I have just received this comment about a post I wrote in 2009…
I WAS A SURVIVOR ON THE LOUISBURG, WAS QUARTER MASTER AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY LOUISBURG MEN ALIVE STILL AS I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THEM AS I AM NOW 91 GETTING ON A BIT BUT STILL A PROUD SAILOR.
ERNIE PAIN CORNWALL ONTARIO
THANK YOU.
You can contact me and I will contact Ernie Pain.
ORIGINAL POST
I had received this comment on my blog Souvenirs de guerre…
Someone had written this comment:
My father, who survived the sinking of HMCS Louisbourg in the Mediterrean in 1943, did not have very happy memories of the contemptuous and injust way Quebec sailors were treated on their ships and even after the war.
My father sustained an injury to his backbone, and his lungs were affected by toxic fumes caused by the fire on board the ship. This French-Canadian who was decorated never received a war veteran pension and we had to live in poverty until we settled in Sept-Îles during the industrial and housing boom of the town.
My father was even sent to the brig in Gibraltar because he defended himself against a Canadian who was constantly insulting him and other francophone crew members!!!
My father died in 1973.
This person never wrote back.
I went on sailing on Google and found a lot of pictures.
Here are a few…
HMCS Louisburg…
This how it was called, HMCS Louisburg and not Louisbourg.
Here is a painting I also caught in a net on the Net…
This is a list of sailors who died.
Flower Class Corvette
Builder: Morton Engineering and Dry Dock, Quebec City PQ
Commissioned: 2 Oct 1941
Fate: Torpedoed off Oran 6 Feb 1943
Casualties: 2 officers, 35 ratings, 5 RN
The Casualty Roll |
AB | ALDRED | L. | V 22924 | RCNVR | ONT,TORONTO |
STO 1 | ANDERSON | A.F. | V 14692 | RCNVR | BC,VANCOUVER |
L/SIG | ANDERSON | C.F. | V 8276 | RCNVR | ONT,HAMILTON |
OS | ANNABLE | G.C. | V 33367 | RCNVR | QUE,MONTREAL |
AB | BANKS | M.A. | A 4891 | RCNR | BC,VANCOUVER |
AB | BENJAMIN | S. | V 2320 | RCNVR | NB,ST JOHN |
AB | BETTESS | E. | V 24438 | RCNVR | MAN,WINNIPEG |
L/CDR | CAMPBELL | W.F. | O 11898 | RCNVR | SASK,SASKATOON |
STO 1 | COURNOYER | R. | V 4453 | RCNVR | QUE,MONTREAL |
ERA 4 | FORREST | G.A.C. | V 33125 | RCNVR | QUE,MONTREAL |
ERA 4 | GARDEN | R.V. | V 25691 | RCNVR | NS,ENFIELD |
OS | GAUVIN | J.M.R. | V 35564 | RCNVR | QUE,MONTREAL |
TEL | GILBERT | W.M. | V 13821 | RCNVR | ALTA,CALGARY |
AB | GRAVES | C.S. | A 1369 | RCNR | NS,NEW GLASGOW |
AB | GRIFFIN | E.F. | V 22559 | RCNVR | ONT,TORONTO |
AB | HALL | J. | V 18600 | RCNVR | ONT,BELLEVILLE |
AB | LEWIS | W.E. | V 1595 | RCNVR | PEI,ALBERTON |
STO 1 | MacGREGOR | D. | V 19596 | RCNVR | ONT,WINDSOR |
SIG | MacLEOD | G.I. | V 319 | RCNVR | NS,SYDNEY |
STO 1 | MacPHAIL | S.J. | V 456 | RCNVR | NS,PICTOU |
CODER | MacPHAIL | J.A. | V 1588 | RCNVR | PEI,QUEENS CO |
AB | McCLELLAN | J.F. | 4612 | RCN | SASK,MOOSE JAW |
LS | MacDONALD | D.M. | V 6251 | RCNVR | ONT,OTTAWA |
AB | McDONALD | R.J. | V 11491 | RCNVR | SASK,SASKATOON |
CERA | McNEILL | D. | V 23718 | RCNVR | QUE,VERDUN |
CODER | MERRYWEATHER | H. | V 12751 | RCNVR | ALTA,EDMONTON |
OS | MORIN | J.G.E.V. | V 3985 | RCNVR | QUE,LEVIS |
O/TEL | NINIAN | T.M. | V 13776 | RCNVR | ALTA,CALGARY |
SIG | PATERSON | R.L. | V 24617 | RCNVR | MAN,WINNIPEG |
STO 2 | RICE | S.N. | V 31943 | RCNVR | ONT,TORONTO |
TEL | ROBINSON | E. | V 22987 | RCNVR | ONT,TORONTO |
PO TEL | SMITH | A.J. | V 9368 | RCNVR | MAN,WINNIPEG |
L/S | STEVENSON | J.C.R. | V 5282 | RCNVR | NS,HALIFAX |
AB | TANNER | J.A. | V 22913 | RCNVR | ONT,SAULT STE MARIE |
AB | VIKSTROM | J.R. | V 33099 | RCNVR | QUE,MONTREAL |
STO | WATSON | N.R. | V 9654 | RCNVR | MAN,WINNIPEG |
LT | WILSON | E. | O 78775 | RCNR | ONT,OTTAWA |
The HMCS Louisbourg was part of the Flower class.
HMCS Levis
It was built by Morton Engineering and Dry Dock, in Québec. It was commissioned on October 2, 1941.
The Louisbourg was torpedoed off the coast of Oran on February 6, 1943.