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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
REID, Clarence John - joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on 25th Nov 1942, having just turned 18 years of age. My grandmother signed him in. Active service began on 5 April 1943 and then more formally upon being bussed into HMCS Cornwallis on 6 July 1943. His letters home suggested he liked Cornwallis - well, maybe not liked; he wasn't too sure about several of the "pusser" officers, but he was with regular guys, and it was still an adventure.
He was assigned to HMCS Barrie as a coder just before New Year's Eve on 29th December 1943. The conditions onboard were hard and brutal. Seasickness was the bane of his existence. They were often cold and hungry. It was dangerous too when the ship rolled and the ice caked on the ship's infrastructure, making her top-heavy. Still, the adventure continued. The war wasn't being fought in Halifax but by those who sailed within HMCS Barrie.
But being trained as a coder, and a good one too, from what his service records said, he was posted to Headquarters to work with admirals and full naval captains in the summer of '44. He must have complained, because just a few days later he was inexplicably and suddenly posted to HMCS La Malbaie. There is a God after all. Unfortunately, he remained onboard for a full three days before being dragged back. A mistake had been made, apparently. He must have continued to complain-but in a nice way because he was a nice guy-because less than four arduous weeks later he was happily posted to HMCS Chambly, where he remained for the remainder of the war. There was only one ship for him, and it was Chambly. His small collection of photos all come from those days, I believe.
My dad lived a full life after the war. He raised a family and became a school principal. There was standing room only for his funeral. I hung his framed version of Chambly in my study, and I wonder what those days must have been like as I gaze upon it. In my mind, he and those who served were heroes. As young men, they may have seen the war as a great adventure, especially at the beginning, but they nonetheless went on to risk their lives every day for us and the freedom we enjoy today. Lest we forget. (Submitted by Clarence's son Doug Reid, Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada 15 Jan 2026)
Ships served in: HMCS STAR - Enlisted 05 Apr 1943 * Commenced Active Service 02 Jun 1943 as an Ordinary Coder, RCNVR HMCS YORK - Drafted to YORK 08 Jun 1943 HMCS CORNWALLIS - Drafted to CORNWALLIS 06 Jul 1943 HMCS ST HYACINTHE - Drafted to ST HYACINTHE 08 Sep 1943 for Coder training course HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 07 Dec 1943 HMCS BARRIE - Drafted to BARRIE 29 Dec 1943 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 19 Apr 1944 * Rated Coder, RCNVR 03 Jun 1944 HMCS SCOTIAN - Drafted to SCOTIAN 10 Jun 1944 HMCS LA MALBAIE - Drafted to LA MALBAIE 19 Jun 1944 as passenger for transit to HMCS AVALON HMCS AVALON - Drafted to AVALON 22 Jun 1944 HMCS CHAMBLY - Drafted to CHAMBLY 21 Jul 1944 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 25 May 1945 * Rated Leading Coder, RCNVR 16 Jun 1945 HMCS STAR - Drafted to STAR 29 Aug 1945 * Demobilized 17 Oct 1945
(CJR001) Leading Coder Clarence John Reid, RCNVR
(CJR002) HMCS CHEBOGUE K317 after being torpedoed by U-1227 on 04 Oct 1944 (CJR003) HMCS CHAMBLY K116 prepares to tow HMCS CHEBOGUE K317 (CJR004) HMCS CHAMBLY K116 (foreground) with slack tow line visible been her and HMCS CHEBOGUE K317
(CJR005) HMCS CHAMBLY K116 enroute to an unknown port - shoreline visible in the background. Note the ice build-up on her decks (CJR006) HMCS CHAMBLY K116 transiting the River Foyle or Lough Foyle (CJR007) HMCS CHAMBLY K116 conducting a light line transfer with an unknown ship (CJR008) HMCS CHAMBLY K116 conducting a night missile shoot (CJR009) HMCS CHAMBLY K116 - Looking forward from the after gun tub
(CJR010-CJR012) Shipmates of Clarence Reid on the fo'c's'le of HMCS CHAMBLY K116 (CJR013-CRJ014) Shipmates on the fo'c's'le of HMCS CHAMBLY - Clarence Reid standing 3rd from right holding a pipe
(CJR015) Clarence Reid with shipmate on the boat deck of HMCS CHAMBLY K116 (CJR016) Unknown sailor sitting in from of the minesweeping cables on HMCS CHAMBLY K116 (CJR017) Unknown officers and ratings on the bridge of HMCS CHAMBLY K116 (CRJ018) Unknown rating on HMCS CHAMBLY K116. Webmaster's note: It is believed that this is the CO and he has changed places with the youngest sailor on ship for Christmas Day. The crew in the background seems to be having way too much fun for this to be a normal occasion for the sailor to be standing in front of ship's officers for either request men or defaulters. (CRJ019) Unknown officers on HMCS CHAMBLY K116
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