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I worked as a bartender at an officer club when I was at the university.
It was called The Crow's Nest and was opened during the Second World War to naval officers operating from St. John's, Newfoundland, to let off steam and be entertained.
It was necessary because these types were part of the convoys that kept Britain alive during the dark days of the war, when this country was almost alone in Nazi Germany.
The Germans were trying, with some success, to cut off much-needed supplies from Canada and the United States to Britain, so that the navy could set up a convoy system in which warships would escort supply ships through the Atlantic Ocean and protect them if they were attacked by German submarines, who operated in groups called wolf packs.
Hundreds of supply ships and warships were sunk during this part of the war, called the Battle of the Atlantic, and the guys who visited the Crow's Nest lost many friends and comrades to the German torpedoes .
Unlike most of the rest of North America, the war was tight for Newfoundlanders and Nova Scotians, as German submarines sometimes fell prey to shipping off our shores.
Several freighters carrying iron ore from mines on Bell Island, near St. John's, were torpedoed and sunk in 1942; the Allied warships also sank. A ferry also sank in Newfoundland. of 100 people on board during the same year.
St. John's being such an important base for convoy ships, large guns were placed along the harbor and a huge chain was placed at the narrowest point of the harbor, at open sea, which would be lowered. and raised to allow friendly ships to, and keep the hostile on.
I've heard many stories from former Navy members at Crow's Nest about supply ships and naval ships fleeing to the harbor, followed by submarines.
Realizing that their prey escaped, the U-boats sometimes lit torpedoes in order to hit the ships before fleeing behind the chain, and sometimes torpedoes scrambled on the beach, just below the nest. -pie, unexploded.
It was a scary time for the people of St. John's, who feared it was only a matter of time before the German forces, who were winning the war on the podium, were trying to capture the city as part of their preparations to invade Canada and the United States
I remember the calm and respectful tone of the old veterans, many of whom, I suspect, have spent decades, since I knew them, used to the bar when they were talking about that time.
I was fascinated by the fact that so many actions were taking place so close to where I grew up.
It is unfortunate that there are fewer and fewer veterinary veterinarians telling us stories of war, and I see this as a loss for those who have never had the honor of meeting them and their speak.
I encourage people to travel this Sunday, Remembrance Day, to ceremonies held at their local cenotaphs.
It is a way of honoring those who have stood up for the freedoms we enjoy today, and you may even have the privilege of talking to some of them.
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