Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 117 Harry George DeWolf 1903 - 2000 Born in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Harry DeWolf developed a passion for the sea as a youth by sailing in Halifax Harbour and Bedford Basin, later pursuing a 42-year career in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). During the Second World War, he earned a reputation as a skilled, courageous officer. As captain of HMCS St Laurent, in 1940 DeWolf ordered the RCN’s first shots fired during the early stages of the war. He led one of the largest rescues when his ship saved more than 850 survivors of the torpedoed liner Arandora Star. DeWolf became one of Canada’s most famous fighting sailors while commanding the destroyer HMCS Haida, leading her through many successful actions, destroying numerous enemy vessels, as well as executing the daring rescue of survivors from her torpedoed sister ship Athabaskan in April 1944. Building on these achievements, DeWolf’s lasting influence came through his staff appointments ashore, where he helped secure a stable future for the postwar Navy. DeWolf retired in 1960 as Vice-Admiral and Chief of the Naval Staff. On August 30, 2001, his ashes were scattered in Bedford Basin. Bedford’s DeWolf Park, and the RCN’s new Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels, underscore his legacy. Norman Crewe 1921-2020 The son of a British merchant mariner, Norman Crewe was born in Burgeo, Newfoundland, which was a separate British dominion at the time. In 1940, he moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the insistence of his friends, he joined them in the Canadian Merchant Navy which transported vital Allied supplies, equipment and personnel during the Second World War. Crewe served a year in the Pacific, then made more than a dozen transatlantic crossings in enemy-infested waters, transporting everything from eggs to munitions and explosives. Crewe experienced the war firsthand, sailing in convoys under enemy attack. The distressing sights and cries of fellow sailors – whom he could not assist – with their red emergency lights bobbing in icy waters, haunted him. Following the war, Crewe worked at the Halifax Dockyard and spent six and a half years back at sea aboard HMCS Sackville during this distinguished corvette’s time as a civilian oceanographic research vessel and remained a long-time advocate for the rights of Merchant Navy veterans. continued ... Image: DeWolf Family Image: Norman Crewe continued ...
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