1

Atwood, Norman Burnell. Fireman. Canadian Merchant Navy. 1907 to1942.
1940

2

This snapshot of Norman Atwood was taken shortly before he joined the Canadian Merchant Navy. He was a fireman on the SS Liverpool Packet which was captained by another Barrington area resident, Norman Smith. The ship was torpedoed by a German submarine, near Seal Island on 30 May 1942. Two Shelburne County men, Norman and Burns Williams were lost

Another, Barrington resident, Chester Trefry kept a diary from 1940-1946, which has been published. On 21st June 1942 Ches wrote: "Nell [his sister] to Memorial Service at Head for Norman Atwood, lost in Capt. Norman's torpedoing off Seal Island awhile ago".

Norman is commemorated at the Sailors Memorial, Panel 20, Point Pleasant Park, Halifax.

3

Heath, Charles Gilbert. Chief Radio Officer. Canadian Merchant Navy. 1892 to 1940.
28 April 2003
Halifax, N.S

4

Heath, Charles Gilbert was born in 1892 in Southport, England. He married Ariel Seaboyer of Jordan Falls, Shelburne County and their son Clyde Stanley Heath was born 19 February 1931. Charles Heath joined the Canadian Merchant Navy in Vancouver on 21 March 1940. He was assigned to the Greek SS Thalia as a wireless operator. The ship had loaded a cargo of steel, lead and spelter on the East Coast and sailed for Sydney, Cape Breton where she joined with the 35 ship Convoy SC-7 which sailed on 5th October 1940. On the 16th October the Convoy is sighted and attacked by seven U-boats which managed to sink 20 ships over a four day period. The Thalia was torpedoed and sunk by U-99 on the 19 October 1940.

5

Symonds, Robie Onley. Sailor. SS Empire Eland. (London, England) Canadian Merchant Navy.
1941
Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

6

Symonds, Robie Onley. Born 2 March 1921 at Clark's Harbour, Shelburne County; lost at sea on Monday, 15 September 1941when the SS Empire Eland (British) sank. Son of Frank and Laura Mildred (Duncan) Symonds of Clark's Harbour, Shelburne County. He had two brothers, Ronald and Owen and four sisters, Waldena, Lerdue "Judy", Mildred and Helen. Commemorated at the Sailors Memorial Panel 19, Point Pleasant Park, Halifax.
Note: See details re the Empire Eland under Carl and Lovett Nickerson

7

Bower, Carol Alexander. Quartermaster. SS Vancouver Island. Canadian Merchant Navy. 1920 to 1941.
1941
Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

8

Carol Bower began his Merchant Marine Service on the Lady Drake. He then joined the Canadian Government SS Vancouver Island and sailed from her home port, Montreal on 24 September 1941 for Sydney, Cape Breton, with a full cargo as well as 32 passengers. On 5th October she sailed in the Liverpool bound 52 ship convoy SC-48, with her destination being Belfast and Cardiff. On the 15th October the convoy is intercepted by 13 U-boats, who over the next three days sink 11 ships from the Convoy and damage one other. On the first day of the attack the SS Vancouver Island
is sailing behind the main convoy as a straggler when she is torpedoed and sunk by U-558. Captain Roper, crew, gunners and passengers all perished. Carol is commemorated on Panel 18 of the Sailors Memorial, Point Pleasant Park, Halifax .

9

Crowell, Russell. Fifth Engineering Officer. SS Rosewood. Canadian Merchant Navy 1916 to 1943
1943
Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

10

Russell Crowell was lost when the SS Rosewood sank. The Port of Registry for the SS Rosewood was the United Kingdom. She had been loaded with a cargo of fuel oil in New York for the Clyde and sailed to Sydney, Nova Scotia where she joined up with the 57 ship Convoy SC-121 which sailed on 5 March 1941. On the 6th March the convoy is spotted by U-405 which calls up another 25 U-boats for an attack which begins on 7 March. The Rosewood is torpedoed and damaged on 9 March by U-409 but she did not sink. The number of men killed in the initial attack is unknown and even those who made it into the water were lost as a severe gale was blowing. The Captain, 32 crew and her nine gunners were all lost. The US Coast Guard cutter Bibb, one of the escort ships, later sank the Rosewood, south of Iceland, as she was a hazard to shipping.
Commemorated at Sailors Memorial, Panel 23, Point Pleasant Park, Halifax.

11

Newell, Ephraim. Able Seaman. SS Lady Hawkins (Halifax). Canadian Merchant Navy. 1917 to 1942
1940

12

Ephraim Newell was lost when the SS Lady Hawkins sank. The Lady Hawkins sailed from Halifax on 14 January 1942 to pick up some passengers in Boston. The ship was carrying 215 passengers and 109 crew when she left Boston. The Captain was ordered to follow the coastline to Cape Hatteras and "then to complete a left angle turn" and head to Bermuda. At 0200 hors on 19 January two explosions awoke the passengers and crew. About twenty minutes after being torpedoed by German U -66 the ship sank. The torpedoes had destroyed six of the life boats. The remaining boats were overloaded and many people struggled in the water before drowning. 250 lives were lost.
Ephraim is commemorated on Panel 22 at the Sailors Memorial, Point Pleasant Park, Halifax.

13

Nickerson Brothers
1941
Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

14

Nickerson Carl Roy, and Nickerson Lovett Edward perished when the SS Empire Eland of London, England sank on 15 September 1941. They were sons of Thomas Lovett and Grace (Kenney) Nickerson of Clark's Harbour, Shelburne County. The Cargo ship Empire Eland sailed in ballast from Liverpool, England on 7 September 1941in the 47 ship Convoy ON-14. Like most of the early ON series of Convoy's the ships would disperse at a given position in the North Atlantic and then sail to their individual ports. The convoy dispersed on 14th of September but the Empire Eland was not with them and was classed as a straggler. On the 15th September the ship was intercepted by U-94 South-East of Cape Farewell and sunk by torpedo. The Captain, all 32 crew and her 5 DEMS [gunners] perished. Carl and Lovitt are commemorated on Panel 19 of the Sailors Memorial, Point Pleasant Park, Halifax .