Canadian Virtual War Memorial
John Piercey
In memory of:
Fireman and Trimmer John Piercey
September 11, 1941
North Atlantic
Military Service
18
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
S.S. Empire Crossbill (London, England) (168177)
Additional Information
January 1, 1923
Sydney, Nova Scotia
His full name is John Stephenson Piercey.
Son of William Cumby Piercey and Sarah Jane Wiseman of Trinity Bay, Newfoundland.
On 11 September 1941, the Empire Crossbill was sailing with convoy SC-42 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, to Hull, England, when at 07:05 am she was hit by three torpedoes fired from U-82 east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, and sank rapidly, position 63°14'N/37°12'W. All those on board - 38 crew members, 10 gunners and one passenger - lost their lives. During this crossing, 16 ships were sunk by a pack of German submarines.
Commemorated on Page 211 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 19.
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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