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They made the Ultimate Sacrifice
BOILEAU, Joseph Phileas Laurent, OS, 3496, RCN, MPK - 22 Oct 1940, HMCS MARGAREE - Son of Simeon Boileau, and of Florida Boileau, of Montreal, Province of Quebec.
Ordinary Seaman Boileau died when his ship, HMCS MARGAREE, collided with the freighter SS Port Fairy while in convoy and was sunk. 143 of her crew were lost, 86 of them were survivors of HMCS FRASER.
Story by Allan Cook - Mother of young Montréal Seaman proud of his part in H.M.C.S. Fraser saga. Mrs. Simeon Boileau sat and beamed last night as her mind travelled back over the exploits of her 18-year-old son, whose cheerful singing kept up the spirits of his fellow perched on the overturned hulk of H.M.C.S. Fraser on a dark night somewhere at sea. His mother named him Joseph Philias Laurence Boileau, but to his shipmates he's always been known simply as "Frenchy", a boy seaman who enlisted a year ago when he was 17. Mrs. Boileau didn't need to tell the reporter. "I'm proud of the boy." Her every movement, every gesture, betrayed it. Not all her pride was for "Frenchy." "I've got another boy, Leon, two years older," she said. "He enlisted in the navy, too, and is waiting to be called up now. "Frenchy" Boileau, who has been hailed in England as one of the heroes of the disