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A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project
In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
DOBING, Sidney Robert, - Passed away peacefully in his 92nd year. Born in Edson Alberta. Joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman 10 May 1939 at Sheerness, Kent. First ship was the Tribal Class HMS Mashona, seeing action in the North Sea, Norwegian Campaign and the Atlantic. Sid was the last remaining survivor of the sinking of Mashona (May 1941) following battle with German battleship Bismark, which was also sunk. Sid transferred to the RCN in June 1941 and survived when HMCS Ottawa was torpedoed and sunk 13 September 1943. He was one of 76 survivors, but 114 of his shipmates perished. He was one of only two remaining survivors of the Ottawa. Continued his Navy career, serving on several HMC ships including Pictou, Antigonish, Fairmile ML124 (as Commanding Officer), Digby, Athabaskan and Margaree retiring as CPO First Class in September 1960 before starting a second successful career with Veterans Affairs. Sid was an avid gardener, walker and reader. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Masonic Lodge, Shady Creek United Church, Chief and POs Association and an Honorary Life Member of the Broadmead Veterans Care Society. Predeceased by wife Bonney, he is survived by brother Fred (Norah); son Brian (Xiying); daughter Lynne (Garry); granddaughters Kimberly, Hilary (Caleb), Selina, Janelle; and great granddaughter Scarlett. Service will be held Friday October 18 at 2:30 at Shady Creek United Church in Saanichton.
Sid survived the sinking of HMS Mashona on 28 May 1941. HMS Mashona had taken part in the search and destruction of the German battleship Bismarck. The Luftwaffe attacked British naval units that were returning home and Mashona was sunk. Her survivors were picked up by HMS Tartar and landed at Greenock, Scotland. Two year later Sid survived the sinking of HMCS Ottawa H60. He said being on deck was an advantage, you definitely did not want to be in the engine room.
Sidney Dobing served in the RCN from 20 Jun 1941 to 02 Sep 1960.
Click here to read more on Sid's wartime Experiences
Ships served in: HMS MASHONA - Survived the sinking of HMS Mashona HMCS OTTAWA - Survived the sinking of Ottawa H60
(1-2) AB Sid Dobing - 1940 (3) Sid Dobing, Halifax, 1942 (4) CPO Sid Dobing - 1948 (5) ID Card for AB Sidney Dobing, RCN
(6-13) Postcards (6) The Broadway, Sheerness-on-sea (7) The Beach, Sheerness (8) The Pier, Sheerness (9) The Esplanade, Sheerness (10) Seaford Esplanade, Sussex (11) Marine Parade, Sheerness - "Uncle Jim's Hotel Glass House" (12) Minister Abbey Church with new Lych Gate - Isle of Sheppey (13) HM Dockayard, Sheerness
(14) Sid Dobing (15) Sid Dobing (left), Cousin Harry Howe and Uncle Harry Howe (back), Lewisham, Aug 1939 - "I took this many years ago, I thought it might remind you Brookbank Rd" (16) Sid Dobing at HMS Wildfire, Sheerness, Kent, Boys Training Establishment, Summer 1939 (17) Dormitory at HMS Wildfire - "Notice how we keep our clothes. We keep our cases in the racks on the left." (18) Gymnasium at HMS Wildfire (19) Ceremony of Colours at HMS Wildfire - "Every morning the White Ensign is hoisted. The guard presents arms and the band plays. We will be guard about 3 weeks before we go." (20) The Mess as HMS Wildfire - "This is how the mess is laid out after we have finished a meal. There is a tea urn, a fanny for porridge, and a kettle for general use. Each mess has its own bucket. Notice how everything shines. This was kept very clean by the boys themselves." (21) Tom Phillips and Sid Dobing, Boy Seamen at HMS Wildfire, Jul 1939
(22-26) HMS Mashona (22) "Going down the Jacobs ladder on from the ship’s boom to enter the ship’s whaler, the boat in which we went sailing - 1940" (23) At sea - 1940 - "Some of my messmates taken in front of one of the ship’s 4.7 inch guns. Left to right: Myself, Fred Bliss, missing presumed drowned, a former classmate from Wildfire, Gordon Sawyer, wounded during the action and also a Wildfire classmate, John McLeod, a messmate and survivor, from Newcastle." (24) Taken from the ship’s bridge, looking forward. "A calm sea, so imagine what it is like during rough weather. The ship was rolling, that is why the photo looks like it is on an angle" (25) Sid Dobing (Bosun's Mate) and Allan Darby (Quartermaster) - 1940-41. "Myself in 1940. I am wearing the chain and bosun call rather than the white lanyard normally worn with Number 1 uniform. It indicates that I am a member of the gangway staff when on duty in harbour." (26) HMS Mashona's last minutes
(27)
Sailing in Scapa Flow, I believe
I am holding the stems of some large plants that we found when we
went ashore.
photo 35
photo 36
photo 37
photo 38
photo 39 photo 40 photo 41 photo 42 (35)
Mrs. Gilbert, landlady at 147 Henry St., Halifax - 1943 (36)
Don Sims at Mrs. Gilbert's place, 147 Henry St., Halifax - 1943
(37) Sid Dobing at Mrs. Gilbert's place, 147 Henry St., Halifax - 1943
(38)
Sid Dobing and Jean Richardson - summer 1943 (39)
Sid Dobing in Halifax, Winter 1943-44 (40) Sid Dobing at Rita Morrisey's house - 17 Mar 1944
(41) At Rita Morrisey's house - 17 Mar 1945. Bill Snider, Joe Kirchoff, Cox'n of HMCS
Winnipeg and
Sid Dobing (42) At Rita Morrisey's house - 17 Mar 1945
photo 43 photo 44 photo 45 photo 46 photo 47 photo 48 photo 49 photo 50 (43)
Sid Dobing at Harrison's - Summer 1945 (44) "Ossie" Owsanski and Sid Dobing - downtown
Victoria 1946 (45) Ship's Company Dance at Crystal Garden, Victoria - 1946
(46) Smoker at HMCS Givenchy - 1946 (names on back of
photo) (47) Leadership course at HMCS Naden - Course Officer Lt R. Thurber - 1946
(48) Bonney and Sid Dobing on their honeymoon, Vancouver,
Aug 1947 (49) HMS Matabele F26 (50)HMCS Fraser, HMCS Margaree, HMCS Skeena - 1959
photo 51 photo 52 photo 53 photo 54 photo 55 photo 56 photo 57 (51)
Ship's Dance, Hotel McAlpin, New York, 06 Jul 1944
(52) Don Sims in Halifax (53) The Royal Canadian
Navy - Well-Baby Health Services - Diet No. 2
(54)
Tot time on an
unknown ship (55-56) HMCS PICTOU iced up in the North Atlantic
(57) HMCS PICTOU
SD058 SD059 SD060 SD061 SD062 (SD058)
HMCS OTTAWA H60 c1940 (SD059)
HMCS
Ottawa with a 3-inch AA gun in lieu of her rear torpedo tube mount and
'Y' gun removed (SD060)
HMCS Ottawa H60 -
Fo'c's'le deck in from of 4.7" gun - 1942 // L-R: Clare
Tour(??sp),
Jimmy Hill, Sid Dobing, Earl Holmes. Earl Holmes was lost when HMCS Ottawa
H60 was sunk (SD061)
Sid Dobing with Harry
McCauley on Sid's 20th Birthday on board HMCS Ottawa H60 - 1942 (SD062)
Sid Dobing and the
Captain's Steward, John Hockley * going on leave - May 1942
// John Hockley was lost when HMCS Ottawa
H60 was sunk
SD063 SD064 (SD063)
Sailors on the
quarterdeck of HMCS Ottawa H60 // Back row (L-R): Bob
Weir, Earl Neath, Cliff Riches, Cy Zinck. Front row (L-R): Sid
Dobing, Harry McCauley // Earl Neath, Cliff Riches and Cy Zinck
were all lost when HMCS Ottawa
H60 was sunk (SD064)
Crew members of HMCS
Ottawa H60 // Back row (L-R):
unknown, Hare, Jimmy Hill, Earl Holmes. From row (L-R): Mike
Neil, Sid Dobing // Earl Holmes and Mike Neil were lost when HMCS Ottawa
H60 was sunk // Webmaster's note:
according to the casualty lists, the name of the man identified here
as Mike Neil is Percy T. Neil
SD065 SD066 SD067 SD068 SD069 SD070
Newspaper articles on the loss of HMCS Ottawa H60
SD071 SD073 SD073 SD074 SD075 Sketches
by L.B. Jenson, Commander, RCN (SD071) Sketch - A Sunny Saturday Morning Long Ago -
Messdeck Ready for Captain's Rounds. HMCS Ottawa 1941 - Artist: L.B.
Jenson © (SD072) Sketch - Sailors in
the messdeck on HMCS Ottawa - Artist: L.B. Jenson © (SD073) The Bridge of HMCS Ottawa 1941 - Cdr H.F.
Pullen, Lt Blakelock, S/Lt Savard, A.B. Skillen? - Artist: L.B. Jenson
© (SD074) Sketch - HMCS Ottawa
sailing from Ireland on her last voyage - September 1942. Artist: L.B. Jenson ©
1986 (SD075) Sketch - HMCS Ottawa
Torpedoed and Sinking - Sep 1942. Artist: L.B. Jenson ©
1986 SD076 (SD076)
1942 - It's been a long
time Survivors of the
sinking of HMCS Ottawa H60 re-unite Roe Skilling, Al
Undershill and Walter Waycik
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For Posterity's Sake 
