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Wartime Heritage
ASSOCIATION
Remembering World War II
Yarmouth Connections
Name:
George Manuel Adams
Service No:
A/1441
Rank:
Motor Mechanic
Regiment/Service:
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
HMCS Raccoon
Date of Birth:
April 24, 1901
Place of Birth:
Great Burin, Burin, Newfoundland
Date of Enlistment:
March 30, 1940
Place of Enlistment:
Halifax, NS
Address at Enlistment:
East Pubnico, Yarmouth Co., NS
Age at Enlistment:
38
Height:
5 feet, 2 ½ inches
Complexion:
Fair
Hair Colour:
Brown
Eye Colour:
Blue
Trade:
Engineer (MV Amacita)
Marital Status:
Married
Religion:
United
Next of Kin:
Susanna Adams (Wife) East Pubnico, Yarmouth Co., NS
Date of Death:
September 7, 1942
Memorial:
Halifax Memorial (Panel 6)
Commemorated on page 209 of the Newfoundland Book of Remembrance
Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on April 15, August 1, and November 12
Commemorated on The Yarmouth War Memorial
George Adams was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Moulton, of Fortune Bay, Newfoundland and
husband of Susanna Adams, of East Pubnico. His father, Stephen Adams (b. 1875) died in 1902. His
mother was Melinda (Beasley) Adams. She married James Moulton after the death of Stephen Adams.
George had four children, Olive Rosenne, Shirley Marie, Elsie Jean, and Lillian Georgina. He and
Susanna were married at 101 Vernon St., Halifax in 1929. He lived in Halifax for nine years, in
Yarmouth Co., NS for twelve years and in East Pubnico for four and a half years. Prior to his
enlistment he was employed as an engineer on the Swedish freighter MV Amacita. He worked in
coastal trade for Mr. J. Brodie as a diesel engineer out of Yarmouth for twelve years. After his
service he had planned to work on his own farm in Pubnico.
His enlisted with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on March 30, 1940 in Halifax and
joined the crew of HMCS Raccoon on May 16, 1940.
HMCS Raccoon was a civilian yacht converted for military service,and was one of several Royal
Canadian Navy ships sunk during the battle of the St. Lawrence. The German submarine U-165 sank
Raccoon in the early morning of 7 September 1942 during an attack on a convoy near Pointe-au-
Père, Quebec. In the confusion, Raccoon's loss was not realized until later in the day. Little trace of
the ship and its 37 crew was ever found, aside from some wreckage and the body of its captain, R. H.
McConnell. John Jeremiah Boudreau also died September 7, 1942 on HMCS Raccoon
The struggle on the Atlantic between Allied navies and German U-Boats brought the naval war into
Canada, turning the river and Gulf of St. Lawrence into a battleground. From 1942, German U-Boats
sank 23 merchant and naval ships. Improvements in anti-submarine defences ultimately stemmed
these losses.
George Manuel Adams
Photo Credit: Canadian War Museum
George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20070195-008b_front