serve in the British Royal Navy. It is only then they discover that John died during WWII and Hadley married his best friend, Michael. 

As the story unfolds each woman reveals a secret that has paralyzed their life. They pack up boxes and bags only to discover how each of them has nurtured a generational trauma and turned it into a family tradition. 

We Will Meet Again is the love story of four generations of women and how they healed their past to protect their future. Escott says it touches on everything we hold sacred in this province: Nan, Jesus, and Elvis.

“I don’t know how you can listen to Elvis and pray to Jesus at the same time,” Ava yelled over the music. “I can hardly hear myself think.”

“Maybe I’m listening to Jesus and praying to Elvis.” Hadley quirked a grin.  “They’re both kings.”

Helen Escott acknowledges the support of ArtsNL for this novel. Last year they invested $3.2 million to foster and promote the creation and enjoyment of the arts for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

If you would like more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Flanker Press at (709) 739-4477. Helen C. Escott can be reached at h.escott@hotmail.com 

Other books by Helen C. Escott are available at: Chapters, and Coles. Also, online at indigo.ca Apple – iTunes, Nook – (Barnes & Noble), Amazon, and Kobo. Or at https://flankerpress.com  or https://www.helencescott.com/books

 

Free Book Club Kits!

Did you know Newfoundland & Labrador Public Libraries have a free Book Club Kit with everything you need?

You can pick any of my Operation books, I am Funny Like That or In Search of Adventure. Local libraries have them all and other libraries can order them.

They are free to borrow and contain everything you need to get your own book discussion group started. Just add readers!

Each kit is packed in a canvas library bag and contains:

10 copies of one book Discussion questions Information about the author

How it works:

The kit is checked out to a single group member who is responsible for all of the materials. Loan period is 6 weeks (with one 6 week renewal if no other groups are waiting). The group member checking out the kit is responsible for returning the kit in its entirety and any replacement costs for missing items, if applicable.

Kits are available to patrons anywhere in Newfoundland Labrador - ask your local library staff about bringing in a book club kit via Interlibrary Loan.

When possible, I can attend your book club either in person or virtually. Get complete details here: https://guides.nlpl.ca/bookclubs/bookclubkits

He Will Always Bring Me Roses

He Will Always Bring Me Roses

 

I will tell him this week, don’t waste your money on roses. Just give me some chocolates for Valentine's Day.

 

But I know they’ll be a dozen red roses with one white one in the middle.

Red roses symbolize everything that make a love story great: Passion, desire, true love, and romance.

 

White roses symbolize purity, youthfulness, innocence, young love, and eternal loyalty.

 

That is our story.

 

He started doing that a few years ago because I saw it somewhere and liked it.

 

Now it’s a tradition.

 

When I went through that phase of - don’t waste your money on roses. I don’t like flowers. He still brought me roses for Valentine’s Day.

 

Always a dozen red and one white.

 

When we were starting out and struggled with money and bills. I would warn him, don’t waste money on roses that I’m just gonna throw out in a week.

 

He would still buy me roses.

 

The times when I told him it was just a waste of money. That I don’t really like them. He still bought roses for Valentine’s Day.

 

The times when I was angry and said, I don’t want your stupid roses. He still bought me roses.

 

When our son was born, he brought me roses.

 

When my daughter was born, he brought me roses. 

 

Every year on our wedding anniversary, no matter what I tell him, there will always be a rose for every year and then one white one.

 

Love is not about grand gestures.

 

Love is not Romeo and Juliet and drinking each other’s poison.

 

Love is not some complicated relationship from a Hollywood movie.

 

Sometimes love is not recognizable at all.

 

Love is going through the different stages of life, the birthdays, the anniversaries, the births, deaths, Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Days. 

 

Love is facing the trials and tribulations together, scraping to pay the bills, walking the floor with sick babies, loving, fighting, making up, growing old together.

 

Love is many a splendid thing. All you need is love.

 

Love…. Well, if you ask me, love is when you push someone away, sometimes forget they are even there, and they still bring you roses.

 

Red roses with one white one in the middle, just because you seen it somewhere and liked it thirty years ago.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

A Novel Idea- Helen C. Escott Newsletter

,,,,The Politics of Pockets

Christian Dior is alleged to have said, "Men have pockets to keep things in, women for decoration."

