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For Posterity's Sake 
A Royal
Canadian Navy Historical Project
HMCS
ORILLIA K119
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Laid down: 04
Mar 1940
Launched: 15
Sep 1940
Commissioned: 25
Nov 1940
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Paid off: 02
Jul 1945
Fate: Broken up
in Jan 1951
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Commissioned 25 Nov 1940, at Collingwood, she arrived at Halifax on
11 Dec 1940 for
completion and was assigned to Halifax Local Defence Force until 23 May 1941.
ORILLIA sailed that day for St. John's to become one of
the seven charter members of the NEF, and for the balance of the
year escorted convoys between St. John's and Iceland. In Sep
1941, she was escort to convoy SC.42, which lost 18 ships. She
arrived at Halifax 24 Dec 1941 for a refit, upon completion of which
on 22 Mar 1942, she joined EG C-1, leaving St. John's 02 Apr 1942
with SC.77 for Londonderry. On her arrival she was sent to Tobermory
for three weeks' workups, then returned to the
"Newfie-Derry" run
until Jan 1944. ORILLIA took part in major battles around
convoys SC.94, which lost 11 ships in Aug 1942 and ON.137 in Oct
1942, which lost only 2 ships despite being heavily attacked. She
was a member of EG C-2 from Nov 1942 to May 1944, when she
joined EG C-4 following two months' refit at Liverpool, N.S. She
left Londonderry for the last time on 16 Jan 1944, to commence
a long refit, again at Liverpool, which included the lengthening of
her fo'c's'le. This refit was completed on 03 May 1944, but further
repairs were completed at Halifax late in Jun 1944. She arrived in
Bermuda on 29 Jun 1944 for three weeks' workups, on her return joining
EG W-2, Western Escort Force, for the duration of the war. Paid off
on 02 Jul 1945, at Sorel, she was broken up at
Steel Co. of Canada, Hamilton, Ont., in Jan 1951.
Photos
and Documents Ship's
company photos Battle
for Convoy HX-133
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Commanding Officers |
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A/LCdr William Edward Slade Briggs,
RCNR - 25 Nov 1940 - 04 Sep 1942
Lt Harold Victor William Groos,
RCN - 05 Sep 1942 - 13 Feb 1943
LCdr Richard Jackson,
RCNR - 14 Feb 1943 - 16 Apr 1943 |
A/LCdr James Evelyn Mitchell,
RCNVR - 17 Apr 1943 - 13 Mar 1944
A/LCdr John Winston Sharpe,
RCNR - 08 May 1944 - 02 Jul 1945
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In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
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Epstein,
Irving
AB, V23432, RCNVR
Killed - 12 Dec 1942
(ashore in St. John's, NFLD) |
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In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten |
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A-B
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Baird, Eric
____-____ |
Baxter,
Duncan
1924-2005
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Behan,
Douglas W.
1921-2017
Served in ORILLIA in 1944 as a
Sig
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C-D |
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Campbell,
William R.
____-____ |
Carson,
Thomas Hastings
____-1999
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Crichton, Walter
____-____
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Cull,
George
____-____
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G-H |
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Groos,
Harold
Victor William
1912-1987
2nd Commanding Officer |
Guildford,
Thomas Kerr
1919-2013 |
Henderson,
Gordon
Hudson
1925-2010 |
Hollands,
Oswald Edward 1926-2018 |
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K-N |
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Littlefair, W.
Kenneth
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Lyons,
Philip Myles
1917-2011
Served in ORILLIA as L/Tel, RCNVR
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Mackintosh,
Alexander G. |
Mosher,
Stanley B. |
Moxley, W.
Ralph |
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O-P |
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Priel,
James Daniel
1925-2011 |
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S-T |
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Sharpe,
John Winston
1907-1998
5th Commanding Officer |
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U-V |
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Vidler,
John Richard 1922-2001 |
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W-X |
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Wilson,
John Robert
1923-1973
Served in ORILLIA 13 Mar 1941 -
17 Apr 1943 |
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Former Crew Members
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Arbuckle,
John, Gunnery Officer - 1944
Archibald
(Arch), Coder - 1944
Astley,
Douglas Bruce, A/Lt, RCNVR - 14 Mar 1944
Bruce-Robertson,
Alan, Slt, RCNVR - 01 May 1941 / 23 Feb 1942
Carson,
Thomas Hastings, Slt, RCNVR
Eaton,
Edward Young, Slt, RCNVR - 09 Feb 1943
Fenwick,
Arthur Slt, RCNVR - 01 Mar 1945
Gough,
Bill, Tel - 1944
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Higgins,
Doug, L/Coder - 1944
Laing,
Bruce, L/Ck
Laurence,
Robert Simpson, Lt, RCNVR - 26 Jan 1943
MacDonald,
Norman, X.O. - 1944
MacKenzie,
John Smith, SLt, RCNVR
Manzer,
James Avens, A/Wt (E), Engineering Officer, RCNVR - 15 Mar 1944
McDonald,
Norman John, Lt, RCNVR - 08 May 1944
Mitchell,
Don, Sig - 1944
Newton,
John Amyas, Lt, RCNR - 22 Mar 1943
O'Brien,
Gerald Patrick, Slt, RCNVR - 09 Feb 1943
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Paul,
Bill, Tel - 1944
Perrault,
Paul, Skpr/Lt, NavO, RCNVR - 08 May 1944
Quinn,
John Louis, A/Lt, RCNVR -12 Feb 1945
Sheppard,
Henry Campbell, Lt, RCNVR
Soucie
(Frenchie), Tel - 1944
Thompson, Bill, Coder - 1944
Tyler, Norm, Sig - 1944
Vyner, Phil, L/Sig - 1944
Whyte,
William Methvin, Slt, RCNVR - 20 May 1941
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Photos and
Documents
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HMCS ORILLIA at the Collingwood shipyard
after launching
Source: Flickr photo collection of Ron
Bell
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Officers of HMCS ORILLIA
Source: Oakville
Public Library Digital Archives
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HMCS ORILLIA K119 - the photo looks like the camera was
moved just as the picture was taken, but her gunshield art - the ORILLIA Gorilla is still discernable
From the collection of Robert Macklem
Courtesy of Kelly Macklem
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HMCS ORILLIA K119 at sea 24 May 1941
Source: Ontario
Public Library Digital Archives
Credit: Public Archives, Canada. DND REN
0-693A
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HMCS ORILLIA K119
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Chief White, Mate and Commanding Officer Bob Briggs,
HMCS ORILLIA K119
From the collection of Eric Baird
Courtesy of Roger Clarke
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A few crew members on HMCS ORILLIA K119
From the collection of Eric Baird
Courtesy of Roger Clarke
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John R. Wilson on HMCS ORILLIA K119 - location unknown
From the collection of John R. Wilson
Courtesy of Jeff Bobbie
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Three corvettes tied up alongside in St. John's
Newfoundland - note Signal Hill in the background
Date unknown - inboard ship is dressed
Photo taken from HMCS ORILLIA K119
From the collection of John R. Wilson
Courtesy of Jeff Bobbie
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HMCS ORILLIA K119
From the collection of Robert Macklem
Courtesy of Kelly Macklem
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HMCS ORILLIA K119 in Bermuda for Work-ups - Jul
1944
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(1)
HMCS ORILLIA bridge and crow's nest from the bow (2) HMCS ORILLIA bridge
from the crow's nest (this photo was double exposed - note the blimp
"on the bridge" (3) HMCS ORILLIA - looking aft down the
port side - Jul 1944 (4) HMCS ORILLIA - looking forward up the
starboard side (5) HMCS ORILLIA (foreground) entering Grassy Bay,
Bermuda (up channel) (6) US destroyer departing Grassy Bay,
Bermuda (down channel)
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(1 through 5) Bridge of HMCS ORILLIA during
work-ups at Bermuda
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(1)
Fairmile as work-ups consort for HMCS ORILLIA (2) HMCS ORILLIA launches a depth charge during work-ups (3
& 4) HM Dockyard, Bermuda (5) "Away Sea-Boat Crew" -
HMCS ORILLIA launches her sea boat.
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(1)
Signal Officer (in civies) looking for "Routine Boat" from HMS
Malabar (2 & 3) Paul and "Nigger" leaving Somerset
Island for Hamilton by Bermuda Electric Railroad (4) Signalmen on
HMCS ORILLIA sending/receiving message by flashing light (5)
Signal Officer by the radar on HMCS ORILLIA
From the collection of Thomas Carson
Courtesy of June Copley
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HMCS Border Cities, S.O., W-2 with HMCS ORILLIA in
the foreground entering New York, Swept Channel, 12 Oct 1944.
Escort Group W-2 joined ON.256 as escorts on 07 Oct
1944.
From the collection of Thomas Carson
Courtesy of June Copley
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New York - Swept Run
Queen Mary out - ON Convoy in - 12 Oct 1944
From the collection of Thomas Carson
Courtesy of June Copley
Historical
note: on 12 Oct 1944, Queen Mary, as convoy AT.157, with 11891 troops on
board, departed New York City at the same time as Convoy ON.256 was
arriving. Convoy ON.256 Departed Liverpool, England on 18 Sep 1944 with 74
merchant ships and 19 escorts. No ships were lost in this crossing. The
Queen Mary, known as the Grey Ghost, sailed independently - no other
merchant ships and no escorts as her speed of 28 knots was deemed
sufficient to keep her safe from U-boats
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Escorting Convoy ON.261 into New York - 05 Nov 1944
(1)
Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC) (2) Convoy in two columns (3)
HMCS Border Cities (4) Convoy in single line (5 & 6) Bridge
and fo'c's'le of HMCS ORILLIA - taken from the crow's nest (7)
"Into New York" - T.H. Cardon and P. Perrault on the bridge of
HMCS ORILLIA (8) "Into New York" - T.H. Cardon, P.
Perrault and unknown officer on the bridge of HMCS ORILLIA
Webmaster's
note: it is written in the album these photos came from that the convoy was
ONF.128, however, according to convoy records, E.G. W-2 escorted convoy
ON.261 into New York on 05 Nov 1944. No record can be found for any
convoy series labeled "ONF".
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The Wardroom, HMCS ORILLIA
From the collection of Thomas Carson
Courtesy of June Copley
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HMCS ORILLIA K119
From the collection of Thomas Carson
Courtesy of June Copley
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Captain's Cabin, HMCS ORILLIA K119
From the collection of Thomas Carson
Courtesy of June Copley
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Surrendered German U-boat - possibly U-889
From the collection of Thomas Carson
Courtesy of June Copley
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Skipper Lieutenant Paul Perrault on the bridge of
HMCS ORILLIA K119
From the collection of Thomas Carson
Courtesy of June Copley
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Unknown Wren (from ORILLIA, Ontario) greeted by Skpr-Lt Sharpe on HMCS
ORILLIA K119
Note: she is also in the wedding photos below
From the collection of John Sharpe
Courtesy Scott Miniou
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Wedding onboard HMCS ORILLIA K119
According to the memoirs of LCdr John Sharpe this was
the first wedding conducted onboard a ship of the RCN
From the collection of John Sharpe
Courtesy Scott Miniou
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HMCS ORILLIA K119
From the collection of George Rose, Sig, Royal Navy
Courtesy of David Rose
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Ralph Moxley (left) and L/Ck Bruce Laing on HMCS
ORILLIA K119
Ralph
Moxley's was drafted to Orillia 02 Nov 1941as a RDF Operator. The Early
radars were a little temperamental -- the Orillia's RDF unit operated fine
when the ship was in harbour at St. John's but once the ship was on the
open sea it ceased to function. ORILLIA's second cook had been taken
ashore ill in St. John's so until the RDF could be repaired, Ralph was
assigned duty as the assistant cook.
From the collection of Lt
W. Ralph Moxley, RCNVR
Courtesy of Robert Moxley
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(WL01)
"ORILLIA Gang" - J. "Frame", Wilson, Ranton, Sheddon,
Kennedy, Belmore, F. Stratton, C. Clarke. Taken Sunday, 11 May 1941
(WL02) "Doing Jetty Time" - Baker (foreground), L. Williams
(background) (WL03) "On the boat deck after divisions" -
Backrow (L-R): L. Williams, J. Willson, J. Sheldon, E. Rivers Frontrow
(L-R): J. “Frame” (France??), Mattews, D. Baker - HMCS ORILLIA 11 May
1941 (WL04) William Littlefair on HMCS ORILLIA (WL05)
From the collection of William
Kenneth Littlefair, PO Tel, RCNVR
Courtesy of Bill Littlefair
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