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They made the Ultimate Sacrifice
HENDRY, George Ainslie, Surg/Lt, RCNVR, MPK - 13 Sep 1942, HMCS OTTAWA - Son of William B. Hendry, and of Elizabeth Hendry, of Toronto, Ontario; husband of Jean Isobel Hendry, of Calgary, Alberta.
Surg-Lt Hendry died when HMCS OTTAWA H60 was torpedoed and sunk by U-91 on 13 Sep 1942. Of her crew of 175, plus 50 survivors they had picked up, there were only 69 survivors.
Surgeon Lieutenant George Ainslie Hendry was involved in two major operations which he performed aboard a plunging destroyer at sea, followed by four days and nights without sleep attending to his patients. This dedication cost the life of Surgeon Lieutenant Hendry of Toronto. He was the medical officer aboard H.M.C.S. Ottawa., which was torpedoed in the battle of the Atlantic with the loss of two-thirds of her crew. "If I had to name a hero of that battle we had out there" said Lieut. Dunn Lantier of Montréal rescued officer of H.M.C.S. Ottawa. "I would put Dr. Henry alongside our commander, Larry Rutherford. Both of them had been without sleep for four days and nights before we were torpedoed - Larry commanding his ship in a running battle with German Submarine, Hendry working like a Trojan on two cases he would have been lucky to save if he had a city hospital's facilities at his disposal. When the time came to save themselves there in the water hanging on to rafts, they just had nothing left. They slipped away before the rescue vessels could reach us."
Citation for Mentioned in Despatches:
HENDRY, George Ainslie, Surgeon Lieutenant - Posthumous Mention in Despatches, RCNVR, HMCS Ottawa - Awarded as per London Gazette of 1 January 1943.
"Whilst serving in one of HMC Destroyers (HMCS Ottawa) in the North Atlantic, the late Surgeon Lieutenant G.A. Hendry performed outstanding surgical work aboard his ship, and displayed at all times the most commendable devotion to duty."
Ships served in: TORONTO DIVISION RCNVR - Enlisted 15 May 1941 as a Surgeon Lieutenant, RCNVR HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 22 May 1941 for training and disposal NOIC SYDNEY - Drafted to NOIC SYDNEY 04 Aug 1941 RCN BARRACKS HALIFAX - Drafted to RCN BARRACKS HALIFAX 20 Feb 1942 HMCS OTTAWA - Drafted to OTTAWA 09 Mar 1942
(GH01) Article on Surg-Lt Hendy and his death in the sinking of HMCS OTTAWA (GH02) Documents from the Service File of George Hendry
Second World War Casualty Index
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