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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
SINCLAIR, Alfred John - Jack to his closest friends, was born in Upper Rocky Brook or Gin Cove Head (now part of Monroe), Smith Sound, Trinity Bay on 25 July 1894.
During World War I Capt John Sinclair served in the Merchant Service as a Mate and Captain. He was torpedoed off Portugal and England three times in five days in 1916 On the Rose Dorothea, Mayola, and finally the royal mail packet steamer Drina.
After the War he returned to the salt fish trade making annual trips to the Mediterranean with salt fish and returning with salt and to the West Indies and the Caribbean bringing back rum, molasses, and sugar.
During a downturn in the fish trade in 1927, and after they were nearly lost with the Schooner Retraction in 1926, he and his Brother Max joined their other brother William, a general building contractor, in Detroit, Michigan for 3 years.
He returned in 1930 as captain and owner of the Winnifred E. Lee, a two-masted schooner built in Baine Harbour, Placentia Bay.
Captain Sinclair retired from the schooner trade in 1936, when he sold the Winnifred E. Lee, to enter the Newfoundland Custom Service as Captain of the M.V. Shulamite, patrolling mostly on the South Coast of Newfoundland, a known area of smuggling operations into Canada, the United States, and Nerwfoundland from the French possessions St. Pierre and Miquelon. He took part in many official tours during these years including annual tours of Newfoundland and Labrador by the Governor and high ranking church officials.
In late 1940, Captain Sinclair was seconded to the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant skipper and posted to St. John's as a Captain on HMCS SHULAMITE, HMCS MARVITA and HMCS NORTHWIND. He retired from active service in 1945.
He died while taking an afternoon nap on 16 October 1971 at 77 years old.
Ships served in: HMCS SHULAMITE - Appointed to SHULAMITE 01 May 1941 as a Chief Skipper, RCNR, CO (seniority 01 May 1941) (Navy List 09 Sep 1942 RCN BARRACKS ST JOHN'S - Appointed to RCN BARRACKS ST. JOHN'S 01 Jun 1943 as a Skipper Lt, RCNR (seniority 01 May 1943) (Navy List Aug 1943) HMCS MARVITA - Appointed to MARVITA 26 Oct 1943 as a Skipper Lt, RCNR, CO (Navy List Feb 1944). Seniority backdated 01 May 1942 (Navy List May 1944) HMCS AVALON (Depot Ship) - Appointed to AVALON as Staff of Commander of the Port for Berthing Duties 28 Oct 1943 as a Skipper Lt, RCNR (Navy List Jul 1944) HMCS NORTHWIND - Appointed to NORTHWIND 23 Sep 1944 as a Skipper Lt, RCNR,CO (Navy List Nov 1944) HMCS AVALON (Depot Ship) - Appointed to AVALON as Staff of Commander of the Port for Berthing Duties 14 Nov 1944 as a Skipper Lt, RCNR (Navy List Jan 1945) HMCS AVALON (Depot Ship) - Appointed to AVALON 14 Nov 1944 as Staff of NOIC ST JOHN'S NFLD 14 Nov 1944 as a Skipper Lt, RCN(R) * Appointment Terminated 19 Nov 1945 (Demobilized) as a Skipper Lt, RCN(R) (Navy List Oct 1946)
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