Alex Stewart MacVicar Lovell, Stoker 1st Class, RCNVR

For Posterity's Sake

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project

They made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Alec Stewart MacVicar Lovell

(Lorne Alexander)

Stoker 1c, V66817, RCNVR

Born: Sep 1926, Brantford Township, Ontario

Died: 08 Aug 1944 at sea

Book of Remembrance

LOVELL, Alec Stewart MacVicar, Sto 1c, V66817, RCNVR, MPK - 08 Aug 1944, HMCS REGINA - Son of Alec S. and Annie Lovell, of Brantford, ON. Brother of Private Lorne Alexander Lovell, who died while serving with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, R.C.I.C.

Sto 1c Lovell died when HMCS REGINA was torpedoed and sunk off Trevose Head, Cornwall, England by U-667 while she was aiding a merchant vessel in distress. Thirty of her crew were lost..

Stoker 1c Alec Stewart (Bud) Lovell, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alec Lovell, 50 Morley Avenue, Echo Place, was among those missing after the Corvette HMCS Regina was lost when she was sunk on August 08, 1944, after striking a mine off the coast of England. Just one month earlier, Stoker Lovell had lost his brother, Pte. Lorne Alexander Lovell, who was killed in the battle of Caen, France. Thus there was brought a double burden of sorrow to the family of these two young men, who were so eager to help their country they could not wait until the regulation age to enter a branch of service, but were both enlisted men before their 18th birthdays. Pte. Alec Lovell was born in September, 1926. He enlisted with the RCNVR at Hamilton in 1943. The brothers were able to arrange a visit together in England and saw each other just before D-Day. Before naval service, Stoker Lovell completed his training as a welder at the Verity Works of the Massey-Harris Company, Limited, and he was a skillful worker. He had attended school at Oak Hill in Brant County and had also been interested in the young people's activities of the Bethel and Newport Churches when living in those communities. (Transcription from a newspaper article)

Alec Lovell, born in 1926, was too young to enlist so he joined the RCNVR under his brother's name, Lorne Alexander Lovell, who was born 06 May 1924. Alec's brother Lorne had joined the Army. His use of his brother's name was not discovered until after his death when HMCS REGINA was sunk and that family notified. Alec's brother, Pte Lorne Alexander Lovell died of wounds on 09 Jul 1944 in France, just one month before Alex lost his life when HMCS REGINA was sunk. In the documents below it will be seen how Alec filled out all paperwork using his brother name and date of birth. It wasn't until after his death that the Navy found out what his actual name was.

Ships served in:

HMCS STAR - Enlisted 27 Jan 1943. Commenced active service 04 Aug 1943 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR

HMCS CORNWALLIS - Drafted to CORNWALLIS 21 Sep 1943 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR

HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 20 Nov 1943 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR

HMCS REGINA - Drafted to Regina 15 Dec 1943 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR