With the passing of Sir Winston Churchill [January 1965], several human interest stories of a minor character come to mind. They concern his journey in August 1941 to meet with President Roosevelt at Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. This meeting, as we all know, resulted in the momentous Atlantic Charter. I was privileged to serve on his staff whilst embarked in the battleship Prince of Wales for the trans-Atlantic crossing to and from Placentia Bay. Taken on the quarterdeck of the Prince of Wales, shows Sir Winston taking a constitutional with Harry Hopkins during a lull in the bad weather which plagued the crossing. Also shown are Admiral Sir Dudley Pound (Chief of Naval Staff) General Sir John Dill (Chief of the Imperial General Staff) and Air Vice-Marshal Freeman (Vice-Chief of the Air Staff)

Out Run the U-Boats

Due to excessive vibration caused by the high speeds being maintained as a safeguard against submarine attack, Sir Winston had had himself moved from his stateroom below decks to a small sea cabin normally known as the Admirals’ Sea Cabin, located on the lower bridge. One evening about 48 hours out from Scapa Flow, Mr. Churchill came onto the compass platform (the control area from where a ship is conned) and stood quietly gazing out ahead, puffing away at one of those ever-present cigars. I had long had an idea in my head that I would attempt to ‘latch on’ to one of his cigar butts as a souvenir but almost everyone else had the same idea. Consequently he was watched like a hawk by most of the ships company.

Eye on the Prize On this occasion, I kept an eye on this particular weed he was enjoying, hoping that nothing would interrupt my intentions to grab it when he got through with it. I guess I must have got a little carried away with the idea, because when he placed the half-smoked cigar in the ash tray and turned to speak to his aide. I grabbed it quickly and faded to the back of the bridge. Pitfall of Popularity “Winnie” turned from his conversation and reached for his cigar, which wasn’t there anymore, and turned and gave me a questioning look. I thought my number was up, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he just passed his arm behind him in the direction where his private detective was standing. The police officer (a Scotland Yard Inspector) reached into his breast pocket (he had a whole battery of cigars in there), selected a new one and passed it across to Mr. Churchill, who lit up again, quite unconcerned. I suppose this sort of thing had happened to him before.

Re-purposing the Confidential Book Box

The Most Ungodly Smell

Down with the Ship

Come in Second Army...Come in Second Army

Despite the valiant efforts of the 1st Para's to capture and hold the north end of this vital bridge over the Rhine, their support system failed to reach them and the Germans moved in to surround them. The bridge fell on September 21st and Stan, wounded in the face, was taken prisoner. He was twenty three.  Stan had already seen service in an anti-aircraft battery in Liverpool during the Blitz and served in Northern Ireland, North Africa, Sicily and Italy. Only months before Operation Market Garden, Stan completed  further training as a wireless operator.

The Bridge at Arnhem today renamed John Frostbrug or John Frost Bridge in honour of Major General John Frost who led the British forces that did their utmost to hold the 'bridge too far" Click Green Read More Link

A Bridge Too Far

In his book, A Bridge Too Far, Cornelius Ryan, who interviewed Stan, states that Stan was in the room above Lt. Col. Frost on September 20th repeatedly signaling for help that would never come. A far cry from another reference to Stan before the start of Operation Market Garden. Apparently Stan was under the impression that taking the last bridge at Arnhem would go well and he would need to purchase extra film for his camera before he left England so he could take pictures of the Dutch countryside.

The Long Road Home

Stan's father and brother emigrated to St. Thomas after WWI however, Stan's family moved back to England just before WWII. This is why Stan's service was all in the British Army. Stan's journey as a wounded POW was related to the citizens of St. Thomas via a letter written by his father to his Uncle in St. Thomas shortly after Stan was repatriated. Letter Shared The following is an excerpt from this letter which appeared in an article in the St. Thomas Times Journal. The description is terse - memories accumulated in Stalag IX-B too vivid to be expressed even to his father at the time.

“They were all lousey and dirty”

On his return home the young soldier was put on double rations for three weeks, which made him look like his old self again  at the time of writing he was enjoying himself immensely. It would appear from the letters that he was connected for a time with Parachute troops, and liked it very much. On his way back to Britain, one letter stated, he flew in a Lancaster bomber. The authorities flew 24 prisoners home at a time, and Copley Senior said it was ‘wonderful’ the way in which the prisoners were brought back so quickly.   “They were all lousey and dirty” commented the lad’s father “and he never wants to feel the pangs of hunger again.”

Stalag IX-B prisoners suffered badly from lack of food; for many, liberation came just in time.

Mrs. W.J. Green has received a most interesting letter from her brother Lieut. Charles B. Cowley, of the Princess Patricia Light Infantry. It was written in France on Oct. 1 just two day before he was wounded and sent back to England to recuperate. The letter reads as follows: Princess Pat's in Reserve I have been having quite a time during the past week. A few nights ago I was hurriedly ordered to take my platoon with haste to a particular portion of the line from the point where we were in reserve.

Mlle Marcelle Semmers

As a matter of fact I am billeted in the house of a French heroine who is a modern Joan d’Arc and has been greatly honoured and decorated as a chevalier de legion d’honneur. I believe that she is receiving a military cross from our people. What she did was to close a bridge so the enemy couldn’t cross the river. Then she opened some locks and flooded the country, and by this she located a German battery. She also nursed some wounded soldiers. Her name is Marcelle Summers [Semmers].

After relating his memories of his time as the first Radar Officer on the Prince of Wales and, along with the Hood, the encounter with the Bismarck, Rear Admiral Stuart Paddon continues with memories of the occasion when the Prince of Wales transported Winston Churchill to Placentia Harbour in Newfoundland, then still a British colony,  for a secret meeting with the American President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Surprise Passenger

Shooting Crap with Roosevelt's Son

I have a host of memories of this occasion. One of these was going over to HMCS Restigouche to buy some Canadian cigarettes, which I had been without for too long a period. I knew none of the Canadian officers, but I was well received in the Wardroom and asked to join in a crap game in progress on the deck. The person at my left turned out to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., then a young ensign in the US Navy. He had been invited to this occasion, along with his brother who was in the Army, in order to meet Churchill.

I purchased ten thousand Buckingham cigarettes and this occupied two huge cartons. I was intending to call my ship to send a boat when FDR Jr. suggested that he take me back in the boat allocated to him. I was duly delivered to my ship along with my ten thousand cigarettes.

Old Man Not Amused

Churchill Saluted Merchant Convoy

We finally left Newfoundland and proceeded back on our own as we could do thirty knots. I remember very well, at one point, we passed through a huge convoy of ships, which I would guess was doing about eight or ten knots, and at this time Churchill made his famous V sign to many of the merchant ships as we passed them. I have seen pictures of him so doing on many occasions in later years. He finally left us with his group at Iceland, at Reykjavík. We then returned to Scapa Flow. I presume he took passage in some other smaller ship back to England from Iceland.

Churchill aboard the Prince of Wales

Part Two of the story of radar through the eyes of Rear Admiral Stuart Paddon from St. Thomas, Ontario as he recounts his wartime service at the sharp end of this emerging technology.

Time's Up - The Hunt is On

The Captain was Correct

The System

Radar Intel Not Used

Bismark vs. the Hood

Bismark vs. the Prince of Wales

Here the fallacy of our Admiral is indicated, as far as I am concerned. The range for Prince of Wales was almost identical with Hood, and Bismarck was able immediately to turn her fire on us, causing severe damage. Our whole compass platform was shot away and of the ten or so personnel normally stationed on the Compass Platform, seven were killed; the three most important people surviving, the Captain, the Navigator and the Cox’n. A number of our Air Defence people were killed.

Interesting Aside

An interesting story is that Esmond Knight, the actor, was an RNR lieutenant who was a shipmate and was an Air Defence Officer. He was seriously injured, losing one eye and badly damaging the second. Several days later we dropped him off at Iceland thinking he would not live. Many years later he appeared in many shows including ‘Henry the Eighth; and he was the actor who portrayed the Captain of the Prince of Wales in the movie ‘Sink the Bismarck’.   The Prince of Wales continued to engage the Bismarck for twenty minutes before our Y turret seized by jamming of the loading trays so that the turret could not be trained. We did manage to fire a good number of rounds at Bismarck and subsequently found through other accounts that damage was done to Bismarck, seriously disrupting her control of armament.

Blood Dripping on Navigational Chart

What the Radar Saw

Extensive Damage was Done

Y Turret Trays Jammed

At 4:00 We Engaged the Bismark

The Weather Worsened

Not a Happy Memory

R & R and Another Canadian

The story of radar through the eyes of Rear Admiral Stuart Paddon from St. Thomas, Ontario as he recounts his wartime service at the sharp end of this emerging technology.

A Canadian in the Royal Navy

The 'Science' building at the University of Western Ontario in London under construction in 1924.

RAF Scoops Electronic Talent RN Looks to Canada

The Adventure Begins

Working on the Cutting Edge of Radar

The Prince of Wales was the first ship to get a multiple suite of radar. Up until this time, ships carried one radar, now I was to get ten as follows: one type 281 radar, air warning principally with a capability for surface detection; nine gunnery radars, type 284 to control the main 14-inch armament; four 285s to control the HA.LA 5.25 directors; and four 282s for mounting on the pompom directors.

Only One had been to Sea

The Prince of Wales was a Showpiece

Boys will be Boys

In the anteroom, as distinct to the wardroom, we set up two chairs, one with its seat vertical and one in its normal position. I went to the far end of the wardroom and hurtled down the course, feet first over the first chair, caught the second one with my bottom in the seat causing it to end up in the upright position with me seated in it. This had the desired effect. They used to call him Tarzan

Bob Perry well remembers the three weeks prior to the June 6 invasion when he and his shipmates, along with the crews of thousands of ships jamming the ports all along the south coast of England were confined to their vessels as a security measure.   No shore leave was permitted in order to avoid any risk of vital information, even conjecture, as to the timing of the invasion reaching the enemy ears.   Those final days were spent checking and re-checking equipment, there was an air of expectancy as well as anxiety. Last minute letters were written, not to be mailed until the invasion was under way.

Collage featuring Merrick Jones, who sailed on the Canada Clipper II and Bob Perry who sailed on HMCS Thunder. Both men were members of the board of the Elgin Military Museum.

Someone has to go First

June 6 was but a few minutes old when HMCS Thunder, the leader of a flotilla of seven minesweepers, headed out into the storm-ravaged English Channel to begin the hazardous task of clearing the five safe passages through the German minefield.  They were tasked with clearing Channel Four in the American sector of the operation. The safety of all the sailors and assault troops on board the more than 7,000 ships of all types from the large battleships down to the smallest infantry landing craft, depended on the minesweepers playing their part well.   It was a highly dangerous mission also, because it took them under the noses of the enemy and within range of his shore guns.

HMCS Thunder, a Bangor Class minesweeper Powered bytwo vertical triple-expansion steam engines which produced approximately 24000 horsepower,

The Allied invasion of Nazi-controlled Europe on June 6, 1944 was the most unique military operation of its kind in modern times, presenting an awesome sight to the participants.   It was especially breath-taking from the air, where pilots had a bird’s eye view of what was happening. Flight Officer Bill Golden of St. Thomas was right above the invasion force when it landed at Normandy. It was a sight he’ll never forget, the vast armada and daring landing. “It’s the most impressive sight anyone will ever see at any time. It beat Star Wars all to pieces.”   “As the saying goes, you could have lowered your wheels and taxied over,” to Europe from England, he said, reflecting on the enormity of the task force.

The Day was Perfect

Photo Reconnaissance Outfit

“It was really our type of day and our job to do.”   Although they were a photo reconnaissance outfit, the men of No. 39 wing had to be able to fight their own way through the skies, Mr. Golden notes but the weather on June 6 prevented any effective reconnaissance.

Made Five Trips

The planes usually flew in pairs and Mr. Golden got his fill of flying on D-Day, flying five trips over the French coast.   On one early-morning trip, he and another fighter had to break away as they met a couple of Me-109 Messerschmidt aircraft which suddenly appeared out of the clouds early in the morning on invasion day.

Thought it would be Bad

First to See Landing  Mr. Golden was credited in a Royal Canadian Air Force news dispatch as being the first in his section to see Allied armor landing at Normandy.   “They were heading inland and looked like tanks to me,” he is quoted as saying in the dispatch.

Note that the date at the bottom of Bill's ID card is 7 June 1944 - perhaps the reason he looks a bit weary and disheveled - visible proof of the five flights over the Normandy beaches the day before.

Pte Tweed Tells of Capture
of Trench and His Wounding

Dear Mother and Brother –

Bomb Throwers to the Front

I had better tell you how I was wounded. There was an attack coming off but the 1st Battalion was not taking part in it. However the regiment attacking lost nearly all its bomb throwers and the bomb throwers of the 1st Battalion were sent in their place. There are only two St. Thomas bomb throwers, Corp. Freeman and myself so we were the only boys from home in this particular charge, the rest being in reserve. We got up to where the charge was to be made and all got a good supply of bombs. Then came the order “Bomb throwers to the front.”

God Help the Germans

Only Twenty-five Yards Apart

I Got It Well, we had taken that part of the trench so we started to go along to drive the out of another portion that they still held. It was there that I was hit. One of the German bomb throwers threw a bomb at us and it exploded right at my feet. I received a little cut over my right eye and my back was bruised and hurt so I had to quit fighting and was carried back to the dressing station. I am much better now. I can hobble around the ward and my eye is nearly all right so don’t worry. Right: German 'bomb' (aka grenade)

The caption in the newspaper which accompanied this photo is as follows: A telegram from headquarters has been received by Mrs. Weir, 74 Balaclava Street notifying her of the wounding of her son, Private Charles Tweed, No. 6749, who enlisted here with the First Battalion as bugler. Pte Tweed was employed in the machine department of the M.C.R. [Michigan Central Railroad] previous to his enlisting. He came to St. Thomas from

Signing Up

I joined the R.C.A.F. in November 1942. All my training prior to Wings Parade was in the West, graduating from No. 3 Macdonald Bombing & Gunnery School. [north of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba]. OTU Kinloss Upon arriving in the U.K., I was posted to No. 19 Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.) Kinloss crewed up with three British and one other Canadian.  [Kinloss had a satellite field a few miles away in Forres which is mentioned in the Souter letter to Stan Jones family.]

What Happened to the Pilot?

Stan Qualifies for the Goldfish Club I threw the dinghy into the water and climbed in – no one else joined me.  After seventeen hours, I was rescued by a Lossiemouth fisherman, ‘Jimmy Souter”.

Stan's Parents Learn the Story

56 Kinneddar Street Lossiemouth Morayshire, Scotland 15/11/43   Dear Mr. & Mrs. Jones and Miss Betty,   You will no doubt wonder who I am and why I am writing you, but I shall explain to you all about it in my letter. In the first place we – that’s my wife and I have made a very dear friend of your lovely Boy Stanley, and we had him staying with us for over a week as he has had 14 days leave.

Getting to the Point

Parent to Parent

Was Stanley Jinxed?

In truth no. He was remarkably fortunate in view of the horrendous losses amongst aircrew.  After joining a new crew, Stan moved on to the Conversion and 158 Squadron 4th Group stationed at Lissett in Yorkshire. He would not join the ranks of the Caterpillar Club until his 12th trip out - just four days before D-Day - when his Lancaster bomber was shot down and Stan began his Sojourn in France. Stan survived the war and came home to farm just a few miles from the former Bombing and Gunnery School at Fingal, Ontario. The photo of Stan seen right was taken at The Elgin Military Museum where Stan was a long-time member.

Intro to Recollections With the presence of mind of an officer who was awarded the VD and was later the Commanding Officer of the Elgin Regiment, Lt. Col. Warren Andrews recorded his encounter with General Sir Arthur Currie, Commander of Canadian Troops and Kenneth Lawrence the last Canadian casualty of the Great War.  The occasion was a celebratory dinner for thousands in St. Thomas, Ontario in 1921. The encounter did not begin well.

1921 Recollections of Warren Andrews - Re: Kenneth Lawrence Kenneth Lawrence who returned to his home in St. Thomas after the Great War, 1914-1918, and is now a resident of Brantford, is credited with being the last Canadian, and one of the very last members of the British forces to be wounded before the fighting ceased. He received a blast of machine gun fire three minutes before 11:00 A.M. November 11th 1918, necessitating the amputation of his left leg below the hip.

Naturally very Bitter
Turned His Back on the General

Currie Asks for the Details

However, he was tactfully persuaded to about face and be greeted by the General, who was visibly moved, enquired regarding he circumstances which resulted in the loss of his leg. Expressed his deep regret, then put the question to him, “Lawrence will you be good enough to relate to me, the gist of the last order as received by your unit before the cease fire was received on the morning of November 11th.” Lawrence briefly related what their instructions were. Gen. Currie then said “Now Lawrence I will tell you what my instructions, as received from Gen. Foch as Supreme Allied Commander, at six A.M. on the morning of November 11th. I quote: -

Much More Cordial

There is nothing to compare to the unexpected pleasure of hearing a loved one's voice on the telephone no matter how sketchy the details or how harrowing what you do hear maybe. This was certainly the case for Air Force Warrant Officer Bill Burton's mom, Mrs. E.A. Dunn.  It was wartime and like many other stories from the front, a report found it's way into the St. Thomas Times Journal.  She might have been caught up in the moment just listening to his voice but I am quite sure her imagination received a workout when she had time to take in words such as jungle and wild game.

“Hello Mom! How are you?”

Lost in Jungle 47 Days

He was lost in the North African jungle for 27 days having to bail out with other members of the bomber crew in the darkness. He was  dependent on primitive native tribes for food, water and direction for many days. Bill was reported missing over Tunisia and regained his squadron on foot several days late to be made a member of the Late Arrivals Club, whose emblem is the Winged Foot. He is also a member of the famed Caterpillar Club exclusively for those airmen who are forced to bail out. He has lived on wild game in the heart of nowhere and has heard the black men of the jungle send their messages by resounding drum beats. And, he has been in the southern part of Africa on instructional duties and taking a special armaments course at Cape Town.

In the Pink

We will never know why a very young Canadian seaman, ‘Bud’ Bridgman, volunteered to remain on lookout aboard HMCS Comox after the search for survivors of the Liberty Ship Martin Van Buren had ceased. Nevertheless, despite the bone chilling fog, Bud continued to scan what parts of the ocean he could see. Sixty six men are very grateful that he did.

Left: Seaman Arthur 'Bud' Bridgman with 'Cookie' aboard HMCS Comox

Fog did not Spare Convoy BX-141 (Boston-Halifax)

U-1232

HMCS Ettrick HMCS Ettrick - evaded the torpedo U-1232 meant for her and turned to ram the U-Boat causing extensive damage.

British Freedom The first to be hit was the tanker British Freedom.  The Master was lost and 46 crew members and 9 gunners were picked up by the minesweeper HMCS Gaspe.

Martin Van Buren Minutes later, the next torpedo found  the Liberty Ship Martin Van Buren. Three navy gunmen were lost, sixty three of the crew were rescued by HMCS Comox and three by HMCS Fundy).

Athelviking The last ship hit was another tanker, the Athelviking. The Master and three members of the crew were lost and there were forty seven survivors.

To the Rescue

More About Bud Bridgman Arthur L. ‘Bud’ Bridgman grew up in St. Thomas, Ontario and enlisted in the R.C.N.V.R. as soon as his age allowed.  He saw active service in the Atlantic on board the minesweeper, HMCS Comox. His military service also included 18 years in the militia from 1947-1965. He was a Warrant Officer and received the Canadian Forces Decoration for Long Service.

Brantford: Nov. 11 – He may have been the last casualty among the whole of the British forces in France and it is fairly certain that he was the last Canadian wounded before the order “Cease Fire!” went down the line twenty years ago today. He is Kenneth Lawrence, 37. Edwin street, this city, who was identified a few years ago from a picture published in Canadian newspapers. Caption for the picture, an official one, declared it had been taken in a Canadian casualty clearing station at Valenciennes where nursing sisters were ministering to Lawrence, whose left leg was riddled with machine-gun bullets fired from a German nest at three minutes to 11 on that memorable November day two decades ago.

The youth in the picture (Lawrence was just 17 then) was unknown until a friend recognized him and turned the picture over to him. “That’s me.” Lawrence said. “I remember it all too clearly.”

On the eve of another Armistice Day, Lawrence, a tall, powerful, good-looking man, with his left leg missing below the hip, remembers once more when he was just three minutes from death and not that far away from an amputation.

What Were the Chances

Caught Flat-footed

“When they opened fire we were caught flat-footed. The bullets must have gone right under my body. I dropped to the ground and come up into my leg, carrying the [dirt] with them.” Lawrence never learned what happened to the German machine-gunner. If he lives today he probably wonders how many [__ __] those last few minutes.  [___ ___] wounded one boy. No one else in the party was hit, as far as Lawrence could find out. Lawrence convalesced [_______] and later returned to [St. Thomas, afterwards he moved to Brantford. He first enlisted in the Canadian Mounted Rifles and wound up with [the 18th Battalion. He is [Amputations A___]   [The remainder of the clipping is missing]

St. Thomas Man Takes Part in Thrilling Attacks
by Air on Wolf Pack in Mid-Atlantic

Squadron Leader Fred Green is One of Long-Range Liberators Making Six Separate Drives Against Nazi Subs, Which Stay on Surface to Fight Attackers Ottawa, Sept.28 (CP) – Long-range,Liberator bombers operating from a base on the Canadian east coast carried out six separate attacks against submarines of a German “wolf-pack” during a recent two-day running battle in the mid-Atlantic, the RCAF announced today.

Have own Sub on our Hands

A Liberator aircraft ready to go. Known as the 'Flying Boxcar' for their box shaped fusilage, they were difficult to fly especially in formation; nevertheless they offered long range operational capabilities.  This was critical over the Atlantic and transits between the Far East and Britain.

Air Vice Marshall Takes Part

A Hail of Flak

Tangles with Two Subs

Green Opens Dawn Attack

Air Vice Marshall in Action

AVM Godfrey, Group Captain Clare Annis, OBE, Squadron Leader Green

Green was on the hot seat in more than one way. The Air Vice Marshall (left) was aboard his aircraft and he had been given strict instructions 'to keep him out of trouble'. Judging from the broad smile on his face in this image, the AVM was more than pleased that things turned out as they did!  Recollections at EMM.

Final Attack of the Two-Day Flight

Played a Tattoo

Coming out of cloud, the Liberator caught the submarine fully surfaced. Fisher was in the top turret and started firing the moment the U-boat was in range.   “He really played a tattoo all the way in,” said Ingrams. “His guns never stopped blazing and that was probably the reason the sub didn’t return the fire.”   Four depth charges were dropped, and they were beautifully placed,” said Cpl. Wilkie, taking pictures from the rear blister. One stick, he said, “almost bounced of the Jerry’s hull.”   Wilkie got what the RCAF said were “the best pictures yet taken of a submarine under attack.”   “He was practically hanging out in the slip stream to get the pictures,” said the skipper. As the reports came in to the station on the first day’s attacks far over the Atlantic almost every member of the squadron moved down to the hangers to await the return of the Liberators.   Before the crews had all been interrogated, other crews had taken off to score three more attacks and another sighting.

Note: This is not known to be a Wilkie image. If anyone can tell us where to find Wilkie images please contact the EMM.

Off to the Far East

Bill

At War - At Sea

The First Torpedo

The first torpedo hit 'The Point' in the engine room crew’s quarters which immediately killed 8 crew and trapped 38 there in the dark with the ocean waters rushing in on them. Two officers broke open a sky light from above. By the time everyone was removed, including one sailor with a broken back, there was only 6 inches of air space left in the compartment. Right: Kapitanleutenant Alfred Eick commander of U-510 is considered to be an ace commander.

'SSSS'

Abandon Ship!

Birthday in a Lifeboat

The Night Sky

Ten Days Later The Master, Captain Owen Owens and his crew made landfall at tiny Mercury Island in Spencer Bay on Namibia's forbidding Skeleton Coast on 2 March. They were rescued by the fishing vessel Boy Russell and taken to Luderitz , South West Africa. The other lifeboat, with many injured, was picked up by the South African trawler HMSAS Africana (T01) north of Spencer Bay on March 4 ten days after the attack and taken to Walvis Bay, South West Africa. After recovery in hospital, they went by rail to Cape Town and made their way back to Canada via the United States. Captain Honoured with OBE

Lucky to Survive These merchant seamen, including Bil Hough from St. Thomas  were “lucky” their ship was lost in warmer waters where the chances of survival in an open boat were much better than in icy northern waters where you could not expect to live more than five minutes.  Lucky too, that they were found as the vast Kalahari Desert ashore offered even less than floating on the sea. William Hough  was one of the lucky ones. He returned to St. Thomas where he died on New Year’s Day in 1994, one month shy of his 70th birthday or 17 leap years.  Captain Owen Owens, Master of the S.S.  Point Pleasant Park, was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his exceptional courage and ability throughout. This honour was posted in the Supplement to the London Gazette December 3, 1946.

Monument Raised in 1967

These St. Thomas Men Who Were There
Know the Value of Blood Serum…

Captain Wynne Baldwin:

Captain Baldwin, son of Mr. and Mrs. George M. Baldwin, 54 Roseberry Place, St. Thomas, knows what blood serum means to gravely wounded men on the battlefields. Captain Baldwin was invalided home last September from very critical head and face wounds suffered on the Orne River in the most critical period of the invasion [D-Day invasion], when British regiments bore the brunt of the fighting for many days and weeks. Again, he learned what serum made from blood donated by humanitarian Canadians means to men who are on the borderline between life and death; men who have lost much of their own blood and are in bad condition from shock.

Captain Jack Jennings:

Captain Jennings, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Jennings, 67 St. George Street, served in various parts of the world with the Canada-U.S.A. paratroopers [the infamous Devil's Brigade]. He was seriously wounded last June while the unit he commanded was going into Rome, the first troops to enter. His wounds resulted in the loss of his right leg and serious injuries to his left leg and to his chest. He received in all seven units of blood plasma and blood serum – life-saving plasma and serum. “There is no question about the value of blood serum. Blood serum sent overseas from Canada and given by patriotic Canadians is saving thousands of lives.

[  There are so many times and occasions when it is needed, especially in cases of shock and loss of blood. I cannot say too much in praise of blood serum and those who are actively engaged in this service.” Capt. Jennings is a present receiving treatment at the Christie Street. Hospital. [Toronto]

Corporal Frank Oke:

Corporal Oke is a veteran of the D-Day invasion. A former member of the Elgins, he was with his regiment, the Hussars of London, in Normandy, when his fighting was cut short on July 25, his tank receiving a direct hit. He received attention fifteen minutes after being hit and is sure this saved his life, but he lost his left leg. “The Army Medical Corps,” he said, “got right up into the front line with no protection but a little Red Cross band.” While waiting for them to come, he took out a handkerchief and applied a tourniquet to his leg, he said, but at that he lost a lot of blood and required six transfusions. “The blood transfusions have saved lots and lots of lives,” in his opinion. Corporal Oke returned to Canada early in December on the hospital ship Letitia. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Oke, reside at 34 Horton Street [St. Thomas, Ontario]. He and his wife, formerly of 29 Miller Street, [St. Thomas, Ontario] are at present in Windsor.

Signaller Mitchell Tells of Stiring Night at Otterpool HE AND HIS HORSE ESCAPE UNHURT   But He Declares Experience Was Most Horrible He Had Ever Undergone in His Life

Introduction to Ephraim

E.D. Mitchell, a former St. Thomas boy, writing to his folks at Eden, Ont., from Otterpool Camp, England, gives some very interesting detail of his experience when the Germans bombarded that camp from Zeppelins.  Signaller Mitchell was at one time connected with the grocery firms here of Swinn Bros., J.A. McCance, Egan Bros. and Butler Bros., and will be remembered by a large number of friends. For the last five or six years he has travelled for the Swift Canadian Company out of Winnipeg and Nelson, B.C. He enlisted last June at Winnipeg, and is with the Headquarters Staff, Fifth Artillery Brigade, Second Canadian Division, as signaller and dispatch rider. In his letter he writes:

Chocolate is the Best

Took Secrecy Seriously

“I’m going to tell you what happened to us just a month ago tonight. This is the first time I have mentioned it in a letter because they put it up to our honor not to say anything about it, but I see it has been in nearly all the papers, and you must have seen it, because mother spoke about it in her letter. The Germans thought we were having things too quiet here, so, without any warning, they sent one of their ‘Zepps’ along and dropped eight bombs.

Cannot Describe it

Close Call - Round Up

Epilogue

Ephraim survived the zeppelin attack and the sickness which put him in hospital where he contracted diphtheria - all of which delayed his deployment to France.  After recovering, he trained as an artillery gunner but found his skills as a signaller and dispatch rider were needed more when he finally arrived in France on June 3, 1916.  Less than three months later, on September 15, 1916, he was killed - Age 29.

The 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1994 stirred memories far and wide including in the mind of a determined Frenchman who was only sixteen when a young Canadian 'soldier' turned up at the door of a neighbour in German occupied France. Thus, Michel Juniau and his wife from Beaumont le Roger in the Commune d'Ecardenville la Compagne, France began the search for 'Jones Stanley.' Memories fade after fifty years; Michel thought that 'Jones' had lived on a farm somewhere in Canada before the war and that he had a sister named 'Lucie'. This was not much to go on but they persevered approaching the Canadian embassy in Paris and then writing countless letters to municipal offices all over Canada.  It was a long process. Sixteen year old Michel put on his best clothes to pose with the Canadian 'Jones Stanley' who was being hidden from the Germans by neighbours.

Seek and Ye Shall Find

Stan Gets a Letter

“I think it was through the newspaper article that you found trace of us. I have never forgotten you, and I didn’t know if you had died in the war. I still have several pictures, the letter of Christmas 1944 with your picture, a box of chocolates you sent me also a tie. I still have the little compass that you carried with you. I also Called Maurice Guillou the some of the people where you were hidden. I have tried to get news about you but nothing. I didn’t know if you were still living. This is a letter of massive joy.”    _ Michel Juniau

Getting there was half the 'Fun'

Sojourn in France

Grateful Thoughts on Both Sides

Mr. Jones is grateful to the people in the French rural countryside who risked their lives to give him shelter 50 years ago. He said it is exciting to be in touch with them once again. In Stan's files at the museum is another testimonial of thanks - from the municipal council of the area in France where he took refuge.

On 2 June 1944, Flight Sergeant Stanley Jones, a Tail Gunner of 4 Group, 158 Squadron took off from RAF Station Lissett at 2200 hours in Halifax 877A to carry out a bombing raid on the rail marshaling yards at Trappes, a suburb of Paris.

All went well; the target was successfully bombed, and the aircraft turned for home.  A short time later they were attacked by a German fighter aircraft and unceremoniously shot out of the sky. There was enough time, however, for all seven members of the crew to bail out. It was later determined that the Pilot was injured on his descent and was captured by the enemy, but the remaining six crew members  all landed safely and were sheltered by French families until their return home. Photo right shows the bombed area at Trappes

Mme Gabriel Opened the Door

Two Bedrooms for Eight People

Ring Side Seat for Show Overhead

Returned to Blimey

The Last Lap

After a medical examination, a period of observation and some trauma leave, he was sent back to Canada for thirty  days Compassionate Leave. Stan was then posted back to England so he returned to Bournemouth on the liner Ile de France. From there he was sent to 5 Group 619 Squadron, and continued Operations on Lancaster Bombers until V-E Day.

The Story Doesn't End Here

About Stan Jones

Stanley B.  Jones enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in November of 1942 and served as a rear gunner on bomber aircraft such as the Halifax series and the Lancasters. After one of his ‘adventures’ he became an official member of the exclusive “Goldfish Club”. Membership in this club is awarded to airmen who were forced to leave an aircraft and were saved by using a life jacket or dingy type craft. Those airmen who parachuted to safety became members of the "Caterpillar Club".  Stan qualified for both!

After the war, he purchased a farm west of Port Stanley, Ontario about 15 kilometers south of St. Thomas. Stan was a member of the Board of the Elgin Military Museum for many years.

The turn of the 20th century saw many a young Englishman come to our area to make a new life for himself. Thomas Richard Young was among those who ventured forth from Bournemouth, Hampshire, to the Aylmer area here in Elgin County  in the spring of 1909.  By 1911, he was working on the farm of Leslie and Helen Cameron in Bayham Township south east of Aylmer.  Tom then took up the challenge of going west and from there, on October 23, 1915, he enlisted for service overseas.

Time Weighs Heavily While Recuperating

Canadian Red Cross Ladies

It's Hard Lines to see your Chums Fall

It's a Fearful and Trying Life

Nursing Sisters in France

The first time we went over the top, I mean our battalion, we lost 16 officers and of course men in proportion to that, but I’m glad to say we all went with a good heart, and when sickness or wounds befall us and they can get us back, they certainly look after us. The Nursing Sisters work in the hospitals in France, a work we cannot speak too highly of. I received splendid care during my stay there.

Remember me to ...

The View from Sailors from St. Thomas, Ontario The Halifax Explosion December 6, 1917 was the largest man-made explosion until the nuclear era. There are many excellent resources about this event. What follows are the memories of two St. Thomas men writing home to their parents in the aftermath. Seaman Gunner James A. Cluskey and Seaman Owen George Young were serving in the navy as members of the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (the precursor to the 'Wavy Navy'). They were witnesses to the catastrophe and the aftermath.

Seaman Gunner James A. Cluskey VR2238

We Were Right in the Middle of It

…We just arrived in from the sea on Thursday the 6th about 8:15 a.m., and had nicely tied up and had breakfast and were about to start work. I, with a couple of more were on deck having a chat and all at once there was an explosion, followed by another awful one and then there was an awful pour down of pieces and parts of ships and pieces of projectiles, all sizes. One piece of shell just missed me by a few inches and hit the deck with such force that it put quite a dint in the deck. I cannot tell how our ship was so lucky because we were right in the middle of it.

It Looked like a Zeppelin

Devastation

The greater part of Halifax is ruined and fire started all over both Dartmouth and Halifax and if there had been a north wind blowing there wouldn’t have been any Halifax left.   Every available place such as churches, Y.M.C.A. and shops of all descriptions are used as hospitals and morgues.   The gun which was on the French ship was found buried in the ground three miles away. The city is under martial law and I suppose it will be for some time to come.

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Seaman Owen George Young  RV3971

Everything is Completely Demolished

December 10th

December 11th - Threat of Censorship

Things are very much the same as yesterday, but there is not so much snow now. Well, I guess I cannot say much more about the explosion as I am informed all letters will be censored.

Relief Pouring in to Halifax

Thoughts re Brother Bert

North End Just Like France

46 William St. corner of St. Anne's Place

Avis Dolphin came to Canada with her recently widowed mother before the First World War. They moved into 46 William Street and Avis attended Wellington Street School. When she was twelve, her mother decided to send her back to England to finish her education. So, despite the fact that the much touted phrase "we'll be home for Christmas" [1914] did not prove true, Avis traveled to New York with two nurse companions, Miss Hilda Ellis and Miss Sarah Smith, to board the Lusitania on May 1st 1915.  Seven days later she was tossed into the sea and had to fend for herself. Parts of the letter that she wrote to her mother on May 10th from the Waverley Hotel in Dublin, Ireland were published in the St. Thomas Journal and appear below.

In Her Own Words I feel I want to tell you everything from our first arriving at New York and my thoughts of that beautiful boat, Lusitania, for it was simply grand.   The first day on board everything was perfect; then for three days I was very seasick. On the third day I was lying in the lounge room, when a gentleman, who was sitting nearby, came up to me and asked if there was anything he could get me, as he thought I did not look very comfortable, but I felt too sick to care for anything. I thanked him very much and said there was nothing I wanted.

Professor Ian Holbourn

Befriended by Famous Lecturer Yet he seemed determined to do something for me and back he came with a deck chair and a pillow wrapped up in a shawl. When I was sitting or rather lying in the chair, he told me all about his three little children, of which the eldest was seven years. Also about his summer home in the Shetland Islands and his winter home in Edinburgh, Scotland. I thought how interested Jack [Miss Dolphin’s brother] would have been, could he just have been with me, to have heard all about the Shetland ponies he had. Also, he told me a lot of interesting things about boats, etc. I learned that his name was Mr. Holbourn end that he was a great lecturer and traveled a great deal.

Going Zig-Zag

Never Saw them Again

Under the Water

Aboard the Rescue Steamer

The Queen's Hotel

Kindness of a Stranger

New Glasses

Life After the Lusitania and More Memories