Dad’s Navy Days: A door opens at the King’s Arms Hotel

Last summer, in order to fulfill a promise to my father, I motorcycled 2,300 km to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

I found a rocky shore. I gave a small boat containing half his cremated remains a mighty heave. The Atlantic Ocean caught it and carried it away.


["Heave ho. Tally ho. Scotland next, Pal": photos GH]

Just like dad wanted, I bet.

Hopefully, the boat will be picked up by the Gulf Stream and find its way to Scotland, a country in which he trained for the Merchant Marine before entering World War II. Perhaps the boat, S.S. Silver Walnut, will reach Scotland’s shore near Irvine, a town featured in one of dad’s war stories.

Gordon Douglas Harrison, age 20 or 21 at the time, wrote the following later in life:

“We were perhaps headed south (in Irvine’s waters, for a midnight training exercise) and it was rough. Our craft ran aground on a sandbar.

“Koyl ordered Bailey and I overboard to look or tread for deeper water. (Koyl, flotilla commander, entered the water as well).

"Wandering in sea boots, underwear, duffel coat, I fell into deeper water and hollered, “Over here, sir!”

“So we worked our asses off to free the ALC and we were successful. Koyl’s fuming, “We are going to be late!”


["Koyl didn't want to be late. Churchill was watching. I don't know if my dad knew this."]

“Bailey and Koyl were able to get back aboard. I wasn’t and they drove off and left me out in the water.”

Though my father found the next couple of hours in the water unbelievable, after the landing exercise and what felt like an eternity, Koyl and his craft returned to the same area and plucked my father from the water before he gave up hope.

Dad wrote:

“When we returned to Irvine, Koyl, Bailey and I hurried to a local pub (now known as the Harbour Light). We were given hot porridge, rum, and our clothes were taken to be dried and we were wrapped in blankets.

“All of this help came from ladies.

“It was late afternoon before we left the pub (the Royal Sovereign or King George?).”


A copy of an old photo of the King’s Arms Hotel (likely supplied by those who compiled the book in which the story appears, and not my father) accompanies my father’s story along with a note that members of the Skinner family helped warm and revive the three sailors.

Thot: Wouldn’t it be nice to thank any remaining members of the Skinner family?

Well, I had that thought last year and acted on it.

However, these words are included in the note:

Pub's name has been changed, perhaps in honour of the occasion to "The Harbour Light."

Because of those last few words I went on a bit of a wild goose chase.

More to follow.

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Please click here to read more about the S.S. Silver Walnut.

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