Bonaventure Anchor Memorial

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Bonaventure Anchor Memorial

Photo credit: © Graham Carter
Dedication plaque

Photo credit: Patti Christie
Bonaventure Anchor Memorial, panel 3 (1950-1954) 18 names.

Photo credit: Patti Christie
Bonaventure Anchor Memorial, panel 4 (1954-1963) 18 names.

Photo credit: Patti Christie
Bonaventure Anchor Memorial, panel 5 (1963-1966) 19 names.

Photo credit: Patti Christie
Bonaventure Anchor Memorial, panel 6 (1967-1975) 18 names.

Photo credit: Patti Christie
Panel 7 (1969-1985)

Photo credit: Patti Christie
Panel 8 (1948-1957)

Photo credit: Patti Christie
Panel 9 (1958-1991)

Photo credit: Patti Christie
Panel 10 (1991-1994)

Photo credit: Patti Christie

Municipality/Province: Halifax, NS

Memorial number: 12004-147

Type: Anchor, plaques

Address: Point Pleasant Park, Sailors Memorial Way

Location: Point Pleasant Park

GPS coordinates: Lat: 44.6213291 Long: -63.5628742

Submitted by: Marilyn Gurney

The Bonaventure Anchor Memorial, also known as the Canadian Peacetime Sailors’ Memorial, stands on the shore at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the principal naval base of the Royal Canadian Navy is located. The site previously served as the location of a searchlight battery that formed part of the their Second World War harbour defences.

The monument was dedicated in 1973 by Rear Admiral Robert Walter Timbrell, CMM, DSC, CD, then Commander of Maritime Command. It consists of an anchor and chain from HMCS Bonaventure, the Royal Canadian Navy’s last aircraft carrier, in commission from 1957 to 1970 (and commanded by Rear Admiral (then Captain) Timbrell between 1963 and 1965). The anchor is mounted on a concrete base with bronze plaques displaying the sailors’ names. This anchor is a stockless pattern, made by W.L. Byers and Co. Ltd. of Sunderland in North East England, serial number 6299W. It stands 12 feet tall and weighs approximately nine tons.

This anchor is a memorial to those who died while serving with the Canadian Navy during peacetime and the names on the panels are those who have no known grave in Canada. The chain from the anchor to the water signifies a connection to those lost or buried at sea or buried on foreign lands. Its dedication statement read: "To commemorate the personnel of the Armed Forces of Canada who lost their lives at sea in the performance of their duties and for whom there is no known grave”. At some unknown time the dedication was changed to read: “Dedicated to the men and women who died while serving with the Canadian Navy during Peacetime.”

The monument contains 131 names, the earliest of whom died in 1948 and the most recent in 1994. Among them are the names of nine members of HMCS Kootenay who died during an explosion in the ship in 1969 during naval exercises 210 miles west of Plymouth England. The Bonaventure Anchor Memorial was in dire need of attention for many years. On May 1, 2017 a campaign for action was initiated by Allan “Dinger” Bell, a 1969 HMCS Kootenay survivor, with the support of Veterans and military support organizations. All three levels of government and all three services (Navy, Army and Air Force) became engaged and worked to secure, repair and update the memorial. This work was completed in 2019 which included the addition of 46 names. A re-dedication of the Bonaventure Anchor Memorial was held at the HMCS Kootenay 50^th Commemoration ceremony on October 23, 2019.

Inscription found on memorial

[plaque]
DEDICATED TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO DIED WHILE
SERVING WITH THE CANADIAN NAVY DURING PEACETIME.

DÉDIÉ AUX HOMMES ET AUX FEMMES MORTS AU SERVICE
DE LA MARINE CANADIENNE EN TEMPS DE PAIX

THIS ANCHOR CAME FROM
HMCS BONAVENTURE
AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY
17 JANUARY, 1957 - 1 JULY, 1970

CETTE ANCRE PROVENT DU
NCSM BONAVENTURE
PORTE-AVIONS DE LA MARINE ROYALE DU CANADA
17 JANVIER 1957 – 1 JUILLET 1970

[panel 3/panneau 3]

PEEVER	LF	LT	1950	MOFFAT	DS	AB	1952
MITCHELL	WB	AB	1950	MURPHY	JS	LT	1952
GAUTHIER	LA	OS	1951	PLOTKINS	PJ	S/LT(R)	1952
HARTLE	JB	LT	1951	DUTFIELD	WE	LS	1953
SKAVBERG	RJ	AB	1951	MARSHALL	EV	LS	1953
ANDERSON	JE	LT	1952	WASHBROOK	JF	A/SLT	1953
HUNTER	WJ	AB	1952	HOLDEN	JD	S/LT	1954
HUTCHINSON	WJ	LT	1952	JONES	RH	S/LT	1954
MASON	JK	LT	1952	MACLEOD	JA	A/SLT(R)	1954

