Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Francis Samuel Blake
In memory of:
Seaman Francis Samuel Blake
August 27, 1942
Military Service
58
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
S.S Chatham (Baltimore, U.S.A.) (225471)
Additional Information
Son of James Blake and Mary Ann Reid, of Barr'd Islands, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland. His name is also commemorated on page 274 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance.
On August 27, 1942, at 1:48 p.m., the Chatham was hit by a torpedo launched from U-517 in the Strait of Belle Isle, Nova Scotia, and sank, position 51°53'N/55°48'W. The attack caused the death of seven sailors and seven passengers. The survivors were rescued by the US destroyer USS Bernadou (DD-153), the Canadian frigate HMCS Trail (K174) and a Coast Guard escort vessel. The 193 survivors were landed in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Argentia and Forteau Bay, Newfoundland.
Commemorated on Page 96 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.
Burial Information
HALIFAX MEMORIAL
Nova Scotia, Canada
Panel 22.
The HALIFAX MEMORIAL in Nova Scotia's capital, erected in Point Pleasant Park, is one of the few tangible reminders of the men who died at sea. Twenty-four ships were lost by the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and nearly 2,000 members of the RCN lost their lives. This Memorial was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and was unveiled in November 1967 with naval ceremony by H.P. MacKeen, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, in the presence of R. Teillet, then Minister of Veterans Affairs. The monument is a great granite Cross of Sacrifice over 12 metres high, clearly visible to all ships approaching Halifax. The cross is mounted on a large podium bearing 23 bronze panels upon which are inscribed the names of over 3,000 Canadian men and women who were buried at sea. The dedicatory inscription, in French and English, reads as follows:
1918-1945
IN THE HONOUR OF
THE MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE NAVY
ARMY AND MERCHANT NAVY
OF CANADA
WHOSE NAMES
ARE INSCRIBED HERE
THEIR GRAVES ARE UNKNOWN
BUT THEIR MEMORY
SHALL ENDURE.
On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans.
Digital Collection
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Details
Merchant Navy Monument in St. John's, NL -
Details
Dedication
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