Alanis Morissette sang: 'Cause I've got one hand in my pocket -And the other one is givin' a peace sign.

But what kind of jeans is Alanis wearing? Because I can’t get my hand in the pocket of my Levis or Guess or Old Navy. The pockets are not big enough to fit my hand.

What Mr. Dior and Alanis didn’t know was that Apple would invent an iPhone that was 6.1 inches! We need pockets - Read more here

Looking for a Dose of Romance?

Nestled between the pages of my crime thrillers you may find a little romance because it often plays an integral role in the story...but some romantic trysts are more deadly than others.

During February those romantics at Flanker Press are giving you the gift of all five of the Operation Series for just $74.99 Canadian.

This promo set is exclusive to the Flanker Press online store. Set qualifies for free shipping anywhere in Canada 

Order ,,here

Let's Make Plans to Meet Up

Let's talk about crime thrillers. Let's meet up at one of my signings.

Saturday, February 10th: Coles, Avalon Mall from 1-3 pm.

Saturday, February 17th: Chapters, Kenmount Road from 1-3 pm.

Friday, February 23rd: Coles, Avalon Mall from 3-5 pm.

If you already have my books, bring them along and get them signed. If you can't make the signings, I always leave a bunch of signed copies behind.

I am Funny Like That is back on the shelves

I pretty much get asked every day when I am Funny Like That will be back on the store shelves. It has sold out and has been out of print for a while.

But I am excited to tell you that it is back on the shelves at Coles and Chapters in Newfoundland and Labrador.

You can also order it online here.

Learn to Write Murder Mysteries

Have you always wanted to write a good crime thriller or a fascinating murder mystery?

Mastering the Art of Murder is a remarkably interesting and fun class that will encourage budding authors to think about writing in a whole new way.

From planning the murder to making it believable to solving the crime. I take authors on a journey through writing that they will never forget.

I start with a slide show of the tips and tricks to writing about murder and while I am doing that I take questions and we have discussions.

Then I end with an exercise called: The man fell down the stairs. Authors have to fill in the descriptors: Who is the man? How old is he? What is he wearing? Where does he work? How did he fall down the stairs? Did he just fall, or did he try to catch himself? Why was he on the stairs? Where was he going? What time of night or day is it? What’s the weather like outside?

In the end, authors have a much more detailed story that comes from looking around their characters and finding out who they are.

If you are interested in hosting the Art of Murder at your school, library, or club, contact me at info@helencescott.com

Let's Get Social:

Follow me at:

Website: https://www.helencescott.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hcescott

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helencescott/

The Last of the Newfoundland Rangers: The Tom Warfield Story

William Thomas Warfield, Ranger Regimental Number 149, passed away January 23rd, 2024, at the age of 97 years. His wife, Roberta Warfield, passed away in October of last year. They resided in Sonoma, California.

The Newfoundland Rangers existed from 1935 until 1950. Two hundred and four men enlisted in the ranks. Today, only one Ranger remains: Cyril Goodyear, Regimental Number 158.

 The Rangers served in the outport and remote areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, providing the main link between the people and their government. The first recruit signed on July 9, 1935. Before the end of the month a full authorized complement of thirty men had been sworn in.

All enlistments were for a five-year period. Qualifications were high for the period. An applicant had to have a Grade XI certificate, be between the ages of 21 and 28 years, be single, physically fit in every respect, be a minimum of 5’9″ in height and weigh not more than 185 pounds.

When Confederation became a reality and Newfoundland joined Canada, the Newfoundland Ranges were given the opportunity of transferring to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Because members of the R.C.M.P. were paid on a higher scale than Rangers, one stipulation was that Rangers, upon transfer, would have to drop one rank. It was a purely economic transfer; no consideration was given to ability or service. All who transferred and remained achieved at least the rank of Sergeant. Most attained Staff Sergeant and some attained officer rank. The Force ceased to exist on July 31, 1950.

Many ex-Rangers have gone on to other successes. Tom William Warfield was one of them.

Warfield was born in Wesleyville, Bonavista Bay in 1926. His family moved to St. John’s when he was eight years old, and he completed his school days at Bishop’s Field Collage. His father was a cook on the boats and his stepbrother, Edward Warfield, was a member of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Warfield knew he did not want to work on the boats, so he followed his brother into policing.

He joined the Newfoundland Ranges in July 1944 and retired in 1949 with five years, five months service. “My contract was for five years,” he says, “But I stayed for an extra five months at headquarters request because they were short on staff.”

He often thinks back about his days in the Newfoundland Rangers. “At the end of high school and even before receiving final test results, I applied to the Newfoundland Ranger Force and became a recruit at their Kilbride Barracks. I needed work and it was the only job that suited me and was available.”

Warfield admired his older brother, Edward. “I grew up with a stepbrother who was a constable in St. John’s with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Therefore, I was familiar with police activities. That knowledge and experience may have led me to the Ranger Force.”

In 1949 two sergeants managed training at the Newfoundland Ranger Force Barracks in Kilbride. One covered practical and class and the other overall discipline. Warfield remembers that both had a great sense of humour. “The class sergeant had a repertoire of jokes to share with the serious stuff. The discipline sergeant oversaw minor offences in bizarre ways. For example, he noticed that I had failed to keep my hair trimmed. He took a photo of the back of my head and sent it to all detachments asking, ‘Can you identify this Ranger.’”

There were seven Newfoundland Ranger Recruits in his training class. Six members were assigned to detachments in Newfoundland after six months of training, but Warfield was assigned to the Quarter Masters office. “I was disappointed that I remained there for several months before being transferred to Stephenville Crossing Detachment. Later I realized that the office work experience and knowledge gained there helped in early promotions. I spent only a few months at Stephenville Crossing and about a year at Port Aux Basque. Then I was placed in charge of a detachment.”

Shortly after arriving at his first post in Stephenville Crossing, he was instructed to serve a civil arrest warrant in a remote logging area and to deliver the prisoner to the Constabulary in Corner Brook. To reach the logging site he travelled by freight train, then by horse sleigh across a two-mile frozen lake and walked a hillside in search of the defendant for hours.

After searching the logging camp, he finally found the guy he was looking for. “He acknowledged the warrant and was cooperative throughout the long trip back. When we arrived at the Corner Brook Detachment a constable asked about the prisoners’ reaction to the arrest. I learned that he was well known to the police there and the entire Stephenville area.” The constable was surprised, “he told me whilst drunk and disorderly on one occasion, it took several constables to subdue the same guy. His history of intoxication and disorderliness was well known.” 

The Newfoundland Rangers were well known and respected men. They were well-educated and physically fit young men able to perform a variety of tasks with little supervision. They issued relief payments to the poor, enforced criminal and game laws, inspected logging operations, helped build roads, bridges, and other public works, collected custom duties, and performed a variety of other roles.

Warfield can still recall his days with the Ranger Force. “Early on at my first post, I responded to a church hall complaint where two drunken men were disorderly. One left on demand. The other continued brawling and had to be forcefully removed. We had reached the exit door when he toppled me down the stairway onto the ground.” He says the impact with the hard ground was painful and he was embarrassed by his failure to control the situation. “I returned to the hall, and in anger, forcefully ejected the culprit. In court, the defendant described his arrest as being brutal. The magistrate later told me that in view of my inexperience he refrained from pursuing the defendant’s complaint, and perhaps I had learned something from the experience. The defendant was convicted and fined a minimum sum.”

After three months of training, recruits proceeded to their assigned postings. Seven rangers worked at the Whitbourne headquarters, while twenty-three patrolled remote detachments scattered across the country at 16 locations – six in Labrador and ten on the island. There was often only one ranger at each of the detachments and the men sometimes found it difficult to adjust to the loneliness of living in isolated communities. Rangers proceeding to Labrador also had to build their own living quarters and office space.

Each ranger had to patrol a large territory but could only travel by the most inexpensive means – usually foot, dog sled, or boat. Rangers occasionally travelled by rail, but frequently in second class. The force also had a few motorcycles and cars, but these were generally restricted to the more populated centres at Deer Lake, Badger, and along the Burin Peninsula.

