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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William Basil Johnson

In memory of:

Able Seaman William Basil Johnson

March 28, 1943

Military Service

Service Number:

4708

Age:

19

Force:

Navy

Unit:

Royal Canadian Navy

Additional Information

Son of Frank and Margaret Johnson, of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Commemorated on Page 175 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 5.

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

Send us your images

  • Newspaper Clipping– Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping – Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of William B. Johnson– Photograph of Able Seaman William B. Johnson. On March 28, 1943, AB Johnson was serving as a DEMS gunner aboard SS LIVERPOOL LOYALIST, a defensively equipped merchant ship (or DEMS) that was underway from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. He disappeared at about the end of a watch, just before midnight, and is presumed to have fallen overboard.

    Details

    Photo of William B. Johnson
    Photo of William B. Johnson – Photograph of Able Seaman William B. Johnson. On March 28, 1943, AB Johnson was serving as a DEMS gunner aboard SS LIVERPOOL LOYALIST, a defensively equipped merchant ship (or DEMS) that was underway from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. He disappeared at about the end of a watch, just before midnight, and is presumed to have fallen overboard.
  • Letter– Preliminary report of the death of AB W. B. Johnson and the circumstances thereof.

    Details

    Letter
    Letter – Preliminary report of the death of AB W. B. Johnson and the circumstances thereof.
  • Letter– File copy of a letter sent by the Naval Board to AB W. B. Johnson's mother, dated March 31, 1943.

    Details

    Letter
    Letter – File copy of a letter sent by the Naval Board to AB W. B. Johnson's mother, dated March 31, 1943.
  • Document– Report, dated 27 April 1943, on the death of AB W. B. Johnson and the circumstances thereof.

    Details

    Document
    Document – Report, dated 27 April 1943, on the death of AB W. B. Johnson and the circumstances thereof.
  • Document– File copy of Naval Service death certificate for AB W. B. Johnson.

    Details

    Document
    Document – File copy of Naval Service death certificate for AB W. B. Johnson.
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star July 1943, Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star July 1943, Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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