Dead or Alive?

Mr. White recalls being seasick on his first watch and how he was told by the chief operator of the ship that "There is no 'sick' on this ship!."

Alexander M. White

Mr. Alexander White was born in Craik, Saskatchewan, on November 15, 1923. His father, a Veteran of the First World War, survived being gassed in Ypres and returned to Canada in 1915. It was his fathers stories of the ships he had been on that began Mr. White's interest in sailing. As he neared the end of grade school Mr. White decided to join the Merchant Navy, and entered training as a radio operator when he had finished grade 12. After training Mr. White was sent to Vancouver to join the crew of a ship still in construction. In June 1943 they left port on the SS Green Gables Park. Mr. White stayed at sea for three years and suffered from seasickness for the first half of those three years. During his service Mr. White guided the ship as it ferried cargo across the North Atlantic and South Pacific either alone or as part of massive convoys. Although there were many close calls, including instances of ships beside them in convoys being torpedoed, the SS Green Gables Park luckily never came under direct attack during the war. Staying with the service for a year after the war ended in order to gain experience, Mr. White received his discharge in 1946.

Medium:

Video

Owner:

Veterans Affairs Canada

Duration:

03:08

Person Interviewed:

Alexander M. White

War, Conflict or Mission:

Second World War

Location/Theatre:

Atlantic Ocean

Branch:

Merchant Navy

Units/Ship:

SS Green Gables Park

Rank:

2nd Class Seaman

Occupation:

Radio Operator

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce