Canadian Virtual War Memorial
William James Barry
In memory of:
Ordinary Seaman William James Barry
October 17, 1917
Military Service
VR/3933
Navy
Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
H.M. Trawler
Additional Information
Commemorated on Page 197 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.
Burial Information
HALIFAX MEMORIAL
Nova Scotia, Canada
Panel 1.
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.
Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Digital Collection
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Details
Panel – The panel on the Halifax Memorial, at Point Pleasant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on which William James Barry's name is inscribed. HMT Ruby, built by Cochrane & Sons Ltd., Selby in 1916 and owned at the time of her loss by Royal Navy, was a British navy trawler of 251 tons. While assisting the sinking steamer Polvena on 17 October 1917, HMT Ruby was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UC-79 off Ushant (Ouessant). 18 persons were killed, including William James Barry who was serving on board as an Ordinary Seaman at the time. There were no survivors. Image taken 25 November 2017 by Tom Tulloch.
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