[panel 4/panneau 4]

WHITE	JE	PE	1954	MOFFAT	JA	P2	1959
WARDROP	DA	LT	1956	MURPHY	FR	AB	1959
COOPER	HG	LT	1957	PLOTKINS	RS	LCDR	1959
FERGUSON	PL	AB	1957	DUTFIELD	GG	S/LT	1959
TROY	WT	LT	1958	MARSHALL	WD	AB	1960
DAUGHARTY	CB	LT	1959	WASHBROOK	LJ	LT	1960
LOGAN	CE	S/LT	1959	HOLDEN	RJ	AB	1960
MOORE	AE	P2	1959	JONES	MS	PI	1961
MANTEL	JA	AB	1959	MACLEOD	AL	OS	1963

[panel 5/panneau 5]

HAMMER	RA	P2	1963	MAGUIRE	CA	F/O	1965
MATHESON	DF	LT	1963	PEELE	JM	F/O	1965
ANDERSON	JA	S/L	1965	PERRPON	JE	F/L	1965
CHAPMAN	P	SGT	1965	RICHARDSON	JA	F/O	1965
COCKS	HJ	F/O	1965	SORGE	CM	F/L	1965
CROMLISH	BW	F/O	1965	TETRAULT	JW	F/L	1965
HUET	JE	F/L	1965	WILLIAMS	RG	F/O	1965
JOHNSON	RC	F/O	1965	KNOX	JC	LCOR	1966
JONES	M	SGT	1965	MAJOR	RW	FS	1966
KNIGHTS	FA	F/O	1965

[panel 6/panneau 6]

GREENBURY	RB	P1	1967	DEBALINHARD	WC	PTE	1971
MANDER	DM	P1	1967	DICK	AE	CAPT	1971
TULLY	CC	CMD/O	1967	McCRAE	JO	CPL	1971
OLAN	WJ	PTE	1969	OSTAFICIUK	LM	CAPT	1971
KARWOSKY	W	PTE(R)	1970	SCAMMEL	JR	LS	1973
LYONS	MK	LT(R)	1970	SCHAUFELE	LT	CAPT	1973
WITHERS	MB	PTE(R)	1970	McDONALD	KJ	LT(N)	1974
BROWN	GJ	WO	1971	SAWATSKY	LJ	PO1	1974
MITCHELL	DJ	CPL	1971	LENGENDRE	SJ	AB	1975

[panel 7/panneau 7]

PARTANEN	VO	C1	1969	SWIM	GL	LS	1969
BOUDREAU	WA	C2	1969	PATTERSON	DR	LS	1969
WARMAN	EG	P1	1969	MORRELL	GH	LS	1969
STRINGER	LJ	P2	1969	BOULTER	JE	AB	1969
HUTTON	GW	LS	1969	DEBALINHARD	WG	AB	1971
CRABBE	TG	LS	1969	ZIHKNER	HD	AB	1979
BOURRET	PS	LS	1969	CAMPBELL	AS	AB	1979
HARDY	MA	AB	1969	FORTIN	JLA	LS	1985
GALLOWAY	NM	AB	1969

[panel 8/panneau 8]

ZIMMERMAN	EM	EA2	1948	WOOD	WF	MID	1952
CARTER	GA	LT	1948	RICE	FG	LT	1953
STEWART	JM	LT	1948	ALEXANDER	EW	ASLT	1954
CAMBRAY	JR	AB	1949	ROBERTSTON	I	ASLT	1954
HUTTON	GH	LT	1949	McLEOD	LD	PO2	1955
MONKS	RA	LCDR	1949	KING	HB	PO1	1957
PULFER	CJ	LT	1949	MOORE	DM	AB	1957
CLOUSTON	WJ	AB	1950	STIRLING	WA	AB	1957
HARE	MC	LT	1950	QUINN	DA	AB	1957

[panel 9/panneau 9]

BELL-IRVING	B	LCDR	1958	BRADBURY	WE	PO2	1966
TURCOTTE	BJ	PO1	1964	REDING	RR	CPO2	1970
ALLTREE	AL	SLT	1964	ANDERSON	S	LS	1970
PIGGOTT	CL	DR	1965	DALEY	JJ	LS	1972
PERRIER	PA	OS	1965	HENDERSON	GN	COL	1982
READE	RE	AB	1965	PALMER	J	CPO2	1982
PITT	TS	AB	1965	BUCHAN	DG	SGT	1982
SLASOR	RH	CPO2	1965	DECHAMPLAIN	JL	CPL	1983
JONES	WF	LCDR	1965	BOURGAUX	GE	CAPT	1991

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Date modified:: 2025-01-09