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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Godfrey Thomas Alfred Archbold

In memory of:

Lieutenant Godfrey Thomas Alfred Archbold

September 23, 1943

Military Service

Age:

29

Force:

Navy

Unit:

Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve

Division:

H.M.S. Itchen

Additional Information

Son of Herbert Thomas Archbold and Margarethe Ragna Archbold, of Duncan, British Columbia; husband of Sheila Margaret Archbold, of Vernon, British Columbia.

Commemorated on Page 132 of the Second World War 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 9.

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.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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  • Memorial– The Soldiers' Tower was built by the University of Toronto Alumni Association in 1924 as a memorial to the Great War of 1914-1918. The names of those who died in that conflict are carved on the Memorial Screen at photo left. After the Second World War, more names were carved in the Memorial Arch at the Tower's base. In total, almost 1,200 names are inscribed. A Memorial Room inside the Tower contains mementoes and artifacts, and a 51-bell carillon serves as the audio element of the living memorial to the alumni, students, faculty and staff who died in the World Wars. The Soldiers' Tower is the site of an annual Service of Remembrance. Photo: Kathy Parks, Alumni Relations.

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – The Soldiers' Tower was built by the University of Toronto Alumni Association in 1924 as a memorial to the Great War of 1914-1918. The names of those who died in that conflict are carved on the Memorial Screen at photo left. After the Second World War, more names were carved in the Memorial Arch at the Tower's base. In total, almost 1,200 names are inscribed. A Memorial Room inside the Tower contains mementoes and artifacts, and a 51-bell carillon serves as the audio element of the living memorial to the alumni, students, faculty and staff who died in the World Wars. The Soldiers' Tower is the site of an annual Service of Remembrance. Photo: Kathy Parks, Alumni Relations.
  • Memorial Arch West– The names of those who died in the Second World War were added to the archway beneath the Soldiers' Tower in 1949. The name of "Lt. G.T.A.S. ARCHBOLD R.C.N.V.R." is among the names inscribed. Photo: Cody Gagnon, courtesy of Alumni Relations.

    Details

    Memorial Arch West
    Memorial Arch West – The names of those who died in the Second World War were added to the archway beneath the Soldiers' Tower in 1949. The name of "Lt. G.T.A.S. ARCHBOLD R.C.N.V.R." is among the names inscribed. Photo: Cody Gagnon, courtesy of Alumni Relations.
  • Memorial Room– Soldiers' Tower, University of Toronto. Photo: David Pike, courtesy of Alumni Relations.

    Details

    Memorial Room
    Memorial Room – Soldiers' Tower, University of Toronto. Photo: David Pike, courtesy of Alumni Relations.
  • Memorial Book– University of Toronto Memorial Book, Second World War 1939-1945. Edited by H. E. Brown, published by the Soldiers' Tower Committee, 1993. Entry on page 2 reads: "Lt Godfrey Thomas Alfred Sissener ARCHBOLD RCNVR. Former student in Trinity College, 1931-34. Missing at sea in the sinking of HMS Itchen, September 1943. Name inscribed on the Halifax Memorial, Halifax, Nova Scotia."

    Details

    Memorial Book
    Memorial Book – University of Toronto Memorial Book, Second World War 1939-1945. Edited by H. E. Brown, published by the Soldiers' Tower Committee, 1993. Entry on page 2 reads: "Lt Godfrey Thomas Alfred Sissener ARCHBOLD RCNVR. Former student in Trinity College, 1931-34. Missing at sea in the sinking of HMS Itchen, September 1943. Name inscribed on the Halifax Memorial, Halifax, Nova Scotia."
  • Memorial Stele– This stone stele is located in the chapel at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. "AS DYING AND BEHOLD WE LIVE. TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THIS COLLEGE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE TWO GREAT WARS." The name of "G.T.A.S. Archbold" is among those inscribed.

    Details

    Memorial Stele
    Memorial Stele – This stone stele is located in the chapel at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. "AS DYING AND BEHOLD WE LIVE. TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THIS COLLEGE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE TWO GREAT WARS." The name of "G.T.A.S. Archbold" is among those inscribed.
  • Memorial Scroll– This framed illuminated scroll, written in calligraphy, is entitled "Men and Women of Trinity College on Active Service. Met'Agona Stephanos". It hangs in the hallway outside the narthex of the chapel at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. The scroll shows icons to indicate men and women who are fallen, decorated, and prisoner of war. The list of names includes: '35 Archbold, G. T. A. S. Photo: Cody Gagnon, courtesy of Alumni Relations.

    Details

    Memorial Scroll
    Memorial Scroll – This framed illuminated scroll, written in calligraphy, is entitled "Men and Women of Trinity College on Active Service. Met'Agona Stephanos". It hangs in the hallway outside the narthex of the chapel at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. The scroll shows icons to indicate men and women who are fallen, decorated, and prisoner of war. The list of names includes: '35 Archbold, G. T. A. S. Photo: Cody Gagnon, courtesy of Alumni Relations.
  • Newspaper clipping– From a World War 2 issue of the Vancouver Province c.1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From a World War 2 issue of the Vancouver Province c.1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Press Clipping– Lt. Godfrey Thomas Alfred Archbold obit Montreal Gazette Oct 2 1943 Courtesy of McGill University Archives

    Details

    Press Clipping
    Press Clipping – Lt. Godfrey Thomas Alfred Archbold obit Montreal Gazette Oct 2 1943 Courtesy of McGill University Archives

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