Dad's Navy Days: December, 1943

"It was Heaven"

In late 1943 my father volunteered for two more years of service with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve. As in 1941 he also then volunteered to be a part of Combined Operations, and perhaps because he had already served two years of HO, or Hostilities Only, he was assigned to H.

H is not an official designation. However, my father describes his next placement - in Comox, Vancouver Island, 1944 - 45 - as Heaven.

["Doug Harrison and Chuck Rose in their Navy ball uniform"] 

["Dad and Combined Ops chums on The Spit, Comox"]

In May, 2012 while in Comox, I met Maddie Hodgson, the wife of the late George Hodgson, Dad's former and perhaps favourite baseball coach. Maddie Hodgson recognized a photo of Doug immediately. "There's Dougie. He had such lovely red hair," she said.

While in Comox I also walked the beach along one side of Goose Spit but was not allowed onto the former Navy grounds. I shall return, because I believe buildings from the 1940s still stand on the present-day military site.

That being said, one last story about father's time in Norwich over Christmas will shortly follow.

Photos by GH

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Please click here to read Dad's Navy Days: December, 1943 - All for the love of a good ship? (22)