Military service
Burial/memorial information
Son of Thomas Vigus Hollett and Hannah Ceila Hollett of Burin, Burin, Newfoundland.
On 19 October 1943, Penolver was sailing with convoy WB-65 from Conception Bay, Newfoundland, to Wabana, Newfoundland, when she hit a mine at 8:30 pm 15 miles (24 km) off St. John's, Newfoundland, laid by U-220 on the 9th, in the position 47°19’N/52°27’W. The SS Delisle broke down and picked up the shipwrecked crew when she too hit a mine about 15 minutes later. From the Penolver, 23 sailors and 3 gunners lost their lives. Her captain, 12 sailors and one gunner were rescued by the Canadian trawler HMCS Miscou (T277) and landed at St. John's.
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 156 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance.
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HALIFAX MEMORIAL Nova Scotia, Canada
The HALIFAX MEMORIAL in Nova Scotia's capital, erected in Point Pleasant Park, is one of the few tangible reminders of the men who died at sea. Twenty-four ships were lost by the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and nearly 2,000 members of the RCN lost their lives.
This Memorial was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and was unveiled in November 1967 with naval ceremony by H.P. MacKeen, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, in the presence of R. Teillet, then Minister of Veterans Affairs.
The monument is a great granite Cross of Sacrifice over 12 metres high, clearly visible to all ships approaching Halifax. The cross is mounted on a large podium bearing 23 bronze panels upon which are inscribed the names of over 3,000 Canadian men and women who were buried at sea.
The dedicatory inscription, in French and English, reads as follows:
1918-1945
IN THE HONOUR OF
THE MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE NAVY
ARMY AND MERCHANT NAVY
OF CANADA
WHOSE NAMES
ARE INSCRIBED HERE
THEIR GRAVES ARE UNKNOWN
BUT THEIR MEMORY
SHALL ENDURE.
On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Poppy Design is a trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) and is used with permission. Click here to learn more about the poppy.
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