Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Ralph Spracklin
In memory of:
Able Seaman Ralph Spracklin
November 1, 1940
North Atlantic
Military Service
36
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
S.S. Empire Bison (London, England) (167628)
Additional Information
September 5, 1904
Brigus, Newfoundland and Labrador
Son of Herbert Spracklin and Isabelle March from Brigus, Newfoundland. Husband of Annie Way from Brigus.
On 1 November 1940, it sailed with convoy HX-82, which had set sail for the Clyde in Scotland. Since 23 October, the Empire Bison had been lagging behind due to bad weather. At 07:06 am on 1 November, the U-124 torpedoed her 200 miles (322 km) west of Rockall between Ireland and Iceland, and she sank in less than a minute in position 59°30'N/17°40'W. The captain, 29 crew members, 7 passengers and a gunner lost their lives. The four survivors were rescued on 5 November by the British merchant ship Olga S., which landed them in Gourock, Scotland.
Commemorated on Page 232 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 17.
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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Merchant Navy Monument in St. John's, NL -
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Dedication -
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Photo of Ralph Spracklin – Ever Remembered by Sister Daisy "Until the day dawns and the shadows flee away"
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