When Rev. Turner's wife opened the door her husband was lying on the ground, bleeding from his wound. Pregnant at the time, she carried him inside with the help of others who arrived upon hearing the commotion. He was laid on the kitchen floor, where he would stay for the next four days. While Joan, who had training as a nurse in England, worked at stopping the bleeding, one of the men living at Siuralik, David Turngaluk, headed to Arctic Bay by boat to get help.
At Arctic Bay a wireless operator at the Weather Station broadcast an appeal for help, and John Cormack the Hudson's Bay Company Factor at Arctic Bay left for Siuralik. When he arrived, four days after the accident, Turner was still on the floor. He and Turnaguluk built a wooden bed and place Turner in it.
By this time Rev. Turner had regained consciousness and could speak, with difficulty. He would do most of the translating when the rescuers arrived. It would not be a quick, or easy process. Mounted from Winnipeg, with Special Air Services personnel from Rivers Mb, their first problem was that no one knew exactly how to locate the Mission, or anything about the area. Another Anglican Missionary who had been in the Baffin, and had visited Siuralik, Reverend Flint, was found in Ottawa and sent to Winnipeg. He brought with him hand drawn maps and photos of the mission.
Four parachutists were led by Captain Guy D'Artois, a decorated veteran who had fought in Europe behind enemy lines. They were to make a jump into the scene. By the time they left Winnipeg eight days had passed. Eight days that Rev. Turner had lain in the Mission with a bullet in his brain. The group, D'Artois, a medical officer, two signallers, and the pilots overnighted in Churchill the first day, then went on to Coral Harbour the next. The third day they flew to Arctic Bay, where they dropped a message for Inuit to help move supplies from the drop to the Mission, and then flew on to Siuralik.
There was no place close to the Mission to parachute into. Had it been later in the season they could have dropped onto the sea ice in front of the Mission but that was not an option now. The area here is mountainous, Moffet Inlet is a fiord, although as one moves down it the elevation begins to drop. But they located an area several miles away and made their way to the scene. When the doctor got to him he found that Turner was conscious, and able to talk but very difficult to understand. He was paralyzed on his left side and had a bed soar that was two inches deep and gangrenous.
While the signallers set about rebuilding their radio, it was damaged during the jump, and had to be repaired with parts from a third radio (the second having fallen into the sea). D'Artois set about finding a place for an airplane to land to medivac Turner out. You have to remember that the ocean would not freeze until November or late October here, the terrain is mountainous, and a lake would have to be long enough, and frozen enough to get the plane down onto safely. The search grew ever wider and wider, as the hours of sunlight grew less and less. Finally Reverend Turner himself suggested a lake about 45 kilometres away, large enough to use, but still not frozen enough.
Finally on November 21st, almost two months after the accident and with all of Canada glued to their radios, Reverend Turner was bundled up on a komatik and taken the forty-five kilometres to the lake where a twin engine Dakota waited. He was flown back to Winnipeg and rushed to the hospital by ambulance. The ordeal was not yet over.
While in hospital, despite the best efforts of the doctors and staff, Reverend Turner's condition continued to worsen. He had developed menigitis from the brain injury. On December 6th, 1947, two weeks after leaving Siuralik he lapsed into a coma. Two days later, seventy-two days after his accident Canon John Turner died.
There is a current connection to this story. You will recall that Reverend Turner's wife, Joan, was pregnant at the time of his accident. About ten days after his death another daughter was born, Faith Turner. Last week Faith stayed at the House. She has just moved to Arctic Bay and works as a Nurse here in town. Later this spring she will go out and make her first visit to the site of the Mission at Siuralik, where her father and family enjoyed life and he did his life's work. And where he had his unfortunate accident that ended it.
Comments
10 responses
Wow! I knew that story, but how interesting about his daughter coming back up there!
Amazing story! The history of Arctic Bay and surrounding area is just so rich and interesting. Thanks for sharing Claire. I will be looking for your book on the local history to hit bookstores in the future:)
Wow. That story has “movie” written all over it.
Great story and an even greater ending. Thanks for sharing it with us Claire.
What a compelling story. Amazing to think Turner lived for as long as he did, and under such arduous conditions. An interesting ending too, having his daughter spend the night at the House.
Thanks Clare for an update on an old story. What a wonderful circuitous journey of that family to the new ending. I always wondered what happened to the daughters, maybe in “up here” or one of those mags there was a story some years ago about a Turner family member visitng AB. What a special tie in for the elders to have her there.
Kia ora Clare,
Wow, what a story, and what a magnificent effort by so many talented people in getting to him despite so many obstacles. It is amazing that Rev. Turners life is still creating ripples, and no doubt equally as well deserved.
Cheers,
robb
Its a pretty amazing story Kara. His daughter is a very nice lady.
Thanks Wanda. There is a rich history here, going back thousands of years. I don’t see myself writing a book on it in the near future. There are some interesting older ones around though.
Doesn’t it though Michael? Add it to the screenplay idea pile I guess. If only I could get at the ones I’ve already started.
Thank you M&M
Yes, it is amazing to think about surviving that long in those condtions robin andrea. One account I read the Medical Officer thought that he had given up by the time they arrived, but rallied later.
Indeed Indigo, one of the elders who lived at the mission visited with Faith here, armed with old photos and clippings. I very much wanted to sit in, but felt I shouldn’t intrude on the meeting.
Thanks Robb, by all accounts Reverend Turner loved the north Baffin and it seems to be returned in kind. There is an interesting side story about the animosity between the Anglican and Catholic missions in Pond Inlet, that set up shop at the same time. Like so much of that work it has a complex and sometimes darker history as well.
I’m just catching up, Clare. What an amazing story — thank you for telling it.
You’re welcome Fawn