Remembrance Day, November 11th, 2008 Remembrance Day

November 7, 2008
The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 1
Remembrance Day, November 11thth, 2008
2 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer
November 7, 2008
Dick Baker
saw stormy seas
By Dorothy Isted
Special to The Pioneer
The story of 85-year-old Dick Baker begins with a
prairie boy’s fascination with the navy.
His parents farmed near Hardisty, Alberta. His
mother Leslie, born in Scotland, had a picture of her
brother who was in Royal Navy uniform. While working on the farm and going to school, young Dick studied that picture and longed for a life on the high seas.
Life wasn’t easy on the farm, Dick recalls. “For
high school I went to Bell’s Hill five miles away and
I rode horseback. I’d be the first one there and would
bank the coal fire. Banking the fire meant putting the
coal in such a way, and the dampers on so it would
slowly burn and not go out overnight. Then in the
morning I’d shake the fire up and get it going to warm
the school up. I got paid $2 a month for that. I gave
the money to my mother and she used it for household expenses.”
The year he graduated from high school, at the
age of 16, Dick wrote to Ottawa and asked to join the
navy. It was 1939 but war had not yet been declared.
He still has the reply, shown on this page, telling
him to wait until he was 17.
When he turned 17 in 1940, Dick travelled to the
Royal Canadian Navy base Esquimalt near Victoria.
He was assigned to the Armed Merchant Cruiser Her
Majesty’s Canadian Ship, Prince Robert. Once a coastal ferry, it was being refitted for war duty.
German ships had been taking refuge in Mexican
and South American ports. It was also known that six
255 3rd Ave, Invermere
armed enemy merchant raiders were at
large on the ocean, which caused a lot
of anxiety.
To counter this, there was a small
squadron of British light cruisers. The
Prince Robert’s refitting was hastened,
and she sailed on September 12, 1940,
in a very unready state.
While patrolling off Manzanillo,
Mexico, the crew on the Prince Robert sighted a large ship coming out of
the port. The Prince Robert lay unobserved close to land, and waited
while the other ship cleared the port.
Under cover of darkness, the Prince
Robert went full steam ahead until
it was in international waters and illuminated the German ship Weser
by firing a star shell, ordering her
to stop.
In the dark, the men of the
Weser mistook the Prince Robert for a warship of
devastating power and stopped moving. The enemy
prepared to scuttle their ship but she was boarded so
quickly they had no time to complete their plan. With
a small prize crew of four officers and 22 men, the jubilant Canadians sailed the Weser to Esquimalt where
she was reconditioned, renamed the Vancouver Island
and used for regular service.
It was a wartime triumph that really lifted the spirits of Canadians.
250-342-3575
Remembering
those who served
1241 7th Ave. Invermere 250-342-9268
It was the first of many adventures for the young
sailor. In 1941, his ship the Robert was attached to
the New Zealand Navy as part of a convoy protecting
airmen coming to Canada to participate in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Of crossing the equator
Dick remembers, “It was damn hot!”
Continued on Page 3
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The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 3
November 7, 2008
Continued from Page 2 . . .
Later that year the Robert, along with the troop
ship Awatea, delivered infantry battalions of 1,975
personnel to Hong Kong. They consisted of the Royal Rifles of Canada from Quebec and the Winnipeg
Grenadiers from Manitoba.
Dick recalls: “Hong Kong was being bombarded.
I can still see them today, lined up on the jetty. We
had to leave them.” It was a doomed plan to defend
this port against the Japanese. The Canadians were
interned in Japanese prisoner of war camps, where
they suffered extreme deprivation. (In 1945 the Prince
Robert was symbolically chosen to transport the Ca-
nadian survivors back home and its captain was one
of the signatories for Canada when Hong Kong surrendered on September 16, 1945.)
From Hong Kong, the Robert sailed to Pearl Harbour for supplies.
Fortunately, it left port on December 6th, 1941
– the day before the American port was bombed. The
Robert received orders to turn around and pick up
survivors, which they did, taking them back to Esquimalt.
The Japanese then attacked two islands of the
Aleutians in the Pacific Northwest. In August 1942
the men sailed for Dutch Harbour in the Aleutians
and assisted the U.S. Navy in escort duties for two
months, covering 350 miles of open sea between the
islands. Though no enemy forces were encountered,
they battled the elements – often encountering gale
force winds, erratic currents, uncharted shoals and
dense fog.
