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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William Roberts Samms

In memory of:

Fireman William Roberts Samms

October 14, 1942
Cabot Strait

Military Service


Age:

37

Force:

Merchant Navy

Unit:

Canadian Merchant Navy

Division:

S.S. Caribou (St. John's, Newfoundland) (151660)

Additional Information


Born:

February 17, 1905
Codroy, Newfoundland and Labrador

Son of Jacob Collier Samms and Mary Ann Jane Robinson from Codroy, Newfoundland. Husband of Frances Beatrice Richards from Grand Bank Newfoundland. Father of John Stephen Richards Samms.

On 14 October, 1942, at 3:21 a.m., the ferry Caribou was hit by a torpedo launched by U-69 25 miles (40 km) from Port aux Basques, Newfoundland. She sank in the Cabot Strait in 1,600 feet (488 m) of water with 136 people (crew, passengers and military) in position 47°19'N/59°29'W. The 101 survivors were recovered by the escort ship HMCS Grand-Mère (J258) and landed in North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This sinking would be Canada's worst maritime tragedy in terms of human lives during the Second World War.

Commemorated on Page 222 of the Merchant Navy 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 22.

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.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Photo of William Roberts Samms– In memory of the men and women who perished on the SS Caribou October 14th 1942. Submitted on behalf of the Twillingate (Newfoundland) Museum for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • SS Caribou– In memory of the men and women who perished on the SS Caribou October 14th 1942. Submitted on behalf of the Twillingate (Newfoundland) Museum for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Museum– In memory of the men and women who perished on the SS Caribou October 14th 1942. Submitted on behalf of the Twillingate (Newfoundland) Museum for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Merchant Navy Monument in St. John's, NL
  • Dedication

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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