Name: Ernest F. Trefry Rank: Ordinary Seaman Service: Merchant Navy SS Maplecourt (Montreal) Date of Birth: February 5, 1921 Place of Birth: Yarmouth, NS Date of Death: February 6, 1941 Age at Death: 19 Memorial: Halifax Memorial (Nova Scotia, Canada) Memorial Reference: Panel 19 The 113th name on the WWII list of the Yarmouth War Memorial Commemorated on page 242 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance Ernest Trefry, Ordinary Seaman on the SS Maplecourt, aged 19, born February 5, 1921, was the son of Angus Francis Trefry (1895- 1990) and Reta (Hurlburt) Trefry (1897- 1979), of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Ernest was the brother of Shirley Helen (Trefry) Wyman (1935-2008). The Canadian steamship Maplecourt of 3,388 tons was on a voyage from Montreal to Preston, Lancashire, UK,when it was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine U-107 under command of Günter Hessler on February 6th, 1941 when about 300 miles west of the Hebrides. The SS Maplecourt carried 3604 tons of general cargo, including 1540 tons of steel. At 17.52 hours on 6 Feb 1941 the unescorted SS Maplecourt, a straggler from station #84 in convoy SC- 20, was hit just aft of the engine room by one stern torpedo and sank rapidly by the stern about 120 miles west of Rockall located 430 km (270 miles) north-west of Ireland, 460 km (290 miles) west of Great Britain and 700 km (440 miles) south of Iceland. The U-boat had chased the ship for about eight hours and missed with one torpedo during a first submerged attack at 13.53 hours. The Germans observed survivors managing to abandon ship in two lifeboats, but they were never seen again. All the crew of 38 were lost. The ship had been rebuilt in 1920 and converted from a passenger ship to a cargo ship of 3,388 tonnage and fitted with a Triple expansion engine. The owner of the SS Maplecourt was the United Towing & Salvage Co Ltd, Port Arthur, Ontario. The home port was Montreal. Raymond Berry (Fireman/Trimmer; aged 29 of Yarmouth, NS) and Joseph E. Doucette (Fireman; aged 42 of Wedgeport, NS) also died February 6, 1941 on SS Maplecourt. NS Casualties SS Maplecourt Sources and Information: Commonwealth War Graves Commission Veterans Affairs Canada uboat.net