In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar 

 

William George Alfred Belling

 

Leading Seaman, V8115, RCNVR

 

Born: 25 Jan 1909          Died: 15 May 1992

 

William Belling was serving in HMCS SKEENA when she was blown ashore in a storm off Iceland and wrecked. He assisted in the recovery of the ship's bell from the wreck.

 

Ships served in:

HMCS MATAPEDIA

HMCS SKEENA - Survived the grounding/wreck of HMCS SKEENA

 


 

WB01

WB02

(WB01-WB02) Shore Leave - A Run Ashore with the girlfriends

No one in these two photos are identified and it is not known which ship(s) the sailors are off of.

 


 

Photos where the ship they were taken from is not known 

 

WB03

WB04

WB04

 

(WB03) Anti-Submarine nets - location unknown  (WB04.) Unknown corvette in ice-field. Note that the forward gun mount is not yet fitted  (WB05) Unknown corvette in the St. Lawrence River. Note that there are no guns fore and aft and the depth charge racks are empty

 

WB06

WB07

WB08

WB09

WB10

(WB06) HMCS ST CROIX  (WB07) Unknown Aircraft Carrier in convoy  (WB08) Aircraft Carrier HMS FURIOUS  (WB09) Battlecruiser HMS RENOWN  (WB10) Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC) RAPANA

 

WB11

WB12

WB13

WB14

(WB11) Catapult Aircraft Merchant ship (CAM) in convoy  (WB12) Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) in convoy  (WB13) DEMS at anchor - unknown location  (WB14) Merchant ship in convoy

 


 

HMCS MATAPEDIA

 

WB15

WB16

WB17

WB18

WB19

(WB15)"Pals - Tiss of MATAPEDIA, the other is from CHICOUTIMI"  (WB16) Clearing ice and snow off HMCS MATAPEDIA K112  (WB17) Unknown sailor on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 painting the depth charge thrower mount  (W17) Funnel Watch on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 on the cold North Atlantic  (WB19) "Lash up and Stow" - Unknown sailor on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112

 

WB20

WB21

WB22

WB23

WB24

 (WB20) Gunshield art on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112  (WB21) Unknown sailor by the depth charge thrower on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112  (WB22) Sailors holding HMCS MATAPEDIA'S tally plate.  Names listed are assumed to be L-R.  Fricke (from Cape Breton), T. Lawless (from Newfoundland), Sloan (from Montreal), and Hitchcock (from Vancouver)  (WB23) Tuphon, ASDIC (from Toronto)  (WB24) Unidentified sailor in a bosn's chair 

 

WB25

WB26

WB27

WB28

WB29

(WB25-WB26) HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 partial crew photo  (WB27) HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 Chiefs and Petty Officers  (WB28-WB29)) HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 - Officers

 

WB30

WB31

WB32

WB33

  (WB30-WB33) Unknown sailors on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112

 

WB34

WB35

WB36

WB37

WB38

(WB34) John H. Gordon, Chief Skipper, RCNR. Served in MATAPEDIA in 1941-1942  (WB35) Robert Southam, Lt, RCNVR. Served in MATAPEDIA in 1941  (WB36) Max Bernays on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112  (WB37) William Flavelle, SLt, RCNVR. Served in MATAPEDIA 1941-9142  (WB38) Ronald J. Herman, Lt, RCNR - 1st CO of HMCS MATAPEDIA

 

WB39

WB40

WB41

WB42

WB43

(WB39) William Belling (left) with S.T. Pop Gower of Winnipeg  (WB40-WB43) Unknown sailors on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112

 

WB44

WB45

WB46

WB47

WB48

(WB44) Unknown sailors by the depth charge rails on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112  (WB45) Unknown sailors by the forward gun of HMCS MATAPEDIA K112  (WB46) Unknown sailors giving HMCS MATAPEDIA'S mascot a bath  (WB47) Unknown sailor cleaning the twin .50 cal machine gun on HMCS MATAPEDIA K122  (WB48) Unknown sailors posing by HMCS MATAPEDIA'S gunshield art

 

WB49

WB50

WB51

WB52

WB53

(WB49-WB51) Unknown sailors on HMCS MATAPEDIA K112  (WB52) Unknown sailor painting from one of the ship's life rafts  (WB53) William Belling on the bandstand (after gun tub) of HMCS MATAPEDIA K112

 

WB54

SB55

WB56

 

W2B57

WB58

(WB54-WB55) HMCS MATAPEDIA'S boat crew recovering an overturned whaler  (WB56) Looking aft on HMCS MATAPEDIA while in harbour at St. John's, Newfoundland  (WB57) HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 transiting the St. Lawrence near Quebec City.  The Quebec City bridge is visible in the distance  (WB58) Piper (foreground) playing aboard HMCS MATAPEDIA K112

 

WB59

WB60

WB61

WB62

(WB59) HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 in refit  (WB60-WB62) Unknown sailors by HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 while she is in refit

 

WB63

WB64

WB65

WB66

WB67

(WB63) HMCS SNOWBERRY K166 (left side of photo) with convoy ships in the background  (WB64-WB66) Iceberg Alley of Newfoundland  (WB67) Convoy in the morning ...

 

WB68

WB69

WB70

WB71

WB72

(WB68-WB69) North Atlantic Convoy seen from HMCS MATAPEDIA K112  (WB70-WB71) HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 conducting a stern fueling while in convoy  (WB72) Lough Foyle light

 

WB73

WB73

 

(WB73) Photo caption says "Corvette leaving Sydney Harbour" - however, background looks more like the scenery along the River Foyle  (WB74) "Busy harbour" - St. John's Newfoundland.  HMCS BADDECK K147 and RN sub P554. Taken from HMCS MATAPEDIA K112

 


 

HMCS SKEENA

 

WB73

WB74

WB75

WB76

(WB74-WB76) Christmas in HMCS SKEENA

No sailors in these four photos are identified

 

WB77

WB78

WB79

WB80

WB81

(WB77) HMCS SKEENA I59  (WB78-WB80) HMCS SKEENA conducting ASW training  (WB81) HMCS SKEENA stern fueling from an unknown aircraft carrier

 

WB82

WB83

WB84

WB85

WB86

(WB82) Cooks and Stewards on HMCS SKEENA  (WB83) HMCS SKEENA'S boat's crew assisting in the recovery of a training torpedo  (WB84) Allied Submarine N34 passed by HMCS SKEENA  (WB85) Unknown sailors on HMCS SKEENA  (WB86) USS ALABAMA seen from HMCS SKEENA - location unknown

 

WB87

WB88

WB89

(WB87) Article on 5 survivors from HMCS SKEENA - Sto Harold French, AB Wilbert Brown, L/SA Stewart McRae, Sto Joseph Bell and LS W. Belling  (WB88) William Belling at the rededication of the bell from HMCS SKEENA (1st of name) in Burlington Ontario circa 1983. Photographer Kevin Lee  (WB89) William Belling at the rededication of the bell from HMCS SKEENA (1st of name). William Belling is wearing light grey jacket. Photographer Kevin Lee

 


 

Crossed the Bar Index

 

HOME PAGE     SHIP INDEX      CONTACT