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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Joseph Payton

In memory of:

Ordinary Seaman Joseph Payton

November 23, 1940
North Atlantic

Military Service


Age:

19

Force:

Merchant Navy

Unit:

Canadian Merchant Navy

Division:

MV Leise Maersk (London, England) (167527)

Additional Information


Born:

December 12, 1920
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Son of Samuel Payton and Mary Hannah Duke of Mundy Pond, Newfoundland. Husband of Kathleen Pauline Power of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Father of Joseph Payton.

On 23 November 1940, the Leise Maersk was sailing with convoy SC-11 when, at 8:02 am, she was torpedoed by U-100 and sank 120 miles (193 km) west of Rockall, in the North Atlantic, in position 55°30'N/11°00'W. The captain and 16 crew members lost their lives. The 7 surviving sailors were rescued by a Dutch salvage tug and landed in Campbelltown, Scotland.

Commemorated on Page 208 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 17.

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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  • Merchant Navy Monument in St. John's, NL
  • Dedication

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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