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Becoming a Cook

Heroes Remember

Becoming a Cook

Transcript
In the summertime I used to go to work in the wood, a lumber camp as a cookie. Cookie just bring the water to the cook. So he said, “Well,” he said, “what do you doing?” “Well,” I said, I worked on a farm.” “Well,” he said, “No farm in the ocean.” I said, “I know.” So, I was answer pretty fast. I said, "Well, I used to do some, for three weeks I work as a cookie." “Oh you’re a cook. Go down to see the chef. Go down the galley, see the chef.” So the petty officer was waiting for me so he took me down to see the chef. And what we have on the ship eh, during the war, what we have was people was too old for the service or crippled or young. That’s what the Merchant Navy was made with. I have a fellow that was cabin boy there thirteen years old and he was there six month before me. Thirteen years old. And then anyway, he said, the cook said, talked with, he had both feet like this, club feet, nice old fellow, oh a real good cook. And, then I was supposed to be the galley boy supposed to peel potatoes and so on. He look at me he said, “You look like a cook.” I said “No, no.” He said, “You’re gonna be a cook by the time you’re finished with me.” So, anyway it was good So, anyway the first trip, I went the first trip and then I make about three trip, and all of a sudden there he left because he was getting old, so I took his place over. But, the part I mean about the war. We left Halifax, we didn’t have a name. He said to give my name to the captain, but I don’t know what, I mean those ships get sunk, where does the log is, log go down with the ship. You know what I mean the log? They call the log book? (Yeah, yeah.) That go, yeah. So I don’t know, right. But after we leave Halifax said, “Hi you,” and then everybody, I mean everybody would do their job. Get up at 4 o’clock in the morning and go in the North Atlantic and go ahead and chop ice. I was a cook but I have to go and chop ice. Otherwise, the stern was left and then down we go. It was, I mean nobody really make a job. Nobody was really jobbed. I mean, whatever need to be done, if there was somebody said I never went but if somebody said okay the flagpole have the flag line have to be put up sixty feet or so. Nobody said no. They just go ahead and do it. And then, and then the kind come up to, like I said before, sometime I’m ahead of my story. From the time we leave Halifax, it was a warning it was a submarine around. Not one, four or five. Right outside. We called the first gate and then the second gate, it’s what they call the second gate, it’s nine mile, is a name now for that place. And after the second gate then we was open sea, open ocean, yeah. And we used to see it from here pretty well to Newfoundland. And Newfoundland then we had to pick up some Montreal and then American boat to finish the convoy because then they, they have some support. American have quite a bit more support than we have. And then we line up and then we follow what they called the North, no, no, not the North Atlantic, we go to the Straight of Belle Isle. The coast of Newfoundland and Labrador was very deep but we weren’t too far, we’d be 20 mile away from the shore. That’s a dangerous spot, (inaudible), they called it the black hole. That’s where they used to attack because there was rock and then they could hide behind the rock and then they could attack at 4 o’clock in the morning cause it was part, at 4 o’clock in the morning, when the day break, because you could see it I mean part of the ocean, and you could see that. And then they at that time, well it would probably take about two days because, no speed. Then we’d head right for the North Atlantic, that was rough. Real rough. Yeah.
Description

Mr. Kenny describes how he ended up being designated at the ship's “Cookie”. He also described travelling across the Atlantic in a convoy.

Gil Kenny

Gil Kenny was born in Saint Rose, New Brunswick in December of 1923. His father worked as a blacksmith. Mr. Kenny was 16 when the war started and joined the Merchant Navy, because he was too young for the other services. During one of his crossings, his ship was torpedoed and he was adrift for 72 hours in the Atlantic. After being rescued, he returned to service on the HMS Sheffield.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
04:36
Person Interviewed:
Gil Kenny
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
Atlantic Ocean
Branch:
Merchant Navy
Occupation:
Cook

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