Featured Ship photo, Canada

Just found this in some of my Dads things, Dated March 1945, during WWII when my Dad was in Canada to pick up a new ship.

The white clouds are adhesive remains on the back.




AI seems quite accurate.

The image shows HMS MMS 1059 (FY 1059), a British Royal Navy MMS II class motor minesweeper. [1, 2]

Vessel Details

• Type: Motor Minesweeper (MMS II class)
• Pennant / FY Number: FY 1059 (HMS MMS 1059)
• Builder: Clare Shipbuilding (Meteghan, Canada)
• Length: Approx. 140 feet (overall)
• Displacement: 360 BRT
• Complement: 21 crew members

 

Yes,
Twice in WWII he sailed from the UK to New York on the Queen Mary which was being used as a troop carrier.
Stayed in NY for a few days then got the train to Halifax NS

I don't know the order of the events but one ship he was due to pick up had been sabotaged by the French Canadian Vichy, sand was poured into the pistons and because of repairs he was delayed by 6 weeks and he was billeted with a local family.
They were the parents of a Canadian Marine called Malcolm Swim.

The other ship which I don't know what it was called was taken out on sea trials before being signed over, there were only 7 crew and they were very lightly armed with pistols, on their return to port a U-boat surfaced close by and the German crew surrendered, it was the last day of the war.
No shots were fired.

I have photos of the prisoners being taken ashore in Shelburne.

In 2005-6 my Dad was about to do a coast to coast train trip across Canada but wanted to try and meet up with Malcolm Swim, if he was still about.

I made some enquiries with a few news papers in NS and someone replied that Malcolm had sadly died 6 weeks earlier.

He did do the journey though and met up with a long lost relative in Vancouver.

He always said even though he engaged in battle several times between 1939-45 and killed some enemy, it was a bit scary, he enjoyed his war.

 

My Dad stayed on after May 1945 when war in Europe finished and he was deployed by the Navy to help clear the French coast and harbours of enemy mines.

He was demobbed in July 1946.

I found this telegram from him to my mum, from Kings Cross, London.
Just found it yesterday.

 

Found another telegram from my dad to his mother dated 15th June 1945, he must have been coming home on leave, he's asking her to let his fiance know, my mum.

 

Yeah he would have been 84-5

 

No idea.
Its like Neutral Spain, the Spanish, stayed neutral but Franco loaned Hitler 45,000 troops called the Blue Division in thanks for helping out in the Spanish civil war.

Hitler sent them all to the Russian front, only 9000 came back.
Spain also spied for Germany.