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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William Ironside Beattie

In memory of:

Able Seaman William Ironside Beattie

October 22, 1940

Military Service

Service Number:

V/17026

Age:

19

Force:

Navy

Unit:

Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve

Division:

H.M.C.S. Margaree

Additional Information

Son of Lorne Edward and Pearl Beattie, of Lucan, Ontario.

Commemorated on Page 10 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

HALIFAX MEMORIAL
Nova Scotia, Canada

Grave Reference:

Panel 7.

Location:

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:

1914-1939
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.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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  • Photo of William Beattie– Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me

    Details

    Photo of William Beattie
    Photo of William Beattie – Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star October 1940. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star October 1940. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of William Beattie– Bill Beattie was born January 16, 1921, the Son of Lorne Edward and Pearl Beattie of Lucan. He attended Lucan's Public and High Schools. He enlisted at HMCS Prevost in London, on May 3, 1939 and was trained as a technician, operating electronic equiment locating enemy submarines. He participated in the evacuation of Narvik, Norway and served on North Atlantic patrols about the corvette, HMCS Saguenay until August 1940, when he was transferred to the destroyer HMCS Margaree. He was aboard the Margaree on October 22, 1940 in the Atlantic, when a large merchant vessel cut the Margaree in half. One hundred and forty two of the 173 sailors were lost.

    Details

    Photo of William Beattie
    Photo of William Beattie – Bill Beattie was born January 16, 1921, the Son of Lorne Edward and Pearl Beattie of Lucan. He attended Lucan's Public and High Schools. He enlisted at HMCS Prevost in London, on May 3, 1939 and was trained as a technician, operating electronic equiment locating enemy submarines. He participated in the evacuation of Narvik, Norway and served on North Atlantic patrols about the corvette, HMCS Saguenay until August 1940, when he was transferred to the destroyer HMCS Margaree. He was aboard the Margaree on October 22, 1940 in the Atlantic, when a large merchant vessel cut the Margaree in half. One hundred and forty two of the 173 sailors were lost.
  • Newspaper Clipping

    Details

    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping
  • Biography– Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me

    Details

    Biography
    Biography – Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me
  • Newspaper Clipping– Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping – Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper Clipping– Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping – Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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