Paul W. Collins is a native Newfoundlander, with a doctoral degree in History from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). He is a recognized author, speaker and consultant on Newfoundland during the Second World War and an expert on Newfoundland's role in the Battle of the Atlantic. Dr. Collins has contributed to such respected academic journals as The Northern Mariner, Newfoundland and Labrador Studies and The Newfoundland Quarterly, as well as, the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Website. In 2010, his essay "From Defended Harbour to Trans-Atlantic Base" on St. John's' development as a Second World War naval base appeared in the award-winning Occupied St. John's: A Social History of a City at War 1939-1945 published by McGill-Queen's University Press. The "Newfyjohn" Solution: St. John's, Newfoundland as a Case Study of Second World War Allied Naval Base Development During the Battle of the Atlantic is the result of extensive research at The National Archives (TNA/PRO), Kew, London, UK; Libraries and Archives Canada (LARC); the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL); and The City of St. John's Archives.