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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

David Crombie

In memory of:

Second Mate David Crombie

October 29, 1942
North Atlantic

Military Service

Age:

33

Force:

Merchant Navy

Unit:

Canadian Merchant Navy

Division:

S.S. Bic Island (Montréal, Québec) (141871)

Additional Information

Born:

June 11, 1909
Québec, Quebec

Son of David Crombie and Margaret Katherine Stringer, of Montréal, Québec. Husband of Jean Gladys Fox, of Montréal.

At 0:15 am on 29 October 1942, the Bic Island was torpedoed and sunk by U-224 southwest of Rockall, an isolated rock between Ireland and Iceland, position 55°05'N/23°27'W.

Commemorated on Page 119 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

HALIFAX MEMORIAL
Nova Scotia, Canada

Grave Reference:

Panel 20.

Location:

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:

1914-1939
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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  • Plaque– Image: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating the role of the Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War as an event of national historic significance. (Halifax NS 2005.)

    Details

    Plaque
    Plaque – Image: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating the role of the Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War as an event of national historic significance. (Halifax NS 2005.)
  • Boat– ....in 1937 sold to Italy and renamed Capo Noli ... 10 Jun, 1940, captured in the Gulf of St. Lawrence by HMCS Bras d'Or and renamed Bic Island....on 29 Oct, 1942 the merchant ship, a convoy straggler carrying 4430 tons of foodstuffs and government stores was torpedoed and sunk. The ship was straggling after picking up 44 survivors from Gurney E. Newlin 77 survivors from Sourabaya). The master, 35 crew members, eight gunners and all 121 survivors were lost. David Crombie is remembered in the 27 August 2009 Globe and Mail death notice re his new bride, shortly widow, Jean Fox Crombie.

    Details

    Boat
    Boat – ....in 1937 sold to Italy and renamed Capo Noli ... 10 Jun, 1940, captured in the Gulf of St. Lawrence by HMCS Bras d'Or and renamed Bic Island....on 29 Oct, 1942 the merchant ship, a convoy straggler carrying 4430 tons of foodstuffs and government stores was torpedoed and sunk. The ship was straggling after picking up 44 survivors from Gurney E. Newlin 77 survivors from Sourabaya). The master, 35 crew members, eight gunners and all 121 survivors were lost. David Crombie is remembered in the 27 August 2009 Globe and Mail death notice re his new bride, shortly widow, Jean Fox Crombie.

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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