Remembering World War II

Convoy HX-72 (Halifax en-route to Liverpool - September 1940) On the night of September 21-22, 1940, Convoy HX-72, comprised 43 ships carrying war material enroute from Halifax to Liverpool in the United Kingdom. The convoy had departed Halifax on September 9th. The Armed Merchant Carrier, Jarvis Bay was the only escort vessel until late on September 20th, when it departed the convoy to meet the Western Approaches escort of six warships that would meet the convoy on the afternoon of September 21st. On the night of September 20th , U-47 sighted the convoy and called for available U-boats. Six U-boats arrived, and action against the convoy began around midnight of September 20th. The escort vessels of the Western Approach arrived during the afternoon of the September 21st . The U-boats were able to sink 11 merchant ships during the attack. Just after midnight U-100 struck three ships including the SS Empire Airman, and the SS Frederick S. Fales. When U-boat action ended, with the presence of the escort ships, convoy HX 72 was scattered. The remaining ships of HX 72 proceeded independently as attempts to gather the convoy back together failed. There was no further attack by the U-boats and the remaining ships reached the United Kingdom safely. 12 Merchant Mariners from Nova Scotia were lost: SS. Empire Airman Name: Robert J. D. Hughes Rank: Fireman Service: SS Empire Airman, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: 1910 Place of Birth: South Shields, England Marital Status: Married Next of Kin: Florence Hughes (Wife) Stellarton, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 30 Memorial: Halifax Memorial Commemorated Brookside Cemetery, New Glasgow, Pictou Co., NS Robert Hughes was the son of Charles Weakner and Sarah Hughes of South Shields, England. Robert Hughes married Florence Ethel MacLellan (1901-1981) on June 22nd, 1937 in Sydney, NS. At the time of their marriage Robert was a Seafarer and Florence was a school teacher living in Stellarton, Pictou Co., NS. Robert Hughes was presumed lost at sea when the SS Empire Airman was torpedoed by enemy action. Of a crew of 27 there was 4 survivors. SS Frederick S. Fales (Hong Kong) Name: Charles Patrick Beed Rank: Able Seaman Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: March 10, 1916 Place of Birth: Halifax, NS Martial Status: Single Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 24 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 Son of John Albert Beed (1884-1961) and Mary Jane (Mulcahie) Beed (b. 1890-1968), of Halifax, NS. Charles Beed was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: Bayne Winston Gammon Rank: Ordinary Seaman Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: June 11, 1921 Place of Birth: New Harbor, Guysborough Co., NS Martial Status: Single Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 19 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 Bayne Gammon was the son of Garfield Alfred Gammon and Lila Bell (Slater) Gammon of New Harbor, Guysborough. He was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: Raymond Hansen Rank: Wiper Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Martial Status: Single Date of Birth: March 31, 1920 Place of Birth: Halifax, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 20 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 Raymond Hansen was the son of John Hanson and Anne (Morvan) Hansen, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. When news of the sinking wass received by his parents, his father, himself a former seafarer, refused to believe his son was lost. “He’ll show up somewhere, somehow”. Less than a month later, Frederick Joseph Hansen, age 17, a brother of Raymond was lost in the sinking of the SS St. Malo on October 12, 1910. Name: William A. Hart Rank: Fireman Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: 1900 Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario Residence: #4 Shore Road, Dartmouth, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 40 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 William Hart was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: Robert Ernest Hayes Rank: Chief Steward Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: June 26, 1907 Place of Birth: Halifax, NS Residence: 25 York St., Halifax, NS Martial Status: Single Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 33 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 Robert E. Hayes was the son of Richard Henry Sidney Hayes (1865-1941) and Grace Christine (Hiscock) Hayes of Halifax, NS. He was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: William Kearley Rank: Engine Boy Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: Unknown Place of Birth: Fortune Bay, Newfoundland Residence: Halifax, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: Unknown Memorial: No known Memorial Listing William Kearley was initially listed in newspapers as a survivor of the sinking and lists him as a resident of Halifax; however, the Canadian Virtual War Memorial lists him as a casualty of the sinking. He was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: Cecil Moore Rank: Oiler Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: 1916 Place of Birth: Unknown Residence: 949 Barrington St., Halifax, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 24 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 Cecil Moore, laughed at the dangers of the sea, his family said, through in his 14 months as a sailor he had been on a steamer blown up by a mine in the English Channel and was one of a handful of survivors. Cecil was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: John James Saunders Rank: Oiler Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: 1918 Place of Birth: Halifax, Nova Scotia Residence: 131 Walnut St., Halifax, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 22 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 John James Saunders was the son of John Saunders, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: Gerald Bernard Scallion Rank: Mess Room Boy Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: April 3, 1912 Place of Birth: Halifax, NS Residence: 120 Maitland St., Halifax, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 28 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 Gerald Bernard Scallion was the son of Joseph Scallion and Bridget (Dempsey) Scallion, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: John Francis Scanlon Rank: Galley Boy Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: 1917 Place of Birth: Halifax, NS Residence: 6 Uniacke Street, Halifax, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 23 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 Son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Scanlon, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. John was eager to serve as a front-line man. At the beginning of the war he served with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, through his health led to an honorable discharge. In August of 1940 he told his mother he had joined a British tanker. He sailed on the Frederick S Fales, taking with him the army uniform he had kept. When the letter arrived reporting him “missing presumed lost’ his father spoke his epitaph. “He may not have been in uniform, but if he is dead he died for his country just the same.” John Francis Scanlon was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. Name: James Wilfred Patrick White Rank: Second Cook/Baker Service: SS Frederick S. Fales, Canadian Merchant Navy Date of Birth: July 14, 1911 Place of Birth: Halifax, NS Residence: 175 Gottingen St., Halifax, NS Date of Death: September 21, 1940 Age at Death: 29 Memorial: Halifax Memorial, Panel 17 James White was the son o William E. White, of Halifax and Josephine White of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was lost at sea when the SS Frederick S. Fales was torpedoed by enemy action. In the words of his brother, “James was realizing a life-long ambition to go to sea”. The SS Frederick S. Fales was a Motor Tanker owned by Oriental Tankers Ltd., Hong Kong. The ship sailed with a crew of 49 men and joined Convoy HS-72 at Halifax. In Halifax, the Chinese crew signed off and thirty-four new seaman, two of them British and thirty-two from Nova Scotia signed on for the voyage to Liverpool. The ship was attacked by U-100 and was hit by two torpedoes causing the ship to capsize to starboard and sink within five minutes. Of the 49 crew, 21 were lost; 28 survivors were rescued by HMS La Malouline and landed at Belfast on September 25th.

Convoy HX-72 - Nova Scotia Merchant Mariners

Sources: Canadian Virtual War Memorial Records of UK Merchant Mariners lost during WWII Newspaper articles findagrave uboat.net