Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Leading Seaman W. D. Laurie, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, who was among those lost when the Norwegian merchantman Ringstad was torpedoed by the U-333 in January 1942 - his, and one other life boat, were never seen again

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45; Canadian Voluntary Service Medal 1939-45, with overseas clasp, together with the recipient’s Canadian Memorial Cross, G.V.R., the reverse officially inscribed, ‘W. G. Laurie, Ldg. Seaman, R.C.N.V.R.’, together with embroidered ‘R.C.N.V.R.’ and bullion anchor uniform flashes, extremely fine (7) £300-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Awards to the Canadian Forces.

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William Drennan Laurie was born at St. Boniface, Manitoba, on 27 July 1918. A Cost Accountant by profession, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve at St. Lambert, Quebec, in October 1940.

Having completed his basic training and been advanced to Leading Seaman, he joined the corvette H.M.C.S. Brandon November 1941, in which capacity he witnessed extensive service on the Atlantic run.

His death, however, occurred in the Norwegian freighter Ringstad on 13 January 1942, which ship he had boarded with three other Canadian naval personnel at Cardiff, Wales. Bound for St. John, New Brunswick, as part of convoy ON-56, she became parted from her escorts in poor weather and was torpedoed and sunk by the U-333. All of her crew managed to escape in three life boats, but with the weather deteriorating further, the life boats became separated - five days later the ship’s master and 12 other frostbitten survivors were picked up, but the fate of the remaining crew was never ascertained. Suffice it to say, the U-Boat captain later commented on how impressed he was with the gallant bearing of the Ringstad’s crew - ‘they were extraordinarily calm and had already dressed their wounded.’

The son of Ernest and Dorothy Laurie of St. Lambert, Quebec, and the husband of Margaret Laurie, also of St. Lambert, he was 23 years of age and has no known grave, being commemorated on the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia; sold with copied service papers.