They Were First Class Seamen

Heroes Remember

They Were First Class Seamen

Transcript

Interviewer: Mr. Boicey, what does Remembrance Day mean to you? Remembering the people I served with. Remembering those who didn't return. They were volunteers willing to give up their life, most of them were first class seamen, a lot from the Prairies, people that weren't familiar with the sea and they became sailors equivalent to any navy in the world at the time.

Description

Mr. Boicey reflects on comrades both living and lost at sea, and discusses the fact that, although many had had no familiarity with the sea, they became first class sailors.

Orville Boicey

Orville Boicey was born in 1924 in Almont, Ontario. His father, a First World War veteran, spoke of his experiences so his children might better understand patriotism. Mr. Boicey completed grade nine in 1941, and in August, 1942 enlisted in the navy. He trained as a torpedo man at Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, and then joined the crew of the corvette, HMCS Nanaimo. Nanaimo protected convoys in the Western North Atlantic, on what Mr. Boicey calls “the triangle run”. This refers to the three Atlantic ports of origin for convoys, St. John's, Halifax and New York. He discusses anti-sub tactics and a probable sinking of a submarine. Mr. Boicey pursued his career in the RCN after the war, sailing on all three of Canada's aircraft carriers, HMCS Warrior, HMCS Magnificent and HMCS Bonaventure, as well as the destroyers HMCS Wallaceburg and HMCS St. Croix. He retired with the rank of Petty Officer.

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