During the tumultuous and often violent election riots of 1861, members of the Royal Newfoundland Companies opened fire on a crowd of rioters, killing three and wounding several others. In the sobering aftermath, a compromise evolved that would shape Newfoundland politics and society into the twentieth century.

In The Invisibles, James E. Candow provides the fascinating backstory of the Royal Newfoundland Companies while enhancing our understanding of the role they played in Newfoundland history and the lives of our communities. This is an important, often overlooked, chapter in the British Military’s involvement in the colony at a time when Newfoundlanders fervently sought to become masters of their own fate—expertly told in Candow’s engaging and vivid prose.

James E. Candow is from Gander, NL, and is a graduate of both Memorial and Dalhousie universities. He has written numerous articles, book chapters, and reviews and is the author of five books, including Cantwells’ Way: A Natural History of the Cape Spear Lightstation and The Lookout: A History of Signal Hill, which was shortlisted for the Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing. He lives in Dartmouth, NS.

James E. Candow's profile page

"Throughout The Invisibles, [James] Candow highlights memorable people and events, conveying what life and work were like for the military men undertaking often-thankless tasks."

Canada's History

"Candow knows how to grab our attention. He also knows what to do when he has it: make his argument and present his evidence. We get intrigued, and then informed — in this case, about the Royal Newfoundland Companies... Candow’s prose is learned, accessible and not dry, but descriptive and wryly perceptive. He populates the text with vivid, conflicted characters; it’s a brisk read. The appendices include the compositions and commanding officers of the Royal Newfoundland Companies and military plans (with charts); there are endnotes, a bibliography and an index. The Invisibles fills a real gap in Newfoundland’s 19th Century military and political history, and story."

The Telegram