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They made the Ultimate Sacrifice
DION, Albert Jean Germain L/Sto, V3373, RCNVR MPK - 29 Apr 1944, HMCS ATHABASKAN - Son of Emile and Josephine Dion, of Limoilou, Province of Quebec.
Leading Stoker Dion died when his ship, HMCS ATHABASKAN G07, was sunk in the English Channel on April 29, 1944.
Jean was born in Québec City and volunteered in 1938 to escape the Great Depression of the 1930's. This gallant young French-Canadian was 24 years of age when he sailed with Athabaskan on her last voyage. He first became a "Bandsman", shore duty was not his style so he took the stokers course to qualify for sea duty. He served on a boom defense vessel for about a year and then took a commando course in time to join the invasion force of Sicily and Italy. Dion was wounded during this campaign when his landing-craft was hit and sunk. He was taken to Niobe and hospitalized till he was fit and able to join Athabaskan.
Albert's brother, Andre Dion also served in the RCNVR.
Ships served in: QUEBEC DIVISION RCNVR - Enlisted 05 Apr 1939 HMCS STADACONA - Served in STADACONA 26 Jun 1939 - 22 Jul 1939 for training as an OS, RCNVR NCSO QUEBEC - Drafted to NCSO QUEBEC 08 Sep 1939 as an OS, RCNVR HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 01 Jan 1940 as an OS, RCNVR HMCS OTTAWA - Drafted to OTTAWA 09 Feb 1940 as an OS, RCNVR GATE VESSEL 2 - Drafted to GV2 15 Mar 1940 as an OS, RCNVR * Rated AB 05 Apr 1940 HMCS GASPE - Drafted to GASPE 06 Nov 1940 as an AB, RCNVR * Transferred to Stoker I 26 Feb 1941 * Rated Sto 1c 26 Feb 1941 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 12 Mar 1941 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS ROSTHERN - Drafted to ROSTHERN 29 Apr 1941 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 13 Sep 1941 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS ST CLAIR - Drafted to ST CLAIR 28 Oct 1941 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 01 Jul 1942 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS MONCTON - Drafted to MONCTON 02 Jul 1942 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 22 Jul 1942 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS CORNWALLIS - Drafted to CORNWALLIS 24 Sep 1943 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 08 Dec 1942 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR HMCS YORK - Drafted to YORK 31 Dec 1942 as a Sto 1c, RCNVR * Rated Sto 1 (M) 24 Feb 1943 * Rated A/L/Sto (M) 01 Mar 1943 HMS ASBURY (Royal Navy Barracks and Accounting Base, Asbury, NJ, USA) - Drafted to ASBURY 04 Apr 1943 as an A/L/Sto, RCNVR HMS LCI 136 (HMS COPRA for) - Drafted to LCI 136 26 May 1943 as an A/L/Sto, RCNVR (M) * Disrated to Sto 1c (M) HMS HAMILCAR - (Royal Navy Combined Operations Base, Algiers) Drafted to HAMILCAR 15 Jun 1943 as a Sto 1c (M), RCNVR HMS LIZARD (HMS DINOSAUR for) (Royal Navy Combined Operations Landing Craft base was established at Butt’s Baltic Wharf on Aldrington Basin (also referred to as Portslade basin) Shoreham, East Sussex) - Drafted to LIZARD 19 Jun 1943 as a Sto 1c (M), RCNVR HMS COPRA (Royal Navy Combined Operations Pay and Accounting Section) - Drafted to COPRA 01 Oct 1943 as a Sto 1c (M), RCNVR HMCS NIOBE - Drafted to NIOBE 27 Nov 1943 as a Sto 1c (M), RCNVR LCI(L) 301 - Drafted to LCI(L) 301 17 Dec 1943 as a Sto 1c (M), RCNVR * Rated A/L/Sto (M) 18 Dec 1943 HMCS NIOBE - Drafted to NIOBE 03 Jan 1944 as an A/L/Sto (M), RCNVR HMCS ATHABASKAN - Drafted to ATHABASKAN 08 Apr 1944 as an A/L/Sto (M), RCNVR
(AD01) Seaman Albert Dion (AD02) Documents from the Service File of Albert Dion
Second World War Casualty Index
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