A bust of a Newfoundland Royal Naval Reservist was unveiled at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa during the annual Battle of the Atlantic Gala in April 2018. In September of that year, a second unveiling ceremony was held in Sunnyside, Newfoundland. The bust is of Able Seaman Leander Green of Newfoundland.
Leander was serving aboard HMS Hilary when a request came in to help a sinking Norwegian freighter, SS Maryetta, on January 1, 1915. The ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat and the crew was preparing to abandon the vessel. When HMS Hilary arrived on the scene, it gave chase to the U-boat, then returned to the Maryetta. The naval captain asked for a volunteer to jump into the frigid waters and swim to the crippled boat carrying a lifeline. Two sailors volunteered and both perished in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
When the captain requested a third volunteer, Leander plunged into the frigid waters with the end of a lifeline around his waist. He swam towards the distressed vessel, secured the rope and six of the crew were rescued. He was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Medal from King George V, becoming the first decorated Newfoundlander of the First World War.
When the war ended, Leander returned to St. Jones Without, Newfoundland, on November 27, 1919. As a fisherman, he supported his wife, Blanche and their 11 children and in 1952, they moved to Sunnyside where he continued fishing. He was invited as a First World War Veteran to attend the official opening of the Come By Chance oil refinery on August 26, 1966, when his vehicle was involved in an accident just before the turnoff to the refinery road. His son Pearce and two grandchildren died and Leander succumbed to his injuries.
Able Seaman Leander Green’s portrait bust, of which only two editions were made to date, forms part of the collection titled “Honouring Our Great Sailors,” on display at the Naval Museum of Halifax. The edition of the bust that was unveiled at Sunnyside, Newfoundland is now on permanent display in the conference room at the town hall.
Christen Corbet was asked to design a bust of a sailor that would represent all the men from the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve and he was given several files of sailors. In his opinion, Leander’s actions that night were the most heroic and unselfish act by an individual sailor to happen during the Great War and would do well to honour the heroism of all Newfoundland and Labrador sailors.
Christian began working with the Royal Canadian Navy in 2010, which was Canada’s Naval Centennial. He offered to donate a sculpted bust of Admiral Sir Charles Kingsmill, known as the Father of the Royal Canadian Navy. The Royal Canadian Navy’s appreciation of this gift inspired Christian to donate a second bust in 2011. This one was of Chief Petty Officer Max Bernays, a Canadian navy hero from the Second World War
Other works by Christian Corbet include: Commander Adelaide Sinclair Bust, Rear-Admiral Leonard Warren Murray Bust, Midshipman William A. Palmer Bust and Vice Admiral Ralph Lucien Hennessy Bust.
