Hello John (and Pierre) I just stumbled upon this site tonight. My mother’s only sibling, Albert Douglas (Doug) Taylor, is one of the 25 still out there. As a ‘telegraphist’, he is thought to have been at his post at the time of the sinking. My father was one of his best friends.

Both my parents are still alive.

I note in a comment to a related blog post, a reference to the History Channel show. I saw the last 20-30 seconds of the show some time ago.  If anyone knows how to find hours when it will be broadcast next or whether it is available as a webcast or download I would be interested to know.

I cannot contribute to the search for other descendants, however I understand the motivation and wish you well. I hope to visit the area in Cornwall someday as a matter of family duty and historical respect.

Brad Canivet, Toronto

You will find the documentary in this article.

Click here…

Greg had his grandfather’s logbook and photo album, and he trusted me with writing articles on a blog.

It started small.

Now we have close to 3000 visitors since September 2011.

So if you want to share something like Greg or like Steve Hawley who wrote a poem about Able Seaman Malone, just write a comment and I will get in touch.

To visit my blog on 403 Squadron, click here.

I have 66 articles written as of December 9, 2011.

My family and I being here is a miracle!
My Grandfather could have died in World War Two.
Tell me what you’re fighting for; tell me what you’re fighting for?

An able seaman locked depth charges to safe,
saving 66 men on August 8^th, 1944.
Tell me what you’re fighting for; tell me what you’re fighting for?
Less or more?

Close to death, all our lives are hung by threads.
I thank the heavens when I make my bed.
I know I have to love my life and live it cause so many others are dead,
and generations have been denied with bodies lost on shore and at sea,
so damn real, it feels make believe.

What I have now others can’t retrieve…
I feel so blessed to be me and have the air I breathe and my family.

Five bodies only found, the rest in the Irish Sea from the HMCS Regina
lost at war.
280 feet below the Irish Sea, rest 25 of the 30 men who gave their lives,
left brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children and wives…
Tell me what you’re fighting for; tell me what you’re fighting for?

I am a descendant of one of the 66 men who survived
who all owe their lives to the valour of the fallen.
The sea is in my blood, the blood is in the sea.
So many died, so we could live free.

So, to be here, and be me, with my family,
is a blessing indeed, lest we forget our history
and those lost at war who gave their lives and so much more.
Tell me what you’re fighting for; tell me what you’re fighting for?

Steve Hawley

This documentary will be aired in December 2011.

DEEP WRECK MYSTERIES I | FATAL DECISION

Fatal Decision airs Friday, December 9 at 6:00 AM EST (CC)

Click here.

Next time I will write an article about another sailor who served on that ship.

His son John wrote this comment on my blog Lest We Forget written to pay homage to the sailors of HMCS Athabaskan.

This is what John wrote about his father…

Our father (still alive (age 86) and living in Port Hope Ontario served on HMCS Regina K234 and survived her sinking.

He lost many friends and shipmates that night.

On a recent visit to the UK (September 2011) we had the honour and priviledge to visit the graves of five of these brave men in Cornwall, UK. We paid our respects and gratitude to AB Saulnier, Rathbone at St Merryn near Padstow and PO. Cramp, AB Dawson and AB Malone at St Winwaloe Churchyard. Poundstock. UK.

I am in the process of trying to find their descendants.

Have many photographs of their graves and the church areas. Willing to send to anyone interested.
Also remember there are 25 men from Regina who are still out there.

Sincerely,

John Hawley, Cole Harbour, NS

John is in the process of trying to find their descendants. He sent me this link to someone’s Website about Bill McLeod another sailor of HMCS Regina.

This Webpage has a lot of information.

This is an excerpt…

I know you will want to read it all…

February 7, 1943 –

Sinking of Italian Submarine Avorio

 About eleven p.m. (Ed. Note: on February 7, 1943) the Radar man thought he saw something on the screen.  He went up and told the Officer on Watch.  He got out the night glasses, but couldn’t see anything. However the radar man was sure he had seen something.  He went down and woke the Captain, which took a lot of nerve.  The captain ordered the ship to turn back.  After a few minutes she was spotted on the surface.  The telegraph rang full ahead and I opened the throttle wide open.  When she saw us coming she dove.  We knew she wasn’t deep so we were dropping the charges at fifty feet.  A corvette is not fast enough to get away from the charges so we must have been sitting nearly on top of them when they blew.  The first thing to go is the lights as the shock blows the switches open.  Then you have to wait for the electrician to get down to put them back in.  (I wish to stress here that there were just the two of us in the Engine Room, the oiler and myself, and we were trying to do half a dozen jobs at once.)  The shock was so severe that it stripped the threads in some of the brass screws holding the deck plates, with the result that some of them went askew.  We had to be careful in the dark or we would slip and go down in the bilge. A large cast iron pipe back of the engine broke off and the sea water was pouring into the Engine Room.

Click here… 

HMCS Regina (K234) was a Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette which took part in convoy escort duties during World War II.

She was laid down at Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel on 22 March 1941 and launched on 14 October of that year. She was commissioned into the RCN on 22 January 1942. On 3 July 1942 Regina rescued 25 survivors from the crew of the American merchant SS Alexander Macomb which was torpedoed and sunk by U-215 east of Cape Cod at 41-48N, 66-35W. On 8 February 1943, Regina attacked and sank the Italian submarine Avorio off Philippeville, Algeria.

On 8 August 1944, Regina was torpedoed and sunk by U-667 8 nautical miles (15 km) north of Trevose Head on the coast of Cornwall at 50°42′N 5°3′W / 50.7°N 5.05°W / 50.7; -5.05 Coordinates: 50°42′N 5°3′W / 50.7°N 5.05°W / 50.7; -5.05 while rescuing survivors of the American merchant Ezra Weston. The warship sank in 28 seconds. 30 of the ship’s crew were killed. The wreck of Regina and the Ezra Weston rest in 60 metres (200 ft) of water.

The exploration of these wrecks by a crew of researchers was the subject of an episode of the television documentary series “Deep Sea Mysteries”.

Tomorrow more information about HMCS Regina and the reason behind this blog.