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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
SILVESTER, Henry - On September 18, 1968 at the Misericordia Hospital, Henry Silvester, aged 80 years, beloved husband of Ellen Silvester, of 1639 Pacific Ave. Funeral service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday from the Clark Leatherdale Funeral Home 232 Kennedy Street with Rev. J.E. Stewart officiating. Interment in Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens. Mr. Silvester was born in Kentish Town England coming to Canada 46 years ago. He served with the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy being discharged in 1922. He was a life member of the Army Navy and Air Force Veterans Association Young Street Branch, a member of the Bluebird Senior Citizens Club and the Weston Memorial Citizens Club. Besides his wife Ellen, Mr. Silvester is survived by three sons, Rev. H. Silvester of Victoria BC., James and Thomas both of Winnipeg; his daughter Mrs. D.B. Clark (Mary) of Winnipeg; eleven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild; and his brother Jack of Winnipeg. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Manitoba Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation 700 Bannatyne.
Both Henry's sons - Harry Silvester and Jim Silvester - served in the RCNVR and RCN.
Service history of Henry Silvester - by Jim Silvester. My dad served a number of Royal Navy ships. Apparently Dad was a bit of a hellion and when is father died and his mother remarried he was put in the Royal Navy at the age of 14 as a boy 2nd class on 07 Jan 1902. His first ship was HMS Impregnable, a wooden training ship, where he remained until 01 Jul 1905. Most of July he was aboard HMS Agincourt, a training ship built in 1865. From there he went to the battleship HMS Montague. His next ship was the cruiser HMS Theseus from Nov 1905 to 1908. At the age of 19 he attainted the rank of Able Seaman. From Dec 1908 to Sep 1909, he served aboard the battleship HMS Queen, then to the battleship HMS New Zealand which served in home fleet Aug 1909 to Aug 1911; then to the battleship HMS Royal Oak, built 1897. She was tender to HMS Repulse. From there to HMS Empress of India. In 1912 he was in the cruiser HMS Leander; then HMS Blake, which was commissioned 1889. From Jan to Mar 1915 he served in the cruiser HMS Blenheim, then onto the cruiser HMS Argyll in 1914. When WW1 broke out most of early part of war was spent off the coast of Britain. On Oct 1915 HMS Argyll was called home while on her way to Scapa Flow. HMS Argyll grounded on Bell Rock, near Dundee in thick weather. Hard on rocks the destroyers Hornet and Jackal rescued officers and crew in heavy sea without the loss of a life. Argyll was lost. While in Royal Navy Barracks at Devonport, he was apparently an instructor on his old ship HMS Impregnable from Feb to May 1916. It is believed the during this time during a field gun run the field gun barrel dropped on his hand and mangled it. As a result he spent the next two months at the Royal Naval Hospital, Stonehouse, Plymouth and August at the RN Hospital, Truro, Cornwall .This was where he was when the Battle of Jutland was fought on 31 May 1916. When he recuperated he was transferred to the destroyer HMS Nonsuch. His next ship was the cruiser HMS Apollo. On 12 Apr 1918 he joined the destroyer HMS Goshawk until end of war on 11 Nov 1918. HMS Goshawk remained on service until Jan 1919. On 26 Apr 1919 he was demobilized and left the Royal Navy after 17 years of service. But he didn’t stay away from the sea for very long and joined the Merchant Marine and served in SS Artemisia and left her when he decided that the merchant navy steering orders did not always mean the same thing A tale of milk and Honey from his brother enticed him to emigrate to Canada and join the Royal Canadian Navy in October 1920 he arrived in Halifax in HMCS Patrician. Passed through the Panama canal to serve in Esquimalt until discharge in 1922. His wife and infant son had followed in 1921 aboard the RMS Saturnia.
Ship's served in: HMS IMPREGNABLE HMS AGINCOURT HMS MONTAGUE HMS THESEUS HMS QUEEN HMS NEW ZEALAND HMS ROYAL OAK HMS REPULSE HMS EMPRESS OF INDIA HMS LEANDER HMS BLAKE HMS BLENHEIM HMS ARGYLL HMS NONSUCH, MS APOLLO HMS GOSHAWK HMCS PATRICIAN - Served in HMCS PATRICIAN from 1920 till 1922. Sailed in her from England to Halifax when she was transferred to the RCN and then through the Panama Canal to Esquimalt.
One of the RN ships that Harry served in
One of the RN ships that Harry served in
Postcard photo of TSS Saturnia Henry's wife Ellen and their son Harry came to Canada aboard the RMS Saturnia
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