Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Graydon Dempsey
In memory of:
Fireman Graydon Dempsey
February 11, 1942
Military Service
22
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
M.V. Victolite (Victoria, British Columbia) (160197)
Additional Information
June 17, 1919
Midland, Simcoe, Ontario
Son of Peter Dempsey and Lilian Prentice, of Midland, Ontario.
According to the logbook of the submarine U-564, she was torpedoed on February 11, 1942, and sank at about 6:05 a.m. 260 nautical miles (299 miles/480 km) north-north-west of Bermuda after being hit by two torpedoes, resisting an explosive scuttling charge and 98 shots from a deck gun, position 36°12'N/67°14'W. There were no survivors out of a crew of 47 members.
Commemorated on Page 124 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 21.
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
Newspaper Clipping -
Details
Photo of Graydon Dempsey – In memory of the students from Midland High School who served during World War 11 and did not return. Photos submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me, on behalf of Midland Legion Branch 80 190 Queen St. Midland, Ontario.
Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
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