Name: John George Smith Rank: Lieutenant Commander (E) Executive Officer Service Number: O/68180 Service: Canadian Merchant Navy DEMS Gunners, and Plastics Armour HMCS Stadacona, Royal Canadian Naval Reserve Date of Birth: November 2, 1888 Place of Birth: Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England Date of Enlistment: July 16, 1941 Place of Enlistment: Halifax, Nova Scotia Age: 52 Height: 5 feet, 10 inches Complexion: Medium Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Brown Occupation: Chief Engineer Marital Status: Widower Religion: Church of England Next of Kin: Gladys Smith (Sister), Ralston, Paisley, Scotland Date of Death: May 8, 1945 Age: 56 Cemetery: Fort Massey Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia Grave: Section F, Grave 5 Commemorated on Page 565 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on November 26 John was the son of Thomas Smith (1858-1931) and Ellen (Wood) Smith (1861-1935). His siblings were Richard Wayte Smith (1886-1916), Thomas Henry Smith (b. 1887), William Leonard Smith (1890-1915), Harold Wood Smith (1892-1936), Reginald Arthur Smith (1898-1978), and Gladys Helen Gertrude Smith (1905-1989). John’s brother William, a Leading Seaman, died on July 21, 1915, in Malta while serving with the Anson Battalion of the Royal Naval Division, a formation made up largely of Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel who were deployed as soldiers during the First World War. The Anson Battalion fought at Gallipoli, and it is likely that William was evacuated from the peninsula due to wounds or illness before later dying in Malta, where he is buried. John’s brother Richard died on September 5, 1916. He was serving as a Private with the 5th Field Ambulance of the Canadian Army Medical Corps during the First World War. Richard, who had immigrated to Canada and enlisted there, also lost his life in service. Like his brothers, John also served during the First World War. He served in the Royal Indian Marines from 1916-1920 in river boats and a Station Ship in Rangoon, in Burma. Settling in Liverpool, England, after the war, he married in October 1924. He established a home in nearby Birkenhead in Cheshire, at 18 Parkstone Road, Higher Tranmere. In his will signed November 22, 1939, he left them home to a Mrs. Mary Reid who resided at the same address. Starting in the 1920’s, he began a fifteen-year career serving as a Chief Engineer with the Hain Steamship Company. By 1941, he was serving aboard the Merchant Navy vessel SS Tressillian, which had sailed as part of Convoy OB‑330 departing from Liverpool before dispersing in the Atlantic. Following dispersal, Tressillian continued independently until June 13, 1941, when she was torpedoed and sunk southeast of Cape Race by U‑77. All 46 crew members survived and were rescued. After landing in Canada, John traveled to Montreal with Captain E. G. Old and Chief Officer T. B. Edwards. Once there, the three officers contacted the owners of SS Tressillian and the British Ministry of Shipping, who released them from further employment and raised no objections to their entering naval service. With permission secured, they subsequently enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. They were drafted to Halifax for training. Old and Edwards were appointed Lieutenants (Temporary) RCNR, and Smith a Lieutenant (E) RCNR (Temporary). After enlisting in July and transferring to Halifax, John was assigned on August 8, 1941, to the office of the Chief Engineer at HMC Dockyard, Halifax. From his temporary commission, he was promoted to Acting LCdr (E) on December 1, 1941, and was administratively assigned to duty with Canadian Armed Merchant Ships on May 1, 1942. He advanced to LCdr (E) on January 1, 1943, and on October 15, 1943, was administratively posted to the Commander of the Port as Executive Officer for Canadian Merchant Navy DEMS Gunners and Plastics Armour. The XO for DEMS gunners and plastic armour in Halifax would have been responsible for organizing the defensive preparations of merchant ships sailing in the Battle of the Atlantic. He coordinated the naval gun crews assigned to civilian vessels, ensured they were properly trained, supervised the fitting and upkeep of their weapons, and oversaw the installation of protective materials such as plastic armour before ships joined convoy duty. John served in this capacity from October 1943 until the end of the war in Europe in May of 1945. On the night of May 7, 1945, Halifax erupted the moment news of Victory in Europe was announced. Thousands of sailors, soldiers, merchant seamen, and civilians poured into the streets in an outburst of long‑suppressed wartime tension. What began as celebration quickly descended into chaos. Crowds surged along Barrington, Hollis, and Gottingen Streets, looting shops, smashing windows, and overwhelming both military and civilian police, who were unable to restore order for more than twenty‑four hours. During this period, John suffered fatal fractures to the cranium and skull. His body was discovered on the grounds of Dalhousie University near the grounds of the science building in the early morning hours of May 9, 1945. Investigators noted that he may have been struck by a vehicle or assaulted; the precise cause of his injuries could not be determined, though they were consistent with a severe blow from a blunt object to the right side of his face. A subsequent inquiry concluded that he likely sustained the injuries while making his way from Admiralty House at HMCS Stadacona to his lodgings in Halifax. It also found that, based on the available evidence, it was impossible to determine whether his death resulted from accident or intent. He was interred 2 days after his death on May 11, 1945, at the Fort Massey Cemetery in Halifax.

Sources: Service File - John George Smith