Canadian Virtual War Memorial
George Roley Yates
In memory of:
Stoker George Roley Yates
December 6, 1917
Military Service
VR/5480
Navy
Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
H.M.C.S. Niobe
Additional Information
Commemorated on Page 354 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
Newspaper Extract – An extract from The London Gazette from 18 February 1919 that announces the award of the Albert Medal to two of George Roley Yates' shipmates, and which describes the incident for which the award was made and which cost them and George Roley Yates their lives. -
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Memorial – The panel on the Halifax Memorial at Point Pleasant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada whereon George Roley Yates' name is inscribed. Imagew taken in November 2017 by Tom Tulloch. -
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HMCS Niobe – The Royal Canadian Navy Diadem-class protected cruiser HMCS Niobe, in which George Roley Yates was serving as a stoker at the time he was killed in the Halifax Explosion on 6 December 1917. -
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Halifax Harbour – A view of Halifax Harbour shortly after the 6 December 1917 explosion in which George Roley Yates died. The ship to which he belonged, HMCS Niobe, can be seen on the right side of the photograph, making smoke.
Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
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