World War 2: Connecting w a Veteran (3)

Two sentences jumped out at me from the first bit of correspondence I read from Lloyd Evans, a WW2 veteran who travelled much the same path as my father during the war years. Lloyd had written to Geoff Slee, creator of www.combinedops.com, and given the 'thumbs up' to release his email address to me:

Geoff. If you send him my email address I have a bunch of old pictures my son scanned for me recently and his father might be in one. I remember his name as he was one of our gang.

Several thoughts ran through my mind. Eureka! Lloyd may have crossed paths with my father several times. He may have photos taken overseas, and I don't have many of those. Only two spring to mind. Any photo of Dad near or on a landing craft would be pure gold. Lloyd sounds like a good fellow to talk to about World War 2. Wow!

I collected my emotions and sat down to compose a short letter to Lloyd. Within moments I recalled that Geoff Slee was my link to Lloyd so sent him a word of thanks first:

Hi Geoff. I am delighted to have a chance to connect with Lloyd. Lloyd's story and my father's own are similar in so many ways and I held out a belief they knew each other. I will send Lloyd a picture or two and ask for 1 or 2 details and see how he responds. I do hope in the near future I will be able to visit him, perhaps with a few more pictures and small tape recorder. At any rate, I'll go lightly, easy does it, and let you know what transpires. Thank you for all your help. This connection with Lloyd has to be very rare, and I'm quite overwhelmed. After a morning coffee I'll make a wee start. Cheers! Gord

[Lloyd says this photo was taken aboard Prince Robert]

Then I gathered a few photos of my father and wrote to Lloyd. My 'wee start' didn't seem wee when I'd finished:

Good morning Lloyd,

I am happy to connect with you, and received your email address from Geoff Slee, Edinburgh this morning. Your helpful, informative story on the Combined Operations website is very rare, and I see several similarities to my father's stories. His full name is Gordon Douglas Harrison and he answered to Doug, Dogo and Cactus. He says he was called Cactus because he had a guitar on board the SS Silver Walnut and sang a few songs while travelling around Africa on the long way to Sicily, 1943.

Both of you touch on training in Halifax, going overseas on the Volendam (after the first ship you boarded ran aground), landing and training in Scotland and much more, including the story about E. P. Murphy's pet monkey. I feel you two may have crossed paths a few times.

I would enjoy looking at any photos and reading any details you have from your time in RCNVR and Combined Operations.

Here are three photos of Dad; perhaps you'll remember his red hair:

Doug boarded with his sister below when he took initial training in Hamilton, at HMCS Star, summer 1941. Then he went to Halifax for more training at Stadacona in fall of 1941. I don't know when he received the white uniform but some of it remains today. I have the hat. 

Dad said a few words to a newspaper (The Brantford Expositor) about his time in Sicily and Italy in Dec. 1943, after returning to Canada on the Aquitania, and the newspaper took the picture below:

After 52-day leave in Canada in Dec. 1943 (and into January '44) Dad must have signed up with some of his pals for more duty, and he went to Combined Ops training camp on Vancouver Island. There don't seem to be many details about the camp in Comox but I have a few. Dad says, "It was heaven" and he ended up as Coxswain there, and he played some baseball too. 

I went to Comox in 2012 and met the wife of Chuck Levitt, RCNVR. She said Dad would pick her up in the navy barges, along with a few other girls, and take them for a swim at Tree Island. I'm sure Chuck 'Rosie' Rosie was with him. 

I met Maudy Hobson, the baseball coach's wife, on the trip west in 2012 too. She had never seen the team photograph. My spelling of names might not be perfect:

Back row, L to R:

Unknown

E. Chambers

Bill Erycan

Alec Bruce

George Hobson (coach)

Chuck Rose

Front row, left to right:

Doug Harrison

Jim Malone

Unknown

Art Warrick

Joe Spencer

I have a few more photos I can send and his memoirs if you'd like to read a bit. 

Are there any books you've come across that tell more about Combined Operations? I have one or two but would like more. (I have one by Clayton Marks from London called Combined Operations. I also have St. Nazaire to Singapore: The Canadian Amphibious War 1941 - 1945, volumes 1 and 2. They contain stories from RCNVR and CO veterans and are excellent).

Keep well, and I look forward to any details you would like to provide.

Respectfully,

Gord Harrison

London

I hope I don't overwhelm Lloyd with all this. We shall see.

Photos by GH

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