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They made the Ultimate Sacrifice
CALDER, William Allen, LS QR II, 2482, RCN, MPK - 22 Oct 1940, HMCS MARGAREE - Son of David R. Calder, and of Emily Marie Calder, of Port Mellon, British Guiana.
Leading Seaman Calder died when his ship, HMCS MARGAREE, was rammed and sunk on 22 Oct 1940 in a collision with the freighter Port Fairy while escorting convoy OL.8. 143 of her ship's company were lost, 86 of them were survivors of the sinking of HMCS FRASER.
Leading Seaman Calder, age 26 was born in Revelstoke and was educated in Gilmore School, Vancouver. He had been in the Navy nine years, first serving on the destroyer HMCS Margaree, HMCS Skeena, then on to HMCS Fraser. He was drafted ashore off HMCS Fraser just days before she was sunk. LS Calder died when HMCS Margaree went down.
Both of William's brothers, CPO1 Donald Sutherland Calder and LS David Robert Calder, served in the RCN.
Ships served in: HMCS NADEN - Enlisted 10 Feb 1930 as a Boy Seaman, RCN HMCS VANCOUVER - Drafted to VANCOUVER 25 Jan 1931 HMCS NADEN - Drafted to NADEN 10 Mar 1931 * Rated Ordinary Seaman, RCN 10 Aug 1931 - HMCS ARMENTIERES - Drafted to ARMENTIERES 04 Sep 1931 HMCS SKEENA - Drafted to SKEENA 01 Jan 1932 HMCS NADEN - Drafted to NADEN 01 Jan 1933 * Rated Able Seaman, RCN 10 Feb 1933 HMCS SKEENA - Drafted to SKEENA 01 Jan 1935 HMS EXCELLENT - Drafted to EXCELLENT 25 Feb 1935 * Rated Seaman Gunner, RCN 01 Jul 1935 HMS NELSON - Drafted to NELSON 16 Jul 1935 HMCS NADEN - Drafted to NADEN 20 Nov 1935 HMCS VANCOUVER - Drafted to VANCOUVER 10 Jan 1936 HMCS NADEN - Drafted to NADEN 24 Nov 1936 HMCS FRASER - Drafted to FRASER 22 Jan 1937 * Rated Acting Gun Layer, RCN 01 Aug 1937 * Rated Quarters Rating 3rd Class, RCN 01 Jan 1939 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 24 Nov 1939 * Rated Acting Leading Seaman, RCN 01 Dec1939 HMCS FRASER - Drafted to FRASER 04 Dec 1939 * Rated Quarters Rating 2nd Class, RCN 04 Dec 1939 * Survived the sinking of HMCS FRASER on 25 Jun 1940 HMCS MARGAREE - HMCS MARGAREE - Drafted to MARGAREE 06 Sep 1940
(WAC001) Article on the death of LS William Calder and SPO Neville Guttridge (WAC002) LS Clader on Missing List (WAC003) Service file for William Calder // Source: The Library and Archives of Canada
Second World War Casualty Index
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