Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Edwin Charles Cake
In memory of:
Able Seaman Edwin Charles Cake
August 25, 1940
Offshore Hebrides, Scotland
Military Service
30
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
S.S. Empire Merlin (London, England) (167595)
Merchant Marine Medal
Additional Information
March 25, 1910
Lamaline East, Burin, Newfoundland and Labrador
Son of Frederick John Cake and Jemina Bonnell, Newfoudland.
On 25 August 1940, the Empire Merlin was en route from Port Sulphur, Louisiana, USA, to Hull, England, with convoy HX65A when she was torpedoed at 2:45 am by U-48 250 miles (402 km) northwest of the Hebrides Islands, Scotland, position 58°30’N/10°15'W. Broken in two, she sank in 35 seconds taking with her the captain, 33 crew members and a gunner. The sole survivor was rescued by the British corvette HMS Godetia (K72) and landed at Rosyth, Scotland.
Commemorated on Page 105 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 17.
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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