Forever Young - The Story of a Young Man Lost During World War II

II had never known of anyone in my family dying in World War II. My mother always mentioned she had an uncle who never came home from the First World War. She also had an uncle who was badly affected by mustard gas and who spent the rest of his long life in a rest home when he returned to Scotland. My mother served in the Women’s Land Army during World War II and met my father before the end of the war. They were married at the end of the war and remained in Scotland until the late 1960s.

While doing my family's genealogy I came across a sad episode. Chesley was a year younger than my father, they grew up in the same fishing village in Newfoundland, and they both joined the British Navy during World War II. At that time, Newfoundland was not yet a part of Canada.  

Sadly, Chesley died in the war. Yet, my father never talked about him. My father never mentioned anything about the war to me and he didn't say much to my older sisters either. I don’t know if it was because he wanted to forget about it or if he didn’t think girls would be interested. I do know that my father ended up working radar on a submarine, which explained some of his hearing loss.

Chesley was the grandson of my great-uncle. 

The HMS Broadwater started out as the USS Mason in 1920, it was given to the British Royal Navy in 1940 when it was renamed. During World War II, the HMS Broadwater patrolled the North Atlantic and protected ships carrying supplies and troops from U-boat attacks. It was performing this duty 400 miles south of Iceland on October 18th, 1941 when it was attacked by a U-boat. The HMS Broadwater was sunk; Chesley and forty-three other men lost their lives.

Here is an eyewitness account about that awful night.

Chesley’s name, and that of the others who died on the HMS Broadwater, appears on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. His final resting place is at the bottom of the North Atlantic. It seems fitting somehow; he came from a long line of fishermen who made their living out of the sea.

I can't stop thinking about Chesley and how sad it was that he never got the chance to live out his life. Twenty-two is so young, too young to die.

Nationality:United Kingdom

Rank:Able Seaman

Regiment/Service:Royal Navy

Unit Text:H.M.S. Broadwater

Age:22

Date of Death:18/10/1941

Service No:D/JX 246694

Additional information:Son of John and Eliza

Casualty Type:Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference:Panel 56, Column 1.Memorial:PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL