1st Canadian Naval casualty of WW2

Discussion in 'The War at Sea' started by Prop wash, Aug 22, 2011.

  1. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi Pete,

    The Moose Jaw Time article dated July 27 2017 you linked to above appears to be sourced from an earlier article from the same newspaper dated November 3, 2014. See posts 11, 12 and 13 earlier in this thread.

    My reading is they have combined two separate incidents that aren't related and made a mess of it based on confusion over a shore establishment name and a ship name.There is some similar information on a HMS (?) Watchful in this thread that also appears in the November 3, 2014 article. As for the HM Tender Watchful that TD pointed out above it could possibly be the same "Watchful"?

    The evidence seems pretty strong, however, that both Able Seamen Francis and Woodward were aboard HM M.A.S.B 8 when it was strafed by a Me110 on July 19th 1940 resulting in their deaths.

    Regards ...
     
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  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    UK, Merchant Seamen Deaths, 1939 -1953
    Name: Hannah Baird
    Age: 66
    Birth Date: abt 1873
    Birth Place: Glasgow, Scotland (but home address is shown in Canada as per attached)
    Death Date: 3 Sep 1939
    Death Place: At Sea
    45947_0002-02283.jpg

    TD
     
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  3. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Quite agree with you Hugh and Cee. All the conflictions can be accounted for by bad reporting with the reporters making the wrong connections. All the evidence points towards both casualties occurring onboard HMMASB 8.

    "Initially he was attached to HMS Victory but in May 1940 HMS Osprey became his parent establishment." HMS Osprey was the shore base at Portland where HMMASB 8 was based prior to transferring to the jurisdiction of HMS Watchful.

    CWGC are clear (although they occasionally have errors) that John Francis was serving in HMMASB 8.

    Pete. If you go to Scarborough take care as you may have spotted from TD's Post 39 that there are two vessels called Covenia. They're both around the same age but they are different ships.

    Tim
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2018
    Hugh MacLean likes this.
  4. Dickie Banks

    Dickie Banks New Member

    Hi guys,
    Have just discovered this site , thanks for letting me join.
    My name is Dickie Banks and I am the Archivist and historian for
    H. M. T. Watchful which is nearing the end of her restoration in the Northeast of England in the port of Hartlepool. Able Seaman Woodward was a casualty onboard Watchful in July 1940 . Watchful had been part of Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk), and was kept on at Dover through June and July as part of an operation to recover bodies from the channel. We have had contact with the family , who provided with Rodneys story and photos of him . Naval records also confirm he was serving on Watchful at the time . If anyone has any info on crew members or photos of Watchful in wartime livery please contact me . you can see photos of restoration on Facebook under MV Coronia. She has now been renamed Watchful .
     
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