Ships served in:

HMCS STAR

HMCS MERRITTONIA - Served in MERRITTONIA 11 Nov 1944 - 11 Jul 1945. Commissioning crew. Paying off Crew

HMCS SCOTIAN

HMCS FORT FRANCIS - Served in FORT FRANCES 16 Jul 1945 - 03 Sep 1945 as an AB

HMCS RESTIGOUCHE - Served in RESTIGOUCHE 04 Sep 1945 - 05 Oct 1945 as an AB

These photos are from the wartime photo collection of Raymond Burton. They have been provided for use on For Posterity's Sake.  The photos are not for reproduction, distribution or sale.  Copyright Elizabeth Wagner

(1) Portrait of Ray Burton

  (2 - 11) Halifax Public Gardens

  (2 - 11) Halifax Public Gardens

(12 - 16) Park as Sydney, NS

(16) "Sleeping Beauty"

(17 & 18) Cliff and Gertie Garrity. Note: Cliff served in Merrittonia with Ray Burton  (19) Gertie Garrity in Quebec City

(20) Postcard - Types of the King's Own - Mounted Naval Horse

HMCS FORT FRANCES

(RB027) HMCS FORT FRANCES J396

(RB028) On 16 Jul 1945, Raymond Burton was drafted to HMCS Fort Frances.  Two days later, on 18 Jul 1945 a series of explosions at the Bedford Magazine rattled Halifax - which became known as the Second Halifax Explosion. Mushroom cloud rising from the Bedford Magazine

(BR029) Troopship in Halifax harbour - 18 Jul 1945

(RB030-RB031) Hospital ship in Halifax harbour - 18 Jul 1945

HMCS RESTIGOUCHE

HMCS RESTIGOUCHE - Sydney, NS circa Sep-Oct 1945

(RB032) Ray Burton & Pete Flykow

(RB033) Pete Flykow & Clem Placeido

(RB034) Clem Placeido

(RB035) Clem Placeido

(RTB036) Pete Susiak

(RB037-RB038) HMCS RESTIGOUCHE H00 at Sydney, NS - looking down from the mast - Forward & Aft - circa Sep-Oct 1945

HMCS MERRITTONIA

HMCS MERRITTONIA K688 - from the builder's yard to the breaker's yard

(1) SBA Al Bergin  (2) Raymond Burton  (3) Cliff mending socks  (4) Roy mending socks

(8 & 9) HMCS MERRITTONIA at the builder's yard in Quebec

(1) Hamilton, Bermuda seen from HMCS MERRITTONIA  (2) Ships off Bermuda - HMCS Halifax K237 on the right

On completion of WUPS, HMCS MERRITTONIA was assigned to Escort Group - EG C-7 based out of St. John's, Newfoundland.  HMCS MERRITTONIA took part in escort of 7 convoys.

East bound convoys -  HX.340, HX.348 and HX.356 bound to Liverpool from NYC. MERRITTONIA sailed from St. John's and joined the convoy at the rendezvous point of Newfoundland escorting the convoys to Liverpool - detaching just off Liverpool and proceeding to Londonderry.

West bound convoys - ON.283, ON.291, and ON.299 bound from Liverpool to NYC. MERRITTONIA escorted the convoys to the rendezvous point off Newfoundland where they detached and proceeded to St. John's for fuel.

OS119 / KMS.91 bound from the Downs to Gibraltar.  MERRITTONIA escorted this convoy from 18 to 21 March, when she detached and joined convoy ON.291 as escort on 22 Mar 1945.

Below are convoys from Raymond's collection - it is not know which convoys these photos were taken of.

(1 - 5) Ship approaches torpedoed / burning tanker  (6) Sailor from torpedoed tanker being rescued  (7 & 8) Corvette with burning tanker astern

Note: (1)  Convoy photos 1 through 8 have been submitted by families of sailors who served in LANARK, MERRITTONIA and KAPUSKASING and appear to be official RCN photos.  Written on the back of those from the collection of Charles Sigut HMCS Lanark K669 - "Taken from the bridge of Lanark 18 04 1945"

Note: (2) Convoy HX.348.  Departed New York City on 03 Apr 1945 and arrived in Liverpool on 20 Apr 1945.  The tanker Empire Gold, which was carrying petrol, was torpedoed and sunk by U-1107 on 18 Apr 1945.  These photos are most likely that of the sinking of Empire Gold.

(11) Aircraft flying over convoy

(18) unknown ship - pendant number ?33  (19) HMCS MERRITTONIA's work boat returning to ship - convoy in background  (22 & 23) Empire Class Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC) transporting Grumman fighters  (24) HMCS Copper Cliff K495 in fog

(25) Passing a line to the flattop  (26) Flattop  (27) Baby flattop  (28) Two Swordfish aboard flattop  (29) Alongside flattop  (30) HMCS MERRITTONIA's hedgehog mount - flattop in background  (31) HMCS MERRITTONIA conducting a stern fueling at sea  (32) HMCS MERRITTONIA in rough seas

webmaster's note:  The flattop in these photos is a Merchant Aircraft Carrier - also known as a MAC.

(33-35) HMCS MERRITTONIA in rough seas  (36 & 37) Merchant ship seen from HMCS MERRITTONIA in rough seas near St. John's, Newfoundland

(4 - 7) Remains of old fort along the River Foyle  (15-16) Passing Boom Hall near Derry

(2) HMS Ness K219 and HMCS Longueuil K672  (4) Derry Gate  (5) Derry, Quayside St.  (6) Derry Jail  (7) Old Derry Waterside Railway Station

(1) HMCS MERRITTONIA (foreground) and HMCS Perry Sound K341 alongside jetty  (2) HMCS Parry Sound K341 underway  (3) HMCS Parry Sound K341 following astern of HMCS MERRITTONIA  ( 4) Derry Harbour  (5) Lead ships of EG ahead of HMCS MERRITTONIA  (6) HMCS Parry Sound K341 takes position following astern of HMCS MERRITTONIA  (7) HMCS Parry Sound K341 in formation following astern of HMCS MERRITTONIA

(1) HMCS MERRITTONIA's tally plate (2) 4" gun and bridge  (3) Mast and Crow's nest  (4) HMCS MERRITTONIA  (5) 4" gun and bridge  (6) Hedgehog  (7) Work boat - rough seas  (8) launching / recovering work boat

(9) Unknown MERRITTONIA sailors - Raymond Burton back row 2nd from right  (10) Officers in Wardroom  (11) Hosting the Ensign  (12) Jim Barton on the Starboard depth charge thrower  (13) John Carr  (14) John Clarkson, duty QM  (15) John Clarkson  (16) Collins and McKellar  (17) Roy Crookall

(18) Gill Davies  (19) Doc Evans diving  (20) Red Forbes  (21 Pete Fylkow  (22) Bank B & Ernie  (23) Joe & EM  (24) Joe King up the sick in the bucket  (25) Mascot "Newfie"  (26) Bob McIntyre (left) and Sylvester Norlock

(27) Raymond Burton (left) and Jack McKellar  (28) Raymond Burton (left) and Larry Miller  (29) Chuck Murphy riding the 4 inch gun  (30) Chuck Murphy (left) and Ivan Reeves  (31) Pat  (32) Pat with Irish car  (33 & 34) Bill Potter  (35) Red - taking photo at tot time

(36) Tot issue while at St. John's, Newfoundland  (37) Ivan Reeves at Starboard depth charge thrower  (38) Rene, Jim and Clem  (39) Paul Wilkins (and Sonja)  (40 & 41) Hank on AA gun  (42) Lt Frank Ellis, Commanding Officer  (43) Bernard Walker, Cox's  (44) Raymond Burton (right) and Russell

(45) Some of the boys  (46) Relaxing on the quarterdeck - a beautiful afternoon out at sea  (47) The buffer at work - Scott Thompson  (48) Paul Wilkins  (49) Paul Wilkins and Pat on the 4 inch gun  (50) Bert - location unknown  (51) Raymond Burton by the 4 inch gun  (52) Raymond Burton on the fo'c's'le  (53) Raymond Burton on the AA gun

(54) Raymond Burton on the AA gun  (55) Raymond Burton on the machine gun  (56) Raymond Burton on watch

(1) Smooth sailing, EG nearing St. John's  (2) Smooth sailing - HMCS Parry Sound nearest ship  (3) Approaches to St. John's, Newfoundland. Cabot Tower visible on the hill topo  (4) Entering the Narrows  (5) The Narrows - Fishermen's shacks along the shore  (6) The Narrows (7) In St. John's Harbour - looking after towards the Narrows  (8) Liberator flying over St. John's  (9) St. John's Harbour  (10) Newfoundland National War Memorial  (11) St. John's West  (12) St. John's Harbour  (13) Coming alongside tanker in St. John's Harbour  (13) "an up to date truck at St. John's"  (15) Departing St. John's - the Narrows astern of HMCS MERRITTONIA

V.E.-Day memento from HMCS MERRITTONIA

(1) Sydney Harbour  (2 & 3) Waiting for liberty boat  (4 & 5) Ship's work boat heading to the trot buoy  (6) HMCS MERRITTONIA secured to trot buoys  (7) Sailing at Sydney, NS

(1) Raymond Burton and Pete Susiak  (2) Raymond Burton  (30 Pete Susiak and JP  (4) Pete Susiak  (5) JP  (6) JP and Raymond Burton

Webmaster's note:  It is not known if these photos were taken while Raymond Burton was serving in HMCS MERRITTONIA or HMCS Restigouche.  They have been added to the galleries of both ships.

(3) HMCS Parry Sound K341 - HMCS Lachute K440  (5) (L-R) HMCS St Lambert K343 - HMCS Camrose K154 - HMCS Kamsack K171 - HMCS Lunenburg K151 - HMCS Mimico K485

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