Dealing with loggers was a regular activity. “I faced a group of drunken, disorderly loggers in the railway car whilst travelling to my first post. The conductor had asked another Ranger named John Joseph Fagan to quell the brawl. Ranger Fagan was well known and respected. He directed me ahead into the train. The loggers settled down when they recognized Fagan. I was fortunate in having one of the Rangers’ top officers as backup, also, I was honoured by his compliment that I had handled the situation well.” Ranger Fagan was a proud member of the Newfoundland Rangers. He went on to become a superintendent of H.M. Penitentiary and Director of Corrections for Atlantic Canada.

Warfield says he worked hard but always found time for fun and a little hunting. While at Glenwood Detachment, he decided to take advantage of a logging camp patrol to hunt for a moose. He visited several remote logging camps and talked to may loggers and bagged a moose during a two-day period. “The patrol costs involved a guide for two days at twelve dollars. When Ranger Headquarters received the twelve-dollar bill for payment and knew that I had been moose hunting. They reasoned that I should absorb that cost. I could not, or did not argue the point, even though the logging camp patrol was legitimate.”

He recalls during an off-duty weekend the sergeant was temporarily absent and Warfield and another Ranger decided to borrow the training motor cycle without permission. “We returned within an hour to find the sergeant waiting for us. We were charged and escorted to headquarters at St. John’s. The Chief Ranger fined us twelve dollars, which would be deducted from our monthly pay. I though we might be discharged. Perhaps the shortage of trainees saved us.”

 The outbreak of World War Two in 1939 placed further responsibilities on the rangers, who had to enforce rationing and blackout orders, patrol for enemy submarines or aircraft, take military deserters into custody, issue national registration cards to residents aged 16 years or older, and help recruit volunteers for service in the Armed Forces. Although some rangers left the force to serve overseas in the early months of the war, the Commission quickly declared the unit an essential service in order to prevent others from doing the same.

After the war, the government asked rangers to secretly report on public opinion relating to confederation and other political matters. The men also worked at polling stations during the 1948 referenda and helped make sure all residents within their detachments were able to vote.

Following Confederation, Newfoundland’s Premier Joseph R. Smallwood and his administration decided to dismantle the Newfoundland Ranger Force as a cost-saving measure. When the Rangers disbanded, Warfield decided to move to California where he became an insurance adjuster. Now at ninety-six years old, he is enjoying retirement in the golden state.

His daughter Rochelle Warfield followed in her father’s footsteps and went into policing. She graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in Physical Education. She joined the Sheriff’s Office and became a deputy. She says proudly, “I knew my dad had been a Ranger and my Uncle Allen was with the RCMP, so I felt I could do it, even though I had never shot a gun.”  Her uncle Allen Stevens was also a member of the Newfoundland Rangers and stayed with RCMP. He retired as Staff Sergeant and married Phyllis Melbourne, who is Rochelle’s mother’s sister.

Right out of the academy, Rochelle went into undercover work, buying drugs, doing search warrants. She admits she had a lot of fun and enjoyed patrolling in the rural areas along the coast line of California. “I liked hanging out in coffee shops and bars talking to the locals, getting to know the town drunks. My worst fight happened in a bar, I was losing, but the locals joined in and helped me, back up was 30 min away! I ended up bruised with a bloody knee and torn jacket but very grateful for their help.”

She was promoted to Sergeant five years in but after ten years she wanted to move on. “Shift work and violence got old. I now work in the medical field as a nuclear medicine technologist.”

Tom Warfield retired from insurance adjusting at 62 years old and was bored. So, he took a job as a car salesman. At 73 he quit working and is in a retirement community in the city of Sonoma, surrounded by vineyards. He takes a couple of walks a day with his wife Robbie. He is her caretaker as Robbie has dementia/Alzheimers. He has four grandchildren who live close by, along with his daughter and son. In his spare time, he indulges in his favorite hobbies: crossword puzzles and the San Francisco Giants.

Back in Newfoundland and Labrador, Tom Warfield is considered a living legend. One of the last of those great men who kept law and order in the old British Colony of Newfoundland… a Newfoundland Ranger.

Source material for this article and information on the Newfoundland Rangers can be found at: https://newfoundlandrangerforce.org/ and https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/newfoundland-rangers.php

You can read Tom Warfield's Newfoundland Ranger record here: https://newfoundlandrangerforce.org/person/william-warfield/