Normally a town or city comes first and an airport comes after. In Gander’s case, the airport came first and the town came later. The airport was officially opened in 1939 to serve an important role during World War II. It was reported as being the largest multinational military base in the world. A new town was started immediately when the war ended, with the population living in renovated military buildings on airport property during the evolution of commercial transatlantic aviation. The town was later relocated and rebuilt in a new area a short distance from the airport, officially opening in1959.
This book describes how the lifestyle developed in an aviation environment in an isolated rural Newfoundland town. It outlines the layout and purpose of the various buildings in the old town and includes photos and map layouts for a better view of the layout where residents lived. The book also relates stories of an unrecorded past, in the original town of Gander, existing on the edge of the runways of a busy international airport and forgotten over a period of time.
Gander Airport and its town have been known throughout the world because of the role they played in the war as a start-up of transatlantic commercial aviation. Gander was a worldwide aviation newsmaker.

Bio Jack M. Pinsent was one of the first citizens to live in Gander with his parents in 1945. A retired air-traffic controller, he worked and raised his family in Gander, where he still resides. He has been involved in collecting the history of the airport, which he posts regularly on social media. He can be found at:X: Gander Aviation Historical Society (@gahsYQX)Website: www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org

Jack Pinsent's profile page