Dick was then transferred to the Atlantic fleet
where he served on the corvette HMCS Owen Sound.
Conditions aboard ship were debilitating. Constant
vigilance was required in the North Atlantic against
the sea, the enemy and the cold. After the two-week
transatlantic convoy with constant rolling and pitching, the crew was left exhausted.
It was during this time that Dick’s hands began to
shake uncontrollably.
Dick Baker’s ship captured German prisoners,
seen here marching ashore in Esquimalt, near Victoria.
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4 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer
Continued from Page 3 . . .
A ship’s medic reported on his findings: “On
March 10, 1944, Owen Sound successfully engaged
and sank an enemy submarine in the Bay of Biscay.
Prisoners were taken. Baker’s action station was below
decks in the Gyro spaces. These spaces below decks
were battened and secured during action stations.
Communications within the ships of that era were
practically non-existent. Therefore, young men under
duress and fatigue, not fully comprehending the action above decks and locked below decks, were often
dazed for long periods and generally recovered shortly
thereafter. Not so with Baker. He reported to Sick
Bay regarding his condition. We carried no Doctor as
such . . . Over a period Baker acquired the nick-name
“SHAKEY.” Members of the ship’s company, I believe,
were sincere in attempting to “kid him along” or shake
him from dwelling upon his condition.”
Of his time on the destroyer, Dick says, “We did
our trials on Lake Superior and sailed down the great
lakes and the canals to Halifax. We sailed to Newfoundland and picked up four other corvettes.
November 7, 2008
The group was called EG9. We picked up a convoy in
Newfoundland. It was a group on what they called the
Triangle Run: New York, Halifax and Boston. We ran
out of Newfoundland, the convoy of 300 to 400 ships
were out of the Triangle Run and we had to keep them
together but not too close to each other. I’d be glad to
get rid of them!
“We’d drop the convoy: some went into France,
some into England. And then we ran out of Ireland.
We’d be in Ireland for maybe seven days and then we’d
pick up another convoy going back. We’d be in Newfoundland for a week, and then out we’d go to pick up
another convoy. Finally we went over and we got sight
of a German sub, and we tailed it all the way to the
Bay of Biscay, just off France. And it’s shallow. We got
it and I got hurt. It fired a shot and the damn hatch
hit me in the back and hit a nerve. I was off duty, on
the ship most of the time, in sick bay for quite a little
while.” The submarine they captured was the U-845.
As if Dick’s adventures at sea weren’t strenuous
enough, he also participated in the action on D-Day,
when Allied forces finally invaded the continent.
“They took us off convoy duty and we had to run
across to keep the subs out of the channel on D-Day,
while all the ships were going across. Then we had to
go back to the damn convoy. I never got seasick.”
The homesick prairie boy had a chance to spend
time with his extended family. During the times he
was stationed in Ireland on leave, Dick took the opportunity to sail on a ferry to Scotland and become acquainted with his mother’s family, whom he had never
seen. His mom drew him a map of how to find their
house once he got to the town of Stranraer.
“When I saw my grandmother, the hair and the
way she spoke, I just thought it was Mom. She had
sisters there, too . . . I was walking up this street and
spoke to them and they wondered who I was.
One of them really looked like her.”
Continued on Page 5
Dick Baker’s ship, the HMCS Prince Robert, captured a German ship off the coast of Mexico.
Gerry’s
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The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 5
November 7, 2008
A cocky 19-year-old Dick Baker in his sailor’s uniform, centre,
with some friends on shore leave.
Continued from Page 4
Dick was able to visit them every four months
or so when he was on leave.
After the war ended, Dick decided to remain
in the navy. He married Grace in 1949, a girl
from Halifax where he was stationed. At the time
Grace was the registrar for the Canadian National
Institute for the Blind, and flew all over eastern
Canada doing her job.
When Canada responded to the United Nations call for intervention in the Korean conflict,
Dick sailed there as Chief Electrical Officer on
the destroyer Cayuga. On the east coast of Korea
the terrain was rugged, which forced the railroads
to skirt the shore. Enemy trains were the targets
of naval guns. There was a lot of patrolling going on in the Yellow Sea and its many offshore
islands.
