BC Tel- Plant- Smithers- Construction, Ca Maint.

Located at Prince George Railway and Forest Industry Museum

The construction compound in 2006 was located on Victoria Dr. on the East end of Town.

Douglas William Bateson
b- August 10, 1920 - d- September 8, 2015
(note 1 below)

• Hunter Simpson (note 2 below)
• Dave Bratseth (Ca Maint- left in 1985 to Powell River)
• Lorne Robson (moved to the Charlottes)
• Russ Babcock
• Chris Desjardins
• Doug Driver (TOK) (hired in 1981)
• Graham Sutherland (hired in 1981)
• Eldon Fell
• Keith Goddard
• Nick Tombs (sp?)
• Mike Harkins
• Dale Shiloff (left to PG in 1988)
• Graham Currie (quit in 1980)
• Tom Allum (quit in 1980)
• Glen Byrnes (resigned in 1980)
• Jay Chapman (became I&R in 1988) Jay passed away in Jan 2019
• Terry Goddard (left to PG in 1988)
• Bill Green (Became Smithers Janitor)
• Arnold Sears (Cable Splicer- passed away Nov 1, 1979)
• Chuck Harmon (hired in 1981)
• Dave Deleenheer (hired in 1981, became Supv)
• Patrick Gallagher (resigned in 1981)
• Dick Jones (moved to Merritt area)

note 1- Doug Bateson was in the Telephone Construction Business longer than I am old, I am sure.
He was retired and living in Smithers, when he passed away.
The word Tough, isn't enough, to describe this man!
But also one of the nicest guys you will meet.
He retired in 1984, after 31 yrs+ service.
He was a WWII Veteran, and a Smithers Legion Member.
sad news, Doug passed away Sept 8, 2015 at 95 years old

Note 2- Hunter Simpson was a BC Tel lineman in Smithers.
He was involved in the Broken Arrow incident, in the Kispiox Valley.
The first recorded Nuclear accident.
Just before midnight February 13, 1950, distress calls were received from USAF Convair B-36B Peacemaker, Strategic Bomber #2075. Spec. No. 98-26751-H
built by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp., May 28, 1949
It was en route from Eielsen Air Force Base near Faibanks, Alaska to Carswell Air Force base at Fort Worth, Texas.
The wreck is located at 5500 ft. elevation
Long 128°34’, Lat. 56°05’,
on Kologet Mountain, on the west side of Kispiox Valley.
It was carrying a 10,000 pound Mk4 or “Fat Man” bomb, with supposedly a dummy capsule on board.

Hunter, a Canadian, was included as part of a US military mission that went in and demolished the remains of the plane.
His nephew, Harry Simpson, worked in Telus Sp. Services, Radio, Const, and I&R, in Terrace.
Herbert Hunter Simpson,
died May 22, 1972, in Smithers, age 60.
According to Harry, he was in the military in his early life.
Plus he knew the terrain, and was a “bush man” and was supposedly a friend of one of the American soldiers.
But questions remain why they included him on such a secret mission.
It is still a mystery how the plane ended up 200 miles off it's course.
Supposedly the bomb was dropped in the Pacific Ocean, and all the crew parachuted out, leaving the plane on auto pilot, with engines on fire, and failing,
It was assumed the plane crashed into the sea.
It was not found until Sept. 1953, on a search for another downed aircraft at the time.

• Larry Miller- (left to Smtr I&R in 1987)
• Ray Benner
• Dennis Blackall
• Rick Perzson
• John Donovan (ca 1980)

©