After Lloyd sent me a set of rare black and white photos from WW2, I composed a thank you:
Hi Lloyd, I really like your photos and deeply appreciate that you are willing to send some along. Wow, you sure made my day.
Both you and my dad tell a story about a monkey (Ephus Murphy's?) in your memoirs, so when I read your story I felt pretty sure you knew him or were at least on the same ship at some point.
I will compare your photo of the six officers with one in a Combined Operations book I have. I have a few names written on my copy. Any names you can supply with the photos will be appreciated. You and dad likely knew a lot of the same fellows. In fact, I'm sure of it, because I almost fell off my chair when I saw the last photo!
That's Chuck 'Rosie' Rose (from Chippewa, near Niagara Falls) on the left, maybe Al Kirby (Woodstock) in the middle and Don 'Westy' Westbrook (from Hamilton) on the right. Chuck and Don were dad's good pals and they chummed around after the war. I visited both their homes and still write to Chuck's daughter to this day. Both Chuck and Don went to Comox, BC in Jan. 1944 and I have pictures of them there.
I'll get busy to send you something too.
You really made my day!
Keep well,
Cheers, Gord
Photo: This is a spare Navy hammock that Stoker Katana gave to merchant officer James Robertson during a trip to Sicily, around Africa, aboard the SS Silver Walnut in summer 1943. Robertson returned it to the navy at a reunion in 1986, with the names of those of the 80th flotilla that were on board with him. I bet you know a few of them. I went to Esquimalt, Vancouver Island to see it last year. They gave me white gloves to help unroll it. The first thing I did was smell it. It smelled like diesel fuel. Seventy year old diesel fuel.
A couple of days later Lloyd sent more photos. I fell off my chair.
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