BOTTRELL, HAROLD

Harold Bottrell was born in 1916, the son of Charles and Marguerita (Taylor) Bottrell of Whitestone.

According to his daughter Karen (Bottrell) Ryckman, Harold was sent a letter asking him to sign up for the army. He did not want to go to the army and so he went ahead and joined the navy. His records show that he enlisted on June 28th, 1943. He was a gunner on several ships; the Montreal, the York, the Cornwallis and the St. Laurent. He was on the St. Laurent more than the other ships. He started out as an Ordinary Seaman and was discharged as an Able Seaman. He was discharged in September of 1945.

His medals include: 1939-1945 Star; France and Germthe any Star; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal; Clasp to the CVSM; War Medal 1939-1945; General Service Badge; and, the Atlantic Clasp. While enlisted he apparently wrote a poem called ‘The Silent Navy’, although it was a poem which was carried by many sailors and therefore may be simply a poem that Harold appreciated It is reproduced below.

Harold Bottrell Harold Bottrell is the second from the right in the front row

THE SILENT NAVY

 

You brag of your glorious army

Your glamourous air force too

Did you ever think of the navy

And the job they have to do.

 

You fight your battles on land, in the air

And you’re doing a splendid job

But have you ever thought how long

you’d last

If it wasn’t for the gobs.

 

No sane man ever sails these seas

And expects to live it through

So thank your stars, you’ve got fool tars

That wear the navy blue.

 

We don’t fly over your cities

Or march with a heavy pack

But the navy always takes you there

And the navy brings you back.

 

There’s never more than a whistle

As we quietly shove off to sea

To protect your precious merchant fleet

From the ruthless enemy.

 

No frantic crowds to see us off

No commotion in the town

And when we are lost in action

It’s just another ship gone down.

 

The harbour lights we watch

Till they have faded in the rain

We all realize that we may never

Return to them again.

 

 

We face the cold Atlantic

The icebergs, snow and sleet

No matter what the sacrifice

For us there’s no retreat.

 

We are beaten by the angry seas

Torpedoed by the Huns

Bombed by enemy aircraft

And blasted by their guns.

 

We are freezing on the upper deck

It’s awful hot below

We are battered, bruised and broken

But the convoy must go on.

 

We face the fog, the ice and the storm

Sometimes for days we’re lost

But the navy still must carry on

No matter what the cost.

 

We guard your vital food supplies

Your planes and guns and tanks

For your existence ‘over there’

To the merchant boys give thanks.

 

So give credit to the army

And your air force where it’s due

And we’d like you to remember

You have a navy too.