Remembering World War II

Name: Aaron Cleveland Rank: Fireman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 50 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS Aaron Cleveland, one of seven children of William Silas Cleveland (1845-1924) and Angeline Matilda Publicover (1855-1925) of Bayswater, Lunenburg Co., NS was born on July 25, 1890. His brother Stanley Cleveland (1879-1934) was a veteran of World War I. Commemorated on Page 114 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 9 and August 6 Name: William Harold Davie Rank: Fireman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: unknown Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS William Davie was the husband of Anne Davie, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Commemorated on Page 123 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 13 and August 10 Name: John Dickson Rank: Fireman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 30 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS John Dickson was the son of Robert Dickson and Margaret (Henderson) Dickson of New Waterford, Nova Scotia. Commemorated on Page 126 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 15 and August 12 Name: Carrol R. Gates Rank: Able Seaman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 26 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS Born on February 21, 1914, Carrol R. Gates was the son of Caroline Gates, of Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia. Before he joined the service he was a painter and interior decorator. He attended Victoria Academy Beach Grammar School and Annapolis Academy at Annapolis Royal, NS; graduating from there. His hobbies were radio and sports. He enlisted in the Merchant Navy in London, England four and a half years before the war and served in China, Hawaii, Holland, the Philippines, the West Coast of Africa, Greece, Belgium, Turkey and Germany. When war was declared he was aboard ship in the Black Sea and after returning to London, joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Service and served as Chief Petty Officer until 1940 when he transferred to the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in Halifax, NS reverting to Able Seaman. He served in this capacity until October 12, 1940 when the SS St. Malo was torpedoed. His brother Charles also served in the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve. Commemorated on Page 140 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 22 and August 19 Name: Frederick Joseph Hansen Rank: Able Seaman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 17 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS Frederick Joseph Hansen was the son of John and Anne M. Hansen, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Commemorated on Page 149 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 26, August 23, and October 29 Name: Arthur Knight Rank: Able Seaman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 27 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS Arthur Knight was the son of Edith Knight, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Commemorated on Page 167 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on April 4, September 1, and November 7 Name: Donald J. McDonald Rank: Fireman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 28 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS Donald J. McDonald, born September 3, 1912 in Port Hastings, Cape Breton, NS, was the brother of Sarah Ellen (Sadie) McDonald of Halifax, NS. Commemorated on Page 186 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on April 14, September 11, and November 17 Name: Francis McDonald Rank: Fireman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 20 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS Francis McDonald was the son of Daniel C. McDonald, of Creignish, Cape Breton Co., Nova Scotia. Commemorated on Page 187 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on April 14, September 11, and November 17 Name: Carmen Richards Rank: Fireman Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 18 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS Carmen Richards was the son of Obediah and Lucretia (Wentzell) Richard of Pleasantville, Lunenburg Co., Nova Scotia and the brother of Rubin Richards, of East Middle La Have, Nova Scotia. Commemorated on Page 217 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on April 30, September 27, and December2 Name: Donald Smith Winchester Rank: Second Steward Service: Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Death: October 12, 1940 Age at Death: 40 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, NS Donald Smith Winchester was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William St. Clair Winchester, of Digby, Nova Scotia and the husband of Mrs. Donald Smith Winchester, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Commemorated on Page 251 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on May 17, October 14, December 19

SS St. Malo

SS St. Malo At 11:30 pm on October 12, 1940 the SS Saint Malô, en-route from St. John, New Brunswick to Liverpool and a straggler from convoy HX-77, was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-101. The ship broke in two and sank after thirty minutes. Of the crew of forty-four, twenty-eight were lost. Thirteen Canadian and three French crew members abandoned ship in one lifeboat and some rafts. The U-boat fished the seventeen year old ship´s boy out of the water and transferred him to the boat after questioning. Two days later, the boat was taken in tow by a lifeboat from the British Motor Merchant Port Gisborne, which had been sunk by U-48 on October 11. The survivors transferred into the other lifeboat on October 21 and were all rescued by the Royal Navy Rescue Tug HMS Salvonia on the following day. Among the lost were ten merchant seaman from Nova Scotia.

Sources: Canadian Virtual War Memorial Commonwealth War Graves Commission uboat.net

photo: courtesy Fort Point Museum, LaHave