Son of Harry Decker Van Meter and May Blanche Matthews of Moose Range, Saskatchewan. During the First World War, Harry was conscripted into the Canadian Army. He was enrolled on 29 April 1917 in the Manitoba Regiment, regimental number 4070532, of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. A deserter from 11 November 1917 to 25 April 1918, he was demobilized on 21 January 1919, being discharged from the army on 11 November 1917.
On 9 April 1942, the Fanefjeld was en route from Bildudatur, Iceland, to Isafjord, Norway, when she was reported missing. The German commander of U-252 recorded in his logbook the sinking of a steamer off the north-west tip of Iceland at 10:04 on 9 April, position 66°15'N/23°52'W. The 22 crew members, one passenger and one Icelandic pilot were never seen again. The exact cause of the ship's loss has not been established.
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.
Pour plus d’informations, visitez la Commission des sépultures de guerre du Commonwealth (site disponible en anglais seulement).
L’image du coquelicot est une marque déposée de la Légion royale canadienne (Direction nationale) et est utilisée avec sa permission. Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus sur le coquelicot.