Canadian Virtual War Memorial
John Murray Keating
In memory of:
Waiter John Murray Keating
August 16, 1942
North Atlantic
Military Service
16
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
MV Suecia (Stockholm, Sweden) (5393)
Additional Information
January 1, 1926
Sackville, Nova Scotia
Son of Leo Arthur Keating and Mary Malvina Casey of Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
On 16 August 1942, at 7:45 am, after moving away from convoy SC-95, which was going from Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to Livepool, England, the Suecia was spotted by U-596 close to the route that the neutral Swedish ships were to follow. After being ordered to stand down, the ship was searched and the Germans discovered material destined for Great Britain. At 1:08 pm, she was torpedoed, in position 55°43'N/25°58'W. Sailors crammed into a lifeboat were never seen again. Of the 47 sailors on board, 9 lost their lives.
Commemorated on Page 164 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
Do you have photographs or personal memorabilia relating to John Murray Keating that you want included in our digital collection?
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.
- Date modified: