The importance of the Bell Island mines to the Allied wartime economy was underlined by the fact that there were two German submarine raids in Conception Bay in 1942. Four ore carriers were sunk in these raids with considerable loss of life. This slide shows the funeral of some of the victims. In the background can be seen a stockpile of the ore for which their lives had been lost. Ironically, the export of Bell Island ore to Germany had risen dramatically in the late 1930's - from 66,125 tons in the year ending June 30, 1936, to 521,999 tons in the year ending June 30. 1939. Indeed, the last ship to carry ore to Germany before the War had left Bell Island on August 26, 1939 - just a few days before that country invaded Poland.
