1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Research: In Comox and Courtenay, BC (5).

"Exploding Depth Charges Felt Like a Baseball Bat"

Start hiking around Goose Spit on Barracks Beach

A few vintage buildings, WW2 era likely, are visible from the beach

While looking at microfiche in late May, 2015 I felt happy when I came upon or hit a story related to Goose Spit and any of its occupants. In earlier entries re my research, one can read about Commanding Officer Windeyer on occasion - in his official capacity - and sports-minded sailors on local teams. The following story caught my eye almost 71 years to the day after it appeared in the Comox District Free Press, on May 25, 1944.

On Microfiche at the Courtenay Library

The story continues:

(O'Neill transferred to the Royal Navy and) served for three years in various theatres of war. Lieut. O'Neill stated that his first ship was the Bonaventure and he was one of seven Canadian seamen aboard. They joined late in 1940 and their first action was at dawn on Christmas day whilst guarding a convoy in the Atlantic. The attacking ship was an enemy cruiser of the Hipper Class and the young officer stated quite frankly that his knees "played tunes" when the first salvo straddled his ship. However, the Bonaventure had the best of the exchange and scored several damaging hits before losing contact. Next day they had the pleasure of sinking the cruiser's supply ship.

It was always exciting in the Mediterranean for the Royal Navy had few ships there in those days and convoys to Malta were always sure of action. The speaker was with the convoy which took the first British troops to Greece and it was while the Bonaventure was returning from the Battle of Matapan that it was torpedoed one night, about 150 miles off Crete. The ship went down in six minutes from two perfect torpedo hits, taking with it 150 officers and men. Of the Canadians, three went down with the ship and one died of wounds the next day.

(Editor's Note - 310 of crew rescued by HMS HEREWARD and HMS STUART. Link to more information re HMS Bonaventure)

HMS Bonaventure at her mooring, 1940 - Photo at Wikipedia

The story reports:

The speaker was at the control station when the blow struck. He managed to get out just as the ship went down. He was dragged down by the suction of the sinking vessel and lost consciousness and despite the fact that he had been fully clothed and wore a life belt, when he came to he found himself on the surface with nothing on but his wrist watch. The depth charges which were exploding about felt just like being whacked on the stomach with a baseball bat.

"With both my knees injured, I can tell you it was a distressing experience," he said. "I figured I could stay afloat until dawn although there was nothing to hang onto. Luckily I sighted a ship, one of our own destroyers, and managed to grab a trailing net. My strength seemed to leave me then and some of the men came down and hauled me aboard."

After some time in a hospital in Alexandria, he was returned to England where he was awarded his commission. The next trip was was to the Indian Ocean where they occupied certain islands. The people were ruled by a Sultan and were very primitive but the occupation was made by negotiation and the natives were friendly and co-operative.

"I think that is a tribute to the British way of doing things," Lieut. O'Neill said. I wonder just how many of the occupied countries are friendly to the Nazis?"

The men suffered greatly from the heat which often reached as high as 120 degrees in the shade. Many of them contracted fever and some of them actually went out of their heads while all wore bandages covering the wounds of a disease known as "coral ulcers", caused by getting sand in small cuts.

After three years in the foreign service, Lieut. O'Neill applied for and was granted leave in Canada. He retuned by sailing around Tasmania, New Zealand, across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal and finally to New York. The speaker stated that his impressions of Canada at war were mixed. He was glad to be home because, to him, like to most of the boys overseas, home was a symbol of what they were fighting for - Christian tolerance, happiness and freedom.

"No place in the world do people live better than in Canada, with the possible exception of the United States," Lieut. O'Neill declared. "It is truly God's country and most of the people here haven't suffered anything personally due to the war, with the exception of those who have lost their loved ones. However, if the people of Canada could talk, as I have, with men who have escaped from the conquered countries of Europe, they might think differently about the war. If nothing else, I learned to love Canada and cherish freedom. In conclusion I would like to express two hopes which I am sure will bear the approval of all men who have seen action overseas:

"1. That the people who remained at home will prove worthy of those who didn't come back.
"2. That those who come back will be given some say in the destiny of the nation."

* * * * *

Unsolved Mysteries Related to WW2?

