Updated 11/26/05
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July 27, 1956





Lookout Tower Is Dedicated
West Island Post Begins Operations Location for Civilian plane spotting was activated yesterday with the official dedication of Fairhaven’s lookout tower on West Island.

State county, and town Civil Defense leaders, town officials and military men participated in the ceremonies.

The tower built by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers during World War II, was taken over by Fairhaven when the town purchased the beach at West Island two years ago.

"To Serve All Humanity"

"This tower is dedicated to serve all humanity," Alberton E. Stanton, chairman of the Fairhaven Board of Selectmen, said during the brief ceremony.

Also taking part in the dedication were Major General Robert G. Ervin (USAF Retired), executive officer of the Manchester, N.H. GOC; Major Franklin G. Woodward, State GOC co-ordinator; 1st. Lieutenant Claude F. Owens, operation officer of the Manchester N.H. GOC filter center; and Sergeant Chauncy Yurchis, area field officer of the GOC.

Others were Louis F. Saba, CD Sector 2 director; Arthur J. Mullen; Fairhaven C.D. director; William Davis, Sector 2A C.D. director; Wendell T. Eldridge, chief observer for the Fairhaven C.D.

20 Observers Attend

Approximately 20 of the 70 observers of the Fairhaven GOC also were on hand.

Mrs. Rose Lawton, executive director of the Fairhaven organization, placed the first call in the Manchester filter center at 2:55 p.m. reporting the opening aircraft flash.

The tower is the town’s first observation post since World War II, when a lookout station was established. Civilian ground observers work two hours weekly on a volunteer basis, but 168 volunteers are maintain lookout 24 hours, seven days a week.

Thanking the civilian observers for volunteering their services, Mr. Mullen expressed the desire that "in years to come, the GOC in our community will grow to meet the needs in the nation’s C.D. program."

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