Once on a four-day leave, Dick and three
companions took a jeep and went overland to
take a look at Seoul. They passed through fields
of land mines.
They also involved themselves in humanitarian work. They were stationed in the harbour at
Sasebo, Japan. Korea was very cold and the people
were suffering terribly. The men would take containers of clothing and other items they’d bought
in Japan and drop it off at the docks for the poor
people in Korea. It was dangerous and the ship
was in jeopardy of being damaged but the men
felt compelled to do it.
After 26 years in the Royal Canadian Navy,
Continuing our tradition of
RELIABLE &
COURTEOUS SERVICE
Dick retired in 1965. He has medals for the Pacific, Atlantic and Korean conflicts.
He worked as an electrician for 25 years. One
job was at one of the seven Emergency Government Headquarters being built across Canada.
This was the time of the Cold War and the Nuclear Threat. The opposition coined the phrase
‘Diefenbunkers’ in jest of the prime minister of
the time who felt they were necessary.
These facilities were often built in great secrecy at rural locations outside major cities across
Canada. Usually they were two-story underground bunkers capable of withstanding a nearhit from a nuclear explosion. There were massive
blast doors at the surface, and extensive air filters
to prevent radiation infiltration. Food, fuel, fresh
water, and other supplies for the facility were
kept in storage underground, capable of supporting several dozen people for weeks. In the past
decade, there were rumours of a bike gang that
wanted to purchase the Penhold bunker. The federal government purchased it back from its private owner and destroyed it at considerable cost.
After their three boys, Terry, Randy and
Shawn were born, Grace became a full-time
homemaker. The family moved around Canada
a lot depending on where Dick was stationed.
In fact, Terry was christened on a ship when the
crew turned the ship’s bell upside down and filled
it with water to use as the baptismal font.
Continued on Page 6 . . .
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6 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer
Continued from Page 5 . . .
After the boys grew up, Dick took Grace on many
cruises over their years together, sailing to all the places
he had been to in his war service. They spent six months
in Bermuda once, and Dick said he was bemused to
see “six German destroyers there, just cruising around.
November 9, 2007
It was after the war and they were visiting.”
Dick and Grace moved to the valley about 18
months ago to be close to sons Shawn and Terry.
Shawn is the financial comptroller at Home Hardware, and Terry is the operations manager for the Panorama School of Skiing and Snowboarding. Randy is
a stockbroker in Nanaimo.
Dick Baker, standing at the rear on the right, on board his corvette HMCS Owen Sound.
(250) 342-4426
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Windermere • 250-342-6293
Dick Baker today, with service medals from several continents.
School District No. 6
(Rocky Mountain)
“Quest for Quality”
A TRIBUTE TO THE ONES WHO SERVED
Toll Free: 1-877-342-4426
Fax: 342-4427
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Dick’s beloved wife Grace died earlier this year, after 59 years of marriage, and Dick misses her deeply.
A lifelong golfer, he still enjoys golfing, and on
November 2nd, he played nine holes with son Shawn
and friend Peter Sweetman, and hit 45.
Not bad for an old sailor.
I
n honour of the men and women who
have served and fallen and those who
continue to serve so proudly to preserve
and protect the freedom of all Canadians.
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The Columbia Valley Pioneer •7
November 7, 2008
Local volunteers distribute 6,000 poppies
By Cayla Gabruck
Pioneer Staff
Long-time poppy volunteer Edna Godlien.
Every year at this time, Edna Godlien of Invermere
wears a poppy. She has done ever since she was a little
girl.
“I had three uncles in the service; one went over
and didn’t come back,” she said.
“You know it just means that we are showing our
patriotism to these people who have fought for our
lives and to make it as good as we have it now.”
Edna was the poppy chairman of the Invermere
Royal Canadian Legion for about ten years. But her
dedication did not begin there.
She is one of several women who have been volunteering to sell poppies in the Columbia Valley for
about 50 years, since the late 1950s.
Other stalwart volunteers include Phyllis Lake,
Elsie Lake, Madge Young, Helen Andrews and Eileen
Tegart.
Edna said the poppy campaign is very dear to her,
not only because her family served, but also because
of her late husband Arthur. A member of the army, he
was stationed in France and Belgium. He was also in
Holland when the war ended.
The Royal Canadian Legion poppy campaign be-
gan on October 31st and will continue until November 11th.
Last year the Edgewater Legion branch raised over
$3,000 and the Invermere Branch raised $17,000.
More than 6,000 poppies were distributed throughout
the Columbia Valley.
“You know wearing a poppy – it shows we really
do care,” Edna said. “It’s not only our veterans from
past wars, it’s the veterans that come home now that
we still have to look after.”
The proceeds from each year’s poppy campaign go
towards helping out veterans. This includes assisting
needy veterans, ex-service members and their families, purchasing medical appliances, funding medical research and training, providing bursaries to the
children and grandchildren of veterans and ex-service
members; and funding accommodation, care facilities, meals-on-wheels, transport and related services
for veterans, seniors and disabled persons.
The poppy emblem was first produced in 1922
by disabled veterans and was sponsored by the Department of Soldiers Civil Re-establishment. In 1966
production was shifted to a private company, but the
message remains the same – Lest we Forget.
“As long as there is a war, there will be poppies,”
Edna said.
Take Time to Remember
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Phone: (250) 342-6978 • Toll Free 1-888-982-8888
Remembering the ones who served
1209 7th Avenue, Invermere
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The Pioneer honours our military veterans, our armed forces and our police forces on Remembrance Day.
250-341-6299
8 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer
November 7, 2008
MP Abbott: I thank you, we all thank you
By Jim Abbott
Member of Parliament
At the time, people
called it The War to End
All Wars, and while we now
know that certainly wasn’t
the case, the First World
War also marked the moment when Canada came of age. That moment exacted
a terrible price – 66,000 dead – more than 10 percent
of the 650,000 servicemen fielded by our country of
just eight million.
But those fallen soldiers did not die in vain. Their
blood paid for our continued existence as a nation, a
price exacted again in the Second World War, in Korea,
Afghanistan and many UN peacekeeping missions.
This November 11 marks the 90th anniversary of
the end of the Great War and while that may seem like
ancient history to many of our young people, its significance continues to resonate through our society.
It certainly resonates within me. My grandfather,
a medic in that war, came back alive having survived
the machinegun fire, artillery salvos, unspeakable diseases and hideous conditions in the trenches. But he
died three years after the war.
The First World War occupies a special place in
my family’s heritage and when I visited the Vimy
Ridge Monument to Canada’s war dead in France last
Remembrance Day I felt a spiritual link with that man
I never knew.
Standing at that historic site, where Canadian soldiers accomplished a task no other army in the world
had been able to do, I was overcome with a sense of
pride at being a Canadian as I honoured the bravery of
the soldiers who fought for freedom.
The memorial at Vimy stands on top of the hill as
Canadian soil. France was so grateful they gave Canada the land in perpetuity for a memorial to the bravery
and sacrifice of our soldiers. Vimy isn’t the only place
we distinguished ourselves. All over the world Canadians are respected for bravery, intelligence and service.
To all veterans, their families, and the families of
those who did not return – I thank you, we all thank
you.
MLA Macdonald: we will stand together
By Norm Macdonald
Member of the Legislative Assembly
Over the last three years, I have had the
privilege of participating in Remembrance
Day services throughout the area as MLA
for Columbia River-Revelstoke.
Each Remembrance Day we are able to
show our respect for those who have served
Canada and in many cases lost their lives
to protect our freedom and prosperity.
In a time when Canadians are serving
in Afghanistan we acknowledge not only
the sacrifice of individual service people
but also the burden placed on their family
members and their friends.
It is heartening to see that year after
year the number of people attending Re-
membrance Day services continues to
grow. With each new generation of Canadians the act of remembrance continues.
On November 11 we will again stand
together as a community to honour those
who have served and sacrificed that which
is most precious to protect our freedom.
We will remember.
“Let Peace Be Their Memorial”
The Presidents and Members of the
Royal Canadian Legion
Branch #71, Windermere District and
Branch #199, Edgewater invite your participatio
in their joint services of Remembrance
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
at the Cenotaph in Invermere
In memory of more than
117,000 Fallen Comrades
Those wishing to pick up wreaths to be
placed at the Cenotaph please do so at
10:00 a.m. at the Legion.
• WWI 1914 – 1918
• WWII 1939 – 1945
• Korea 1950 – 1953
• Afghanistan • Peacekeepers
The Royal Canadian Legion would like to thank the general
public for their generous donations to the Poppy Fund.