Comox District Free Press, June 1, 1944

About the incident above, Coroner Spinks returned the following verdict:

"We find that at approximately 10:30 a.m. on May 30, 1944, in his tent at the C.O.S. (Combined Operations School) Camp, Sandwick, the deceased came to his death from a self-inflicted bullet wound through the head."

The article from the Comox District Free Press continues:

None of the evidence presented at the inquest gave any clue as to the deceased man's reason for taking his own life. He was of a very quiet nature and had no intimate friends but those who did know him had noted nothing peculiar in his actions in recent days. He had volunteered for "active duty" about a month ago.

The shot was heard by several men but went unnoticed as there was lots of shooting going on at all times in the neighbourhood. The body was discovered by another soldier. It was lying against a bed with the muzzle of the rifle against the chest and the butt resting on the floor. Pte. Seach is survived by his wife, in Toronto, and a year-old daughter. The body was shipped to Toronto this morning for burial.

Editor's Note: I included the article above, as a mystery, because my father reported a mysterious incident that occurred at the C.O.S. on Goose Spit, Comox, in 1944 or 1945.

Doug Harrison writes:

Gordon Bell, a YMCA director, came to 'the spit' as it was called nearly everyday and provided piano music, sewed on crests and buttons, repaired uniforms and showed movies. One night my oppo, Frank Herring, slightly drunk, was laughing his booming laugh at a hilarious movie when he took a sudden urge and jumped right out the window, frame and all, and he didn't even get out. ("DAD, WELL DONE", pages 41-42)

No further explanation or details were provided, other than 'slightly drunk'.

Microfiche - Comox District Free Press, July 13, 1944

Microfiche - Comox District Free Press, August 10, 1944

Ed Corson, mentioned above, not only patrolled the outfield for a team that played against the Navy baseball team, but patrolled city streets as a police constable. More than one Navy boy got caught doing mischief in Courtenay or Comox by Constable Ed Corson!

My father writes:

I had a fight with a Police Constable named Carson (sic). I was drunk and he asked me for my I.D. card. I took a punch at him, missed him by a pole length and he assisted me to the cruiser, he was very kind. He had a hammer lock on me so didn’t open the door, he just put me through the open back window. You know, that shoulder is still sore. He took me to jail, but the cell was already packed with sailors and cleaning equipment, i.e., mops, brooms, etc. They lit the equipment on fire and smoke forced us all out. He didn’t like me because our team used to beat his team at ball. Big sissy. Poor loser.

Editor's Note - Staring at microfiche is not a lot of fun, but it is at least 'some fun, some of the time'.

In May, 2015 I spotted a wedding announcement in the March 8, 1945 issue of the Comox District Free Press. The name 'Hobson' was familiar to me. A 'George Hobson' had been coach of the Navy baseball team while my father played ball on The Spit. Was this the same fellow?

G. L. Hobson was a PO in the RCNVR. Good clue.

In the same wedding announcement I spotted other familiar names, two in particular, names that showed up on Dad's baseball photos, i.e., Doug Zink and Joe 'Spenny' Spencer.

In May 2016 I acquired the photograph below from the Courtenay Museum and recognized Joe Spencer (back right) immediately. Good find, I say. Shortly thereafter I sent a copy to Gary Spencer, one of Joe and Betty Spencer's sons, and he in return sent me several very rare WW2 photos collected by his father. '1000 Men, 1000 Stories' is a richer resource because of Gary's generosity.

Doug Zink (front left), George Hobson (centre) and Joe Spencer

appear together as members of Navy's Number 1 Ball Team

I feel rich as well because of a chance meeting with the former bride, Margaret 'Maudy' Hobson, at the Courtenay Museum in 2012. I presented her with a book of my father's Navy memoirs and she recognized his picture right away.

Margaret 'Maudy' Hobson, at the Courtenay Museum, 2012

"There's Dougie," she said. "He had such lovely red hair. Husband George spoke very highly of your father."

Those words helped me recall a line or two from Dad's memoirs that spoke well of George too. I appreciated her words deeply.

At the same time Maudy's daughter, sitting next to her, expressed great amazement. "I haven't heard any of these stories," she said. (I appreciated once again that my father had been willing to write many things down on paper.)