C 1960, NEWFOUNDLAND, The Fortress Isle by J. Wentworth Day. Forward - The Case for Newfoundland, wr

📘 "The Fortress Isle: Newfoundland"

• Author: J. Wentworth Day

• Published: circa 1960

• Publisher: (likely British—Day’s works were often issued in London)

• Genre: Historical and political commentary

• Preface / Foreword: “The Case for Newfoundland”

🧭 Overview

J. Wentworth Day, an English journalist and author known for his conservative and imperial outlook, wrote The Fortress Isle as both a travel narrative and a political argument. The book examines Newfoundland’s geography, people, economy, and—crucially—its strategic and cultural role in the North Atlantic world of the mid-20th century.

The Foreword, “The Case for Newfoundland,” argues that Newfoundland should be valued not merely as a remote province (it joined Canada in 1949), but as a key strategic and cultural bastion of the North Atlantic—what Day calls a “fortress isle.” He frames Newfoundland as:

• A gateway between the Old World and the New.

• A military and maritime stronghold during WWII and the Cold War.

• A land with a distinct identity, shaped by isolation, hardship, and the sea.

Day’s tone is often nostalgic and imperial, emphasizing Newfoundland’s British heritage and its importance to Commonwealth defense and trade routes.