Loss of the SS Mildred Pauline

SS Mildred Pauline The SS Mildred Pauline was a 300-ton, three-masted schooner built in 1919 in Placentia, Newfoundland. Originally named the SS Herbert Fearn and later the SS Jean F. McCrea, it was eventually acquired by R.W. Sainthill & Co. of North Sydney, Cape Breton. During the Second World War, the vessel operated out of its home port in Sydney, Nova Scotia. On April 23, 1942, the ship departed Barbados carrying a cargo of sugar cane molasses destined for St. John’s, Newfoundland. On May 8, while sailing unescorted and unarmed under the command of Master Abram George Thornhill, the Mildred Pauline (Official Number 142073) was intercepted by the German Type VIIC submarine U-136 approximately 425 miles south-east of Nova Scotia. The engagement began at 00:20 hours when the submarine fired a torpedo that missed the vessel. Approximately one hour later, at 01:33 hours, U-136 surfaced and attacked the schooner with its deck gun. The Mildred Pauline was shelled with 102 rounds and subsequently sank. The attack resulted in the loss of all hands, including Captain Abraham ‘Abe’ George Thornhill and his six-man crew, in the North Atlantic. As their remains were never recovered, the merchant mariners, five of whom were from Nova Scotia, are officially commemorated at the Halifax Memorial. Their names are inscribed on Panels 20, 21, and 22. Crew Members (Nova Scotia) James Edward Landry Mate, Chief Officer Date of Birth: October 21, 1897 Place of Birth: Point Aconi, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia James was the son of Daniel Douglas Landry (1871-1952), captain of a ship, and Annie Maud (Forrest) Landry (1873-1935) of McCreadyville, Cape Breton, NS, and the brother of Able Seaman Norman Earl Landry who perished with the Mildred Pauline. Age: 44 Remembered on Panel 20 of the Halifax Memorial Norman Earl Landry Able Seaman Date of Birth: May 28, 1896 Place of Birth: Point Aconi, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Norman was the son of Daniel Douglas Landry (1871-1952), captain of a ship, and Annie Maud (Forrest) Landry (1873-1935) of McCreadyville, Cape Breton, NS, the husband of Ellen G. Devaux of Point Aconi, Cape Breton, and the father of Margaret Cavell, Frances and Donald Landry. He was the brother of First Mate James Edward Landry who also perished with the Mildred Pauline. Age: 45 Remembered on Panel 21 of the Halifax Memorial Macgregor MacKinlay Date of Birth: January 1, 1902 Place of Birth: Spanish Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Macgregor was the son of Seth McKinlay (1862-1930) and Caroline May (Baker) MacKinlay (1876-1958) of Liscombe, Guysborough Co., NS, and the husband of Bessie (Blackett) MacKinlay (1901-1963) of Liscombe. Age: 40 Remembered on Panel 20 of the Halifax Memorial James Barrington Purves Date of Birth: October 29, 1907 Place of Birth: Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia James was the son of Stephen Barrington Purves (1876-1954) and Lavinia Marion (Bonnar) Purves (1872-1952) from Point Aconi, Cape Breton, NS, brother of Lowrey ‘Girlie’ Helen Purves MacNeil (1906-2011) and Earl Douglas Purves (1909-1995), and the husband of Ernestine Frances (Gott) Purves (1916-2016), of Lynn, Essex Co., Massachusetts. The two married in Swampscott, Essex Co., Mass. in 1934. Age: 34 Remembered on Panel 22 of the Halifax Memorial George Grandy Thornhill Second Engineer Officer Date of Birth: May 4, 1921 Place of Birth: Fortune, Burin, Newfoundland George was the son of Abe Thornhill (1890-1942), Captain of the Mildred Pauline who also died in the attack and sinking of the Mildred Pauline, and Rose Ann Thornhill (1893-1976), of North Sydney, Nova Scotia (according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). Age: 21 Remembered on Panel 22 of the Halifax Memorial Crew Members (Newfoundland) Samuel Pierce Boatswain (Bosun) Date of Birth: January 1, 1919 Place of Birth: Fortune, Newfoundland Samuel was the son of John Pierce (b. 1870) and Martha Jane (Monster) Pierce (b. 1874) of Fortune, NL. Age: 21 Remembered on Panel 22 of the Halifax Memorial Abraham George Thornhill Master, Captain Date of Birth: October 13, 1890 Place of Birth: Grand Bank, Newfoundland Abraham ‘Abe’ George Thornhill was the son of Thomas Dowden George Thornhill (1864-1936) and Caroline (Pierce) Thornhill (1867- 1934). He had 4 siblings, Mary Martha Walsh (1891-1962), Mary Bennett Minnie Thornhill (1897-1962), Charles Henry Chat Thornhill (1902-1966), and Ernest Snook Thornhill (1925-1962). He was the husband of Rose Ann Thornhill (1893-1976) Abraham and Rose had 7 children including George Grandy Thornhill, Second Engineer Officer of the Mildred Pauline, who died alongside his father in the attack and sinking of the ship. Age: 51 Remembered on Panel 22 of the Halifax Memorial

Sources: Canadian Virtual War Memorial