Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Charles Purton
In memory of:
Fireman Charles Purton
March 28, 1941
North Atlantic
Military Service
20
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
S.S. Koranton (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England) (142863)
Additional Information
July 1, 1920
Newport, Wales
His full name is Charles H. Purton.
Son of Samuel Thomas Purton and Emma Rees from Newport, Montmouthshire, Wales. Samuel was killed on 10 February 1941 when his ship, SS Canford Chine, was torpedoed by U-52 in the North Atlantic, position 55°51'N/17°35'W. He was serving as third engineer and sailing with convoy OG-52. Husband of Katherine Purton of St. John's, Newfoundland.
On 27 March 1941, she was sailing with convoy SC-25 from Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to Hull, England, when at 1:50 pm the Koranton was torpedoed by U-98 300 miles (483 km) south of Reykjavik, Iceland, position 58°51'N/22°36'W. The captain, 33 crew members and two gunners lost their lives.
Commemorated on Page 215 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.
Digital Collection
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Details
Merchant Navy Monument in St. John's, NL -
Details
Dedication
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