Joining the Merchant Navy
Heroes Remember
Joining the Merchant Navy
Mom was little bit worried, I mean a little bit worried. Well,
she said, “I know how it is, but do your best, do your best.”
I figured I mean by the look of the map, I was going to school,
I look at the map and the size of Canada over here and Germany
was so small, I have in my mind that in six months we have that
finished. We go there we’re gonna to wipe them, you know the
word, bastards. Yeah. But that was not the answer. So, anyway,
I went to Halifax I remember that day from today, that day was
December the 13th, 1941, in Halifax. And then from 1940 to 1943
Canada didn’t have any ship, no merchant ship. They have a
(inaudible) made with plywood. That’s what we have to fight with
it, and it was pretty good. They said not light, but I didn’t
know what a ship was. I never was at sea. But that’s what,
and then when we left Halifax what, 11 o’clock at night on the
convoy they sail about 250 ship, and then we have about maybe, I
don’t know, roughly four Corvettes and three destroyers.
And we would cover twenty miles square, convoy, you know what the
convoy is? They go this way, and when it got too rough or too
dangerous we zig zag every three hour, three minute or ten minute
back and forth.
Related Videos
Everyone Panicked - The War Had Started
Mr. Kenny talks about where he was born, and how he felt about the war as it came on. Although underage, he tried to enlist.
Convoy Duty
Mr. Kenny talks about his first weeks on merchant ships. He sailed on British, Norwegian and Danish ships because of the lack of Canadian ships.
Becoming a Cook
Mr. Kenny describes how he ended up being designated at the ship's “Cookie”. He also described travelling across the Atlantic in a convoy.
- Date modified: