For Posterity's Sake         

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project

 

They made the Ultimate Sacrifice

 

John Raymond Lapp

 

Stoker Petty Officer, V30120, RCNVR

 

Born: 24 Oct 1916, Victoria, British Columbia

 

Died: 18 Mar 1945 at sea

 

Book of Remembrance

 

LAPP, John Raymond, Sto PO, V30120, RCNVR, MPK - 18 Mar 1945, HMCS GUYSBOROUGH - Son of George William and Eleanor Lapp, of Courtenay, BC; husband of Ruby Elvina Lapp, father of Donna Lapp, of Victoria, BC.

 

Sto PO Lapp died when his ship, HMCS GUYSBOROUGH, was torpedoed and sunk by U-868 in the Bay of Biscay with the loss of 53 of her crew.

 

John was born in Victoria, BC on October 23, 1917. On March 8, 1941 he married Ruby Alexander in Victoria and they had one daughter, Donna Marie Lapp who was born April 04, 1944 in Halifax, where John was stationed at the time with the Royal Canadian Navy. John was in Halifax on leave just before he shipped out on the Guysborough and was lost at sea March 21, 1945. He was 28 years of age. John was the youngest of 4 sons born to George and Eleanor Lapp of Victoria. Two of his brothers survived stints in the Navy and one a stint with the Air Force during WW 2.

 

Ships served in:

HMCS NADEN - Enlisted 15 Feb 1940 as a Sto 2c, RCNVR

HMCS MALASPINA - Drafted to MALASPINA 17 Apr 1940 as a Sto 2c, RCNVR

HMCS NADEN - Drafted to NADEN 16 Oct 1940 as a Sto 2c, RCNVR

* Rated Sto 1c 16 Feb 1941

HMCS TIMMINS - Drafted to TIMMINS 09 Feb 1942 as a Sto 2c, RCNVR

* Rated A/L/Sto 01 Mar 1942

HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 26 Jan 1943 as an A/L/Sto, RCNVR

HMCS TIMMINS - Drafted to TIMMINS 29 Jan 1943 as an A/L/Sto, RCNVR

* Rated A/Sto PO 01 Mar 1943

HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 07 Aug 1943 as an A/Sto PO, RCNVR

HMCS GUYSBOROUGH - Drafted to GUYSBOROUGH 03 Nov 1943 as an A/Sto PO, RCNVR

* Rated Sto PO 01 Mar 1944

 

JL01

JL02

(JL01) Documents from the Service File of John Lapp

(JL02) Article on the death of Sto PO Lapp

 

JL03

JL04

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(JL03) John and Ruby Lapp, Victoria, BC - c1940

(JL04) Ruby, John and daughter Donna - winter 1945.  Having been deployed in Apr 1944 when Donna was born, those few months ashore in the winter of Dec '44 - Mar '45 was the only opportunity John had to spend with his daughter

(JL05) Stokers on HMCS GUYSBOROUGH. John Lapp is #8

(JL06) Unidentified sailor doing dhobey (laundry) on HMCS GUYSBOROUGH

(JL07) John lap with handkerchief tied to his head.

 

(JL08) Portrait of Stoker John Lapp

 


 

Second World War Casualty Index

 

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