Sources Chestico Museum & Archive, October 15, 2021 Library and Archives Canada forposterityssake

Name: Basil Matthew Laidlaw Rank: Stoker Petty Officer Service Number: 21350 Service: HMS Belmont and HMS Calliope, Royal Canadian Navy Service Number: 21350 Date of Birth: July 19, 1912 Place of Birth: Port Hood, Inverness Co., Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Enlistment: September 1, 1933 (Halifax, NS) Date of Death: January 31, 1942 Age: 29 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia Reference: Panel 5 Commemorated on Page 88 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on February 25 Basil was the son of John Henderson Laidlaw (1870-1949) and Mary Florence (Fraser) Laidlaw (1874-1931), Port Hood, Nova Scotia. His siblings were Helena B U Laidlaw (b. 1901), Elizabeth Josephine Laidlaw (1904-1985), Robina Marie Olga Laidlaw (1906-1985), Alexander Fraser Laidlaw (1908-1980), John H Laidlaw (b. 1909), Margaret Laidlaw (b. 1911), Vesta Laidlaw (b. 1915), and Mary Laidlaw (1918-2008). Basil was a sportsman and outdoors person. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. He completed the 10th Grade and worked for two years as a bank teller at the Bank of Montreal in Port Hood. He had interest in boxing and sports in general and his interests and habits centered around the sports world. His father trained him to box, and he was always fussing over his weight and never smoke or drank. He also had a great love for music. He played records by the hour and had a lovely singing voice himself. He would visit friends and relatives and bring home the latest stories and songs. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1933. During these years he traveled the world and had many fascinating trips. He also managed to visit his sisters Helen in California, Libby in Alberta and Robina in New York, as well as several visits to the family who lived closer. Other trips saw him attend the Coronation of George VI in England and a trip to his father's home in Scotland. He was good to write letters and stayed connected with all his family. He loved to take pictures and made up several albums of his journeys in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Basil had left a trunk with his personal belongings at his sister Marguerite's home in Halifax. On April 16, 1935, he reached the peak of his boxing career on winning the British Empire Championship in Hamilton, Bermuda. His home base was Halifax where he kept his belongings including a motorcycle which he used while on shore. When the war broke out in Europe many Canadian service men were loaned to the British forces. Ships assigned to and postings: Oct 28, 1933 Served in HMCS Champlain until December 3, 1935 * Rated Stoker First Class September 1, 1934 January 11, 1936 Served in HMCS Saguenay until May 31, 1938 May 9, 1939 Served in HMCS Skeena until 28 February 28, 1941 * Rated Acting Leading Stoker June 15, 1940 July 14, 1941 Served in HMCS Hamilton until November 20, 1941 * Rated Acting Stoker Petty Officer August 1, 1941 November 24, 1941 Served in HMCS Vegreville until December 10, 1941 December 11, 1941 Served in HMCS Grandmère until Jan 11, 1942 January 25, 1942 Drafted to HMS Calliope, Royal Navy base, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England January 25, 1942 Assigned to HMS Belmont for passage to HMS Calliope HMS Belmont was a Town‑class destroyer serving with the Royal Navy as a convoy escort during the Battle of the Atlantic. She had begun her life as the USS Satterlee (DD‑190), a Clemson‑class destroyer commissioned into the United States Navy in 1919. After a short early career and years in reserve, she was reactivated for the Second World War and transferred to Britain in 1940. This transfer was part of the “Destroyers for Bases” Agreement, through which fifty U.S. destroyers were exchanged for British base rights in the Western Hemisphere- ships that became known in Royal Navy service as the Town‑class. Renamed Belmont, she continued escort duties until she was torpedoed and sunk on January 31, 1942. In November 1941, Belmont sailed for St. John's, Newfoundland to carry out local escort duties in Canadian waters. On January 30, 1942, Belmont left Halifax, Nova Scotia, forming, together with the destroyer Firedrake, the escort for the troopships Volendam and Largs Bay as Convoy NA2 bound for the Clyde. The two destroyers were on opposite flanks of the convoy, with the troopships in line abreast. At 2212 hr on January 31, 1942, explosions were spotted near Belmont by Volendam, and the Convoy commodore ordered the convoy to alter course away from the explosions on the assumption that Belmont was engaging a submarine. When the convoy resumed its course at 2250 hrs, with no sight of or signals from Belmont, it was realised that the destroyer must have been torpedoed. Firecrest remained with the convoy rather than turning back to search for survivors, as that would have left the convoy unprotected. An air search for survivors was hampered by bad weather, and no survivors were found. Belmont had been torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-82 with all 138 on board being killed. U-82 herself was sunk with all hands on February 6, 1942. Basil Matthew Laidlaw was among the 138 lost in the sinking of HMS Belmont.