The Second World War
The Merchant Navy  - Serving with the Merchant Navy

During the Second World War, Canadian and Allied merchant mariners faced the constant hard work of operating and maintaining their ships, the threat of enemy attack, and the dangers of accidents and storms.

Chief Officer Percy Kelly

Chief Officer Percy Ambrose Kelly (left) poses with Captain Nels Helgesen (right), who rescued Kelly and other survivors from the SS Lady Hawkins.

A bandage on Kelly's head covers a wound suffered when the German U-Boat (submarine) U-66 sank the Lady Hawkins. Helgesen's ship, the SS Coamo, rescued 71 survivors after they had spent five days in a lifeboat. Kelly was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire and received the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea for his role in their survival. In December 1942, the German submarine U-604 sank the Coamo with the loss of its entire crew, including Captain Helgesen.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20040004-005_43