The Diaries of Howard Leopold Morry, 1939-1965, Vol. 14 (Nov 13, 1955 - Sep 20, 1956)

• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Subjects: Newfoundland; Newfoundland studies
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/howardmorry/id/1312

The twenty five volumes in this series differ in composition between two diary formats: the first format is that of an unbroken narrative of events in the life of the author, Howard Leopold Morry, or of the history of the community in which he was born and raised, Ferryland, Newfoundland; the second format is that of a conventional daily diary reporting on events of the day, including the weather and sea conditions, the ups and downs in the fishery, births, marriages and deaths of family, friends and neighbours, and newsworthy events at the local, national and international level. None of the 25 volumes are actually all of one format or the other. They all contain a larger or smaller component of each form of diary. The current volume is more of a traditional daily diary. But it also includes some reminiscences of Howard’s earlier life. More than in earlier diaries, he also gives lengthy commentary on the changing lifestyles of the people of Newfoundland. In this Fourteenth volume, the diary transcribed covers a relatively brief period between November 13 1955 and September 20 1956. At this time in his life, Howard finds himself feeling his age for perhaps the first time, and experiencing more and more the aches and pains of old age. He is no longer in charge of the Morry fish business in Ferryland. In 1954, he ceased to outfit his own cod trap crew for possibly the first year since he returned from his service in WWI. But he keeps his hand in by managing his own salmon nets. Howard’s eldest son, Bill, has taken on the lion’s share of responsibility for the Morry fish business, having taken over and improved the fish plant which was begun by his brother Reg just after the war. He has also begun to outfit a trap crew as Howard once did. In addition, he is now taking on the kinds of quasi-governmental perks and duties that Howard himself had previously enjoyed. And, he is branching out into a new seasonal trade as a coal merchant to keep employed after the fishing season is over. Finally, for the first time in ...