Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Arthur William Gillett
In memory of:
Third Mate Arthur William Gillett
February 15, 1942
Military Service
29
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
S.S. Empire Spring (Greenock, Scotland) (167002)
Additional Information
March 27, 1912
Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador
Son of Roland Gillett and Elsie Blanche Freeman of Twillingate, Newfoundland. Husband of Louisa Margaret Lunnen of Twillingate. Father of Andrea Fannie Gillett.
On 14 February 1942, convoy ON-63 was scattered south-east of Sable Island, Newfoundland, due to an attack by U-576. At 3:37 am on the 15th, the Empire Spring found itself without escort when it was torpedoed and sunk at 3:53 am by a coup de grâce 50 miles (80 km) south-east of Sable Island, position 43°27'N/58°55'W. The captain, the convoy commodore, the 42 crew members, 5 gunners and 6 naval personnel lost their lives. The Empire Spring was reported missing on the 15th and this date was used for the death of these men.
Commemorated on Page 142 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 22.
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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