Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Harold Risser
In memory of:
Seaman Harold Risser
February 12, 1941
North Atlantic
Military Service
21
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
S.S. Derrynane (London, England) (166532)
Additional Information
January 1, 1920
West Dublin, Nova Scotia
Son of Percy Frederick Risser Sr and Adelaide Bushen from West Dublin, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
On 12 February 1941, the Derrynane was sailing with convoy SLS-64 400 miles (644 km) south-east of the Azores when the 22 ships were attacked by the German battlecruiser Admiral Hipper when it opened fire. It managed to sink eight ships, including Derrynane, which sank with its 36-strong crew.
Commemorated on Page 218 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 19.
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.
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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