Flight Sergeant David Reid Cox—Accidentally Killed April 14, 1942

 David Reid Cox was born at Isaac’s Harbour, Guysborough County, on August 3, 1918. His father, Harry Joseph Cox, was also an Isaac’s Harbour native, the son of Abraham Bigelow and Lorinda (Pride MacMillan) Cox. Harry married Lucetta Emma Reid, a Port Hilford native and daughter of Abner and Patience (Rood) Reid, at Isaac’s Harbour on October 3, 1917.

Flight Sergeant David Reid Cox

 

The young couple initially resided with Harry’s parents at Isaac's Harbour, where Harry earned a living as a purser on a local steamer. He later worked as a book-keeper. David was the oldest of the couple’s two children, while another son, Robert Arnold, joined the family in 1922. David attended public school at Isaac’s Harbour from 1924 to 1937, after which he commenced work as a time-keeper at Forest Hill Gold Mines in July 1937.

When the mine ceased operations in October 1938, David completed an Elementary Book-keeping correspondence course sponsored by Nova Scotia Technical College. Upon finishing his studies in May 1938, David relocated to Halifax, where he obtained employment as a time-keeper and carpenter’s helper with W. MacFayden, a local contractor who was under contract to the Department of National Defence.

Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, David showed an interest in military service, applying for admission to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in February 1939 and again three months later. On both occasions, he did not receive a response. On July 15, 1940, David applied for a third time and was accepted. On August 17, 1940, he attested for service with the RCAF at Halifax and requested consideration for the trade of “Air Crew Gunner [or] Wireless [Operator].”

Following his enlistment, David departed for Brandon, MB, where he completed basic training. An interview report, dated September 23, 1940, recommended David for the role of air gunner. On October 23, David was transferred to No. 4 Service Flight Training School (SFTS), Saskatoon, SK, where he commenced his air gunner training.

In mid-November, David was re-mobilized for the trade of “Aircrew Pilot or Observer.” On December 11, he was transferred to No. 1 Initial Training School, Regina, SK, where he placed 85th in a class of 148 trainees. Promoted to the rank of Leading Aircraftman (LAC) on January 14, 1941, David was assigned to No. 8 Flight Training School, Vancouver, BC, where he commenced training for the trade of “Airman Pilot.”

During the subsequent six weeks, David completed almost 54 hours of flight training in a De Havilland Moth aircraft. Instructors described him as a “good average” pilot who was “reliable and conscientious.” On March 18, David returned to No. 4 SFTS, Saskatoon, where he completed an additional 50 hours of flying time in a Tiger Moth Crane aircraft. His ground training performance elicited a positive assessment: “Above average student; intelligent; possessing keen ability. Keen, hard worker.”

Of greater interest were instructors’ comments on his flying skills. David was rated “above average” in all categories and recommended for “heavy bomber” duty. In addition, it was suggested that he be considered for future duty as a Flying Instructor. One comment summarized his performance in the air in these words:

“An exceptionally able pilot. Very smooth on controls. He is precise in his flying and tolerates no errors. Corrections are quick and smooth. Very steady in formation, consistently good on instruments and is a good, safe pilot at night. Good air sense.”

On July 3, David officially completed the required training for “Pilot (Special Group)”, received his Flying Badge, and was promoted to the rank of Temporary Sergeant with pay. Following a 10-day embarkation leave, he reported to “M” Depot, Halifax, and awaited orders to depart from overseas. Transferred to the RAF Trainees Pool on July 23, he left Canada the following day and reported to No. 3 Personnel Centre, Bournemouth, UK, on August 12.

Four days later, David was assigned to No. 10 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Abingdon, the final phase of his pre-combat training. OTUs provided the first opportunity for air crews to train in combat aircraft prior to deployment with an active unit. No. 10 OTU prepared its personnel for night-time bombing assignments aboard Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers, twin-engine aircraft designed for short and medium range flights.

After two months of training with No. 10 OTU, David was assigned to No. 78 Squadron, RAF, on October 19. Based at Croft, UK, the unit had completed its first combat mission in mid-July 1940, flying the same aircraft on which David had trained. As with all new arrivals, David underwent several additional months of training. Promoted to the rank of temporary Flight Sergeant on January 3, 1942, he advanced to the rank of Flight Sergeant one month later.

On two occasions during the months of February and March 1942, David was attached to 1502 BAFT [Beam Approach Training Flight] for a total of three weeks of training on a new “guided landing” system. Based at Driffield, UK, the unit trained pilots in operating the “Beam Approach Beacon System,” an automatic radar landing system designed to replace the SBA (Standard Beam Approach) systems developed in the 1930s.

A transponder mounted in a Hillman van was placed at the end of the runway and communicated with a device installed in the aircraft. The transponder sent a signal to the plane, transmitting dots to represent one side of the runway and dashes for the other. The strength of the signal received by the aircraft’s transponder depended on its location relative to the centre of the landing strip. The device allowed the pilot to determine the plane’s position as it approached the airfield and make the adjustments required to place the aircraft in the middle of the runway.

On March 27, 1942, David was attached to Conversion Unit (CU) 1652, Marston Moor, for an additional stage of training prior to combat operations. Conversion units focused on training pilots to operate the larger, four-engine bombers employed on long-range bombing missions. Formed in January 1942, CU 1652 was equipped with Handley Page Halifax four-engine heavy bombers.

During  CU 1652’s training flights, prospective bomber pilots were introduced to a variety of scenarios encountered during missions. Perhaps the most common occurrence was the loss of one or more engines, due either to mechanical failure or enemy fire. During the early evening of April 14, 1942, David and two other pilots participated in one such exercise, a daytime flight from an aerodrome one mile northeast of Wetherby, Yorkshire, in the company of a flight instructor.

A subsequent “Report on Flying Accident or Forced Landing Not Attributable to Enemy Action” described the events that unfolded during the training exercise:

“The Captain of the aircraft, an instructor of this Unit, was engaged on two-engine flying instruction. One pilot being instructed was in the left-hand seat, the other two watching. The Captain was in the right-hand seat. Dual controls were fitted. The practice involves turning off the petrol to the two port engines and demonstrating the correction of the resulting swing, feathering the port engines and maintaining height on starboard engines only.

“A phenomena of rudder over-balancing often occurs, with which instructor [sic] of this Unit are familiar. The rudder may flick hard over to one side. Firm pressure is then required to restore it to neutral, and stop the resulting spiral.

“The evidence of eye-witnesses establishes that the aircraft port engines stopped and the aircraft spun or spiralled. It recovered but was too low and struck the ground at a flat angle at the bottom of the dive. The port engines were feathered [i.e., the blades were adjusted at right angles to the air flow, eliminating any drag]. The aircraft was moving straight ahead on an even keel, but sinking rapidly when it struck the ground.”

When the plane struck the ground, David suffered a “fractured skull and multiple injuries,” resulting in death. The report also stated that the “accident was not cause by any technical failure,” and that “a minimum height of 5,000 feet has now been ordered for this exercise.”

Flight Sergeant David Reid Cox was laid to rest in Stonewall Cemetery, Wetherby Road, Harrogate, Yorkshire, UK. Eight other RAF airmen perished in the crash. Sgt. Alfred Thomas Howell, a 22-year-old native of Acton Green, Middlesex, UK, and a victim of the April 14, 1942 crash, is buried beside David.

Acting Corporal James Ross Rutherford—Accidentally Killed March 18, 1942

 James Ross Rutherford was born at Canso, Guysborough County, on January 30, 1917. Ross’s mother, Lillie Mae, was a native of Halifax, the daughter of James and Mary Webster. His father, James McGregor, was born at Pictou, NS, the son of James Adam and Elizabeth (McGregor) Rutherford.

Acting Corporal James Ross Rutherford

James and Lillie Mae were married at Halifax on June 18, 1913. At the time, James was employed as a real estate agent in the city. The couple’s first child, a daughter Doris, was born almost exactly one year later. Sometime after her birth, the family relocated to Canso, where James worked as an accountant. A second daughter, Helen, arrived on November 7, 1915, but passed away two weeks after her first birthday, having suffered from poor health for six months.

At the time of Helen’s birth, James was working as a “cable censor” with the Commercial Cable Company’s Hazel Hill office. The job involved reviewing the content of cable messages travelling to and from Europe, in search of any “subversive” information. During the years after Ross’s January 1917 birth, three more daughters—Ruby (1920), Joyce (1921) and Margaret Elizabeth (1922)—joined the Rutherford household.

At the time of the 1921 Canadian census, the family was residing at Canso, where James was employed as “acting manager” of a “manufacturing company.” Sometime afterward, the Rutherfords returned to Halifax, where they took up residence on Duffus Street. James worked as a Customs Officer at Halifax until his retirement in 1938.

As Ross entered adulthood in the late 1930s, local employment opportunities were scarce. At the time, a local connection offered the city’s young men an opportunity to serve with the British Army. Lieutenant-Colonel R. B. Willis, DSO, had fought with the Manchester Regiment in the South African (Boer) War, and was serving with the Royal Canadian Regiment’s Halifax detachment. When several young men approached him in 1937 and inquired about serving with the British Army, Lt. Col. Willis arranged for their enlistment with his former unit.

Word of the enlistments quickly spread across the city and province. During the years immediately prior to the Second World War, approximately 85 young Nova Scotians enlisted with the Manchester Regiment, a group that became known within the unit as the “Halifax 100.” Ross Rutherford was among their number, departing Halifax in the company of three other young men and enlisting with the Manchester Regiment at Ladysmith Barracks, Ashton-upon-Lyne, England, on February 20, 1939.

Nova Scotian "Manchesters," May 24, 1939

During the ensuing months, Ross completed basic training with the Manchesters, after which he was assigned to its 2nd Battalion. Tensions between Great Britain, France and Germany increased as the weeks passed, culminating in Germany’s September 1, 1939 invasion of Poland. Within 48 hours, Britain responded to Hitler’s actions by declaring war on Nazi Germany and mobilizing the country’s military forces. The Manchester Regiment’s 2nd Battalion was attached to British I Corps’ 2nd Infantry Division and immediately prepared to depart for the continent as part of the British Expeditionary Force.

On September 23, 1939, 2nd Battalion’s personnel landed at Cherbourg, France. In subsequent days, its soldiers and their 2nd Division comrades made their way northward to the Franco-Belgian border, where they established camps between Orchies, France, and Saint-Amand, Belgium. Personnel remained in the sector throughout the winter of 1939-40, improving fortifications and communication facilities under exceptionally cold conditions.

As winter gave way to spring, the situation intensified as Allied forces anticipated a German attack. The April 9, 1940 German invasion of Denmark and Norway suggested that an assault on France—and possibly Belgium and the Netherlands—was imminent. In the event of an attack, British forces were assigned the central section of an Allied defensive line along the Dyle River, stretching from Louvain to Wavre, Belgium. Dutch and Belgian forces would deploy to the north, while French units to the south would form the remainder of the line.

In the early hours of May 10, 1940, German units launched a three-pronged attack, designed to drive a wedge between Dutch, Belgian, British and French forces to the north and the bulk of French forces to the south. While German Army Group B invaded the Netherlands and Belgium, Army Group C attacked France’s Maginot Line, a strategy intended to occupy French forces and prevent their relocation northward.

In response, 35 Allied Divisions moved forward and established their planned defensive line, the British Expeditionary Force assuming its designated locations along the Dyle River. James and his 2nd Battalion mates departed for the sector at 7:00 pm May 10 and reached their destination the following day. By May 14, the situation appeared to have stabilized, with Belgian forces holding a line from Antwerp to Louvain, the BEF covering the area from Louvain to Wavres, and French forces manning positions from Wavres to Namur.

The third prong of the German attack proved to be the decisive blow. Army Group A advanced westward through the Ardennes forest of southern Belgium, located between Namur and the Maginot Line. As the terrain was hilly and considered largely impassable, Allied commanders had not anticipated an advance through this area. Despite significant geographical challenges, German mobilized units made their way across the terrain, encountering only sparse resistance from Belgian and French forces. On May 12, German units reached the Meuse River near Sedan, France—the weakest point on the French line.

Two days later, Army Group A established bridgeheads on the western side of the Meuse and began an advance toward the Channel coast, with the goal of separating Dutch, Belgian, British and French forces to the north from French units to the south. Simultaneously, Germans units launched a test attack on the Allied line in Belgium, followed by a full-scale assault on May 15.

While British units along the Dyle held their ground amidst bitter fighting, the same cannot be said for the adjacent sectors. On the northern flank, Dutch forces failed to halt the German advance and surrendered within 24 hours. More perilous for the British were German successes to the south, where French units were routed along the Meuse and enemy forces swept across northwestern France. By May 16, German Army Group A reached Abbeville, less than 25 kilometres from the Channel coast.

The rapid German advance succeeded in cutting Allied forces in two, pushing Belgian, British and French units to the north into a large pocket east of Calais and Dunkirk. Four days later, the first German soldiers reached the Channel coast, effectively separating the Allied armies. In response, 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment and its BEF counterparts commenced a series of withdrawals, occupying defensive positions along the Lasne, Dendre, and Scheldt Rivers and La Bassée Canal as they gradually withdrew. Heavy fighting occurred at each location, with the 2nd Battalion’s machine guns providing critical covering fire for retreating forces. Disengaging from each position was particularly perilous and resulted in considerable casualties.

On May 24, Adolf Hitler ordered the German advance halted, to permit much-needed repairs to armoured vehicles and replenishment of supplies. In retrospect, the pause allowed Allied forces in Belgium to regroup and eventually avoid the disaster of complete defeat. Two days later, British commanders ordered a withdrawal to Dunkirk, France, the only port from which an evacuation could occur. That same day—May 26, 1940—Belgium surrendered to invading German forces.

As BEF units retreated to Dunkirk along congested roads, German aerial bombardment and machine gun fire inflicted considerable casualties. In the early morning of May 27, the 2nd Division, to which the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment belonged, made its final stand along the northern banks of the Canal de la Lys, where attacking German forces systematically surrounded and overwhelmed each of its Brigades.

The following day, the remaining 2nd Battalion personnel received orders to withdraw to Dunkirk. The soldiers gathered on the beach, where they endured steady German aerial bombardment. The surviving Allied forces were evacuated during a nine-day operation, a total of approximately 230,000 British and 110,000 French soldiers escaping to safety in England via a flotilla of ships large and small.

The fighting proved costly for the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment, its losses amounting to 223 “all ranks” killed, wounded and missing. Ross came through the “Battle of Belgium” without injury and was among the Manchesters successfully evacuated from Dunkirk’s beaches and safely transported to the United Kingdom.

Following its return to England, the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment reformed at Lincoln, where it remained for two years. In June 1942, the unit departed for Bombay, India, where its soldiers served for the duration of the Second World War. By that time, however, Ross, had chosen a different path. As Canada had entered the war one week after Britain and had transported thousands of troops to the United Kingdom in 1940, he requested and received a transfer to a Canadian unit.

On September 22, 1941, Ross enlisted with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) at London, UK. In late October, he was attached to a 3rd Canadian Division Holding Unit, but returned to the RCASC on November 21. Following a brief time in hospital for an unspecified illness, Ross returned to duty on December 3.

Ross was promoted to the rank of Acting Corporal with pay on January 19, 1942. Four days later, he was officially appointed to the Canadian Army’s “Permanent Establishment.” During the almost two years in the United Kingdom after the Dunkirk evacuation, Ross had apparently met and proposed to a young lady. On February 13, he received official permission to marry “on or after March 20, 1942.”

In the meantime, Ross commenced training at an RCASC “M/C [Motorcycle] Driving school” on February 16, 1942. Nine days later, he officially qualified as a “M/C Driver” and commenced service with No. 1 Canadian Reinforcement Unit, RCASC. His role was to supervise the training of drivers operating military “lorries” while driving a Royal Enfield Army motorcycle.

Royal Enfield Army Motorcycle

On the afternoon of March 18, 1942, Ross was participating in “a driving instruction convoy of lorries[,]… checking up on the drivers” on his motorcycle. The convoys “had a regular route” and Ross’s role involved observing their progress as the lorries proceeded along roads in the vicinity of Aldershot, UK. Driver trainee Fred Newham was operating an Army 15 cwt Fordson truck along the assigned route at a speed of between 10 and 15 miles per hour as the convoy approached a junction in the road where the vehicles were to make a right turn.

As vehicles in the United Kingdom drives in the left lane, a right-hand turn crosses the oncoming traffic’s lane. Driver Newham later described what he observed as the convoy’s vehicles began to make the turn:

“…the vehicle in front of me commenced to turn to its right. It was drawing a gun It had practically completed the turn, the gun being still on the main road, [when] I saw a motor cyclist coming from behind me, he was travelling at an excessive speed between 40 and 45 mph but I can’t be certain. [It] appeared to me that he was trying to apply his brakes to pull up but could not do so. He skidded broadside into the lorry and seemed to fall under its offside rear wheel. The weather was wet and the road very greasy.”

Both the driver of the vehicle involved in the collision and witnesses confirm that the driver clearly signalled that he was making a right turn before doing so. Within minutes, a Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) ambulance was on the scene. Captain George Taylor, RAMC, examined Ross in the back of the ambulance, and later described “a severe fracture of the skull and deep wound at the back of the head.”

Ross was deceased at the time of Dr. Taylor’s examination. He concluded that Ross “had hit something with his head on the centre at top. I saw no evidence of his having been run over. Death would [have been] instantaneous or practically so.” Hugh Matheson Foster, the coroner responsible for a March 20 inquiry into Ross’s death, concluded that the cause of death was “a fracture of the skull caused by accidental impact with a motor lorry whilst motor cycling on the highway.” There was “no blame to the driver of the lorry.”

Acting Corporal James Ross Rutherford was laid to rest in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. He was to have married on March 25, only one week after his tragic death. The family suffered a second loss on August 13, 1943, when Ross’s father, James McGregor Rutherford, passed away at Halifax, the result of a cerebral hemorrhage. In April 1946, military representatives provided Ross’s mother Lillie Mae with a photograph of his grave marker, which was later replaced by a standard Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.

 

Master Mariner Huntley Osborne Giffin—Perished at Sea January 19, 1942

Huntley Osborne Giffin was born at Isaac’s Harbour, Guysborough County, on January 9, 1890. Huntley’s parents, Theodore Harding Giffin and Martha Elizabeth Lintlop, were also Isaac’s Harbour natives. Theodore was the son of Edward and Rachel (Langley) Giffin, and a Master Mariner by occupation. His wife Martha was the daughter of William and Isabel Lintlop. The couple raised three sons and six daughters in their home, Huntley being both the middle child and middle son.

Master Mariner Huntley Osborne Giffin

According to the 1911 Canadian census, Huntley was still residing in the Isaac’s Harbour family home while earning a living as a “seaman.” His older brother, Edward Stanley—more than 10 years his senior—also lived there, having achieved the rating of “Master Mariner.” Sadly, the family suffered a major loss before year’s end, when Martha passed away at Halifax on August 29, the result of acute nephritis and a cerebral haemorrhage. She was laid to rest in Camp Hill Cemetery, Halifax.

Around the time of his wife’s passing, Theodore moved the family household to Halifax, where he found employment as an insurance agent, presumably in the shipping business. A second tragedy struck the family on December 6, 1917, when Huntley’s older sister, Mabel Lulu, her husband Edward Hugh Beiswanger, and their two young sons, Kenneth and Everett Allister, perished in the Halifax explosion. Officials recovered their remains from the family home at 47 Union St. and Theodore accompanied the bodies to Goldboro, where they were laid to rest in Bayview Cemetery.

On December 31, 1919, Theodore married Violet Richardson, a native of Halifax, and spent the remainder of his life in the city. Following his death in 1932, he was laid to rest in Camp Hill Cemetery, alongside his first wife Martha.

Meanwhile, Huntley pursued a career at sea. Unfortunately, details on his early years are sparse. Later documents indicate that he went to sea between the ages of 15 and 20. His 1914 marriage license identifies his occupation as “Marine Officer,” indicating that he had begun his progression through the merchant marine ranks. By the late 1920s, he had achieved the rating of Master Mariner, a position that required at least a decade of service at sea and entitled the bearer to command vessels of any tonnage.

While employed full-time in the merchant marine, Huntley also enlisted as a Lieutenant with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on December 5, 1924, and was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander on January 9, 1935. By the time Canada’s entry into the Second World War, however, he had been placed on the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve’s list of “Retired Officers.”

The years after 1911 also saw several important milestones in Huntley’s personal life. On June 3, 1914, he married Winifred May Davidson, daughter of Robert G. and Marcella “Mercy” (Langley) Davidson, Isaac’s Harbour, in a ceremony held at Stellarton, NS. The newlyweds established residence at Halifax, where Winifred gave birth to a daughter, Winifred Marcella “Winnie,” on December 20, 1920. Tragically, Winifred fell ill several months after her daughter’s birth and passed away from “acute septicaemia” on February 23, 1921.
 
Two-month-old Winnie was taken in by her maternal grandparents and spent her formative years in their New Glasgow home. She later married J. Gerald Belliveau and resided at Halifax, where she and her husband raised their only child, a son. Winifred Marcella (Giffin) Belliveau passed away at Halifax on October 26, 2011.

By the early 1930s, Huntley had ascended to the position of Master of Canadian National Steamship Lines’ SS Prince Henry. Launched in 1930, the vessel initially serviced ports along the coastline of British Columbia and the United States Northwest. The Great Depression’s impact on commerce resulted in its transfer to the eastern seaboard, where the vessel commenced regular service on the company’s Montreal - Bermuda route.

A December 1931 Port of Boston crew list identifies Huntley as the Master of the Prince Henry. According to the document, he had been “engaged” at Vancouver, BC, on November 12, 1931, suggesting that he commanded the ship as it made its way from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. Huntley made regular stops at Boston aboard the SS Prince Henry over the ensuing six months.

Huntley’s name next appears on a Port of Boston crew list dated February 3, 1936, where he is listed as the Master of RMS Lady Drake. He had joined the vessel’s crew at Halifax in late December 1935, and stopped at Boston on the vessel’s return journey from Bermuda and the British West Indies. A second visit to the port took place late the following month, on the way to Bermuda. The documents are the first record of Huntley’s service aboard one of the five vessels that constituted Canadian National’s famous “Lady Boat” fleet.

Master Mariner Huntley Osborne Giffin

Canadian National Steamship Lines first established a Canada - West Indies freight and passenger service in 1927. Prior to that time, a number of privately owned vessels had serviced the route, with little commercial success. Canadian National assumed responsibility for the route, with the support of the Canadian government and several of its West Indies destinations. Five new vessels were constructed at Cammell Laird Shipyards, Birkenhead, United Kingdom, to conduct the service. The ships were named after the wives of British Admirals with historical connections to the region.

Three vessels—Lady Nelson, Lady Hawkins and Lady Drake—serviced an eastern route, sailing from Halifax to Bermuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Dominica, Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada, Trinidad and British Guyana. The ships then made return calls at each location, stopping at St. John, NB, before returning to Halifax. The two other ships—Lady Somers and Lady Rodney—travelled a western route, providing monthly summer service from Montreal through the Strait of Canso to Halifax, then on to Bermuda, Nassau, and Kingston, Jamaica. During the winter months, the ships departed from Halifax, due to the winter closure of the St. Lawrence River.

The Lady Nelson—the first vessel to enter service—commenced its maiden voyage on December 14, 1928. All five vessels were in operation by April 1929 and continued to sail throughout the following decade, despite the Great Depression’s impact on human and commercial traffic. By the spring of 1939, Huntley was the Master of the Lake Hawkins, and made regular stops at the Port of Boston throughout the year on his way to and from the West Indies.

Lady Hawkins dockside at Halifax, NS

Following the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Canadian National made several modifications to its Bermuda and West Indies voyages. The entire fleet was repainted grey from mast top to waterline. The colour provided camouflage at dusk and dawn, the times when U-boat attacks were most likely. Vessels also followed a timed zigzag pattern, changing course every five to 10 minutes, and enforced a strict blackout order after sunset.

In October 1940, the Canadian government requisitioned the Lady Somers into naval service, making it the first Canadian merchant vessel to enter wartime operations. The ship was converted into an armed cruiser at a Bermuda dock, at which time Canada chartered the vessel to the British government. The Lady Somers entered active service as a patrol vessel enforcing a naval blockade of Nazi-occupied Europe in the late spring of 1941, only to be sunk by an Italian submarine in the Bay of Biscay on July 16, 1941.

By late 1941, German U-boats had made their way into the waters along the North America’s Atlantic coast in large numbers, making the Lady Boat fleet’s West Indies voyages increasingly perilous. In response, the Hawkins, Drake and Nelson were outfitted with one four-inch, low angle gun, and assigned a Navy gun layer responsible for the weapon’s deployment. While crew members were also trained in its operation, in reality the stern-mounted gun offered little protection from submarine attack.

Naval gun mounted on Lady Drake's stern

On January 16, 1942, the Lady Hawkins departed Halifax for Boston, once again under the command of Master Huntley Giffin. The ship left secretly in the middle of the night, and cautiously made its way southward. At Boston—its first port of call—a large group of American workers came aboard, destined for Trinidad, where they were to assist with the construction of a new American naval base. Several American army and British naval personnel also boarded, bound for special training at the same location.

The Lady Hawkins then proceeded along the Massachusetts coastline, through the Cape Cod canal and into Vineyard Sound, then southward to New York Harbour. A US destroyer escorted the vessel out of Brooklyn Navy Yard, turning back at the Statue of Liberty as the Lady Hawkins entered open waters. The ship remained as close to American shore as possible until it reached Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at which point it veered southeastward toward Bermuda, its next port of call.

The Lady Hawkins was now on its own as it crossed the open sea. Its radio operators received numerous calls from other unescorted ships, warning of torpedo attacks close to the Lady Hawkins’ planned route. In response, Master Giffin ordered the vessel to follow a zigzag course at a speed of 15 knots.

The following day—Sunday, January 18, 1942—was calm and sunny, prompting some crew members and passengers to sit on the deck and enjoy the fine weather. As night fell, Chief Officer Percy Kelly ensured that no lights were visible and checked that the ship’s lifeboats were ready for deployment if required. At 10:30 pm, Kelly reported to Master Giffin that all was well and headed to bed.

Less than three hours later, Kelly was awakened by an explosion, followed shortly afterward by a second blast. A later news report described the incident in detail:

“The Lady Hawkins…was steaming through a smooth sea on a perfect, moonless night when at 1:05 am January 19 a torpedo exploded against the hull at a point almost under the bridge. So violent was the concussion that the ship heeled over, sweeping virtually every one who was on deck into the sea…. The mainmast toppled and fell with a crash, adding to the confusion and excitement. Within a minute or two a second torpedo crashed into the engine room…. Every light on the ship was put out of commission by the torpedoing, but the passengers and crew groped their way along slanting companionways and decks to the [life]boats. Several boats were launched in the 25 minutes before the Lady Hawkins plunged to the bottom.”

A surviving crew member, ship’s carpenter William Burton of Hamilton, ON, later recalled seeing the submarine in the waters near the vessel immediately prior to the incident:

“It was a great big one and it came up about 100 yards from us and just lay off there with two white lights on us…. A torpedo hit Hold No. 2 about one minute later. The second torpedo hit Hold No. 3 and probably reached the Engine Room bulkhead. I think all of the 2-to-4 watch was drowned. The same torpedo blew up the No. 6 Lifeboat. I believe that three boats got away but we know nothing of the others.”

A later assessment indicated that three lifeboats were damaged or destroyed in the initial blast, while a fourth broke apart as it was lowered into the water. Most crew members and passengers were forced to jump into the surrounding waters as the vessel listed and began to sink. Chief Officer Kelly was among them, looking around in the darkness and fortunately spotting a lifeboat. He managed to swim to it and clung to the grab lines until he was pulled on board.

In total, 76 crew members and passengers were either in the lifeboat as it was lowered, or able to clamber aboard in the minutes following the attack. The surrounding waters were filled with others calling out for help. Kelly immediately took charge of the lifeboat, ordering crew members to deploy the oars and row it clear of the Lady Hawkins. The vessel disappeared beneath the surface less than 30 minutes after the torpedoes struck its hull.

Once clear of the site, Kelly took stock of their situation. Unknown to the group at the time, they were the only survivors, 76 souls crowded into a lifeboat designed to accommodate 63 people. A wireless operator had rushed to the radio room prior to abandoning ship, only to discover that all of the portable sets were damaged and thus unable to issue an SOS. The survivors’ only hope was to deploy the lifeboat’s sail and make their way toward the American coast.

Many of the survivors were wet and cold, having jumped into the water to escape the ship. About one-third lacked adequate clothing, as they were asleep at the time of the incident. The overcrowded boat was riding low in the water, the waves splashing over its sides. Crew immediately began the incessant process of bailing out the bottom of the boat. Chief Officer Kelly ordered the survivors to sit as low as possible, while he assessed the situation. As it was dark, the boat sat idle until daylight, when Kelly ordered the crew to rig the lifeboat’s sail and begin the arduous journey westward, in hopes of encountering a passing ship.

The survivors were approximately 200 kilometres from shore, a distance that would require approximately two weeks to traverse. According to later reports, “some other lifeboats were sighted in the first day or two after the Lady Hawkins went down,… but gradually they separated” and were never seen again. Whether they carried any survivors is not known. There was a limited supply of water and biscuits on board, along with a small quantity of canned milk. Chief Officer Kelly established a strict rationing protocol, providing survivors with a small portion of biscuit and water at the beginning and end of the day, and a small amount of milk at noon.

On the first day, darkness engulfed the boat at 6:00 pm and lasted until 7:00 am the following morning. While the survivors made steady progress westward, their greatest fear was that their supplies would soon expire. On the fifth day at sea, crew members spotted the Puerto Rican merchant ship Coamo. Shining their flashlights on the lifeboat’s sail, they managed to make their presence known. Hesitant at first, the Coamo’s captain fearing they were being lured into a U-boat trap, the vessel’s crew soon recognized the mystery object and came to the rescue.

During the four days the lifeboat spent at sea, five survivors died of shock or exposure and were buried at sea. The Coamo’s crew hauled the remaining 71 survivors aboard and transported them to safety at San Juan Puerto Rico, on January 28. Master Huntley Osborne Giffin, 86 crew members, one gunner and 163 passengers perished at sea in the sinking of the Lady Hawkins.

Before war’s end, two more Lady Boats fell victim to German U-boats. The Lady Nelson was sunk at a St. Lucia Harbour dock on March 22, 1942, with the loss of 17 lives. The vessel was later salvaged and converted into Canada’s first Second World War hospital ship. The Lady Drake was torpedoed 90 miles south of Bermuda on May 8, 1942, with the loss of 12 lives.

The Lady Rodney, the only “Lady Boat” not to fall victim to a German U-boat during the war’s early years, was requisitioned by the Canadian government in June 1942 and entered service as a troop transport, conveying military personnel from Montreal, Quebec and Halifax to Newfoundland and Labrador. The vessel always sailed with a corvette escort or as part of a convoy. While the ship had a few “close calls” with German U-boats, it served without incident for the duration of the war. After the conclusion of hostilities, the Nelson joined the Rodney in bringing war brides and their children from Britain to Canada before returning to their West Indies routes.

Master Mariner Giffin's name on the Halifax Memorial

Master Huntley Osborne Giffin and the 86 crew members who perished aboard the Lady Hawkins are commemorated on the Halifax Memorial, erected in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax, in memory of the 3,257 Canadian merchant marine and military personnel lost at sea during the two world wars. Huntley’s second wife Mathilda spent the remainder of her life in Montreal, where she passed away on January 18, 1972, one day shy of the 30th anniversary of her husband’s tragic death.