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John (Jack) Smith was a Newfoundland outport schooner fisherman, fishing for cod from dories at the start of WWII. He joined the then Canadian Merchant Marine, sailing east coast routes (independent sailings & in convoy) from St. John’s, NL to the Caribbean.
Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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Transcript
We came up and we got off of Bermuda. It was a squally morning. There was rainsqualls, dark rainsqualls would come up. We’d go like a scalded cat cause the wind was a good sheet off. In fact, there was too much wind for the mainsail, and we used to lower the mainsail down, so the canvas would touch deck. And then when the squall went by, we would raise it up again. There was a submarine on our quarter. If it was an enemy submarine or a friendly submarine, I don’t know. I would think, from my experiences afterwards, that it had to be a German sub because they were hanging around that area. Shortly after that, a schooner coming back, I mentioned earlier, the Helen Force, in that same area, this guy got shelled and lost the vessel and lost two men, two crew members. So I would think it was a German sub. But he couldn’t catch us because we got a hell of a good wind behind us and we were going good.
Interview with John Smith - FCWM Oral History Project
Accession Number CWM 20020121-145
George Metcalf Archival Collection
© Canadian War Museum
Entrevue avec John Smith - Projet d'histoire orale du AMCG
No d’accession MCG 20020121-145
Collection d’archives George Metcalf
© Musée canadien de la guerre
