Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Robert Fleming Herschel Donaldson
In memory of:
Assistant Purser Robert Fleming Herschel Donaldson
March 2, 1940
Military Service
26
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
S.S. Domala (Glasgow, Scotland) (146266)
Additional Information
Son of William Donaldson, of Scotland.
On March 2, 1940, the Domala was on route from London, England, to Calcutta, India, via Antwerp, Belgium. At around 4:30 a.m., in the English Channel about 20 miles (32 km) east of St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight, a German Heinkel bomber flew overhead and dropped four bombs, three of which exploded on her deck killing the captain, 18 Europeans and 81 Indians, including 36 crew members. The bomber returned and strafed its prey twice. The Domala was towed by the Dutch cargo ship Jong Willem, which rescued 48 people. During the rescue, the Heinkel returned and strafed the two ships without causing any damage.
Commemorated on Page 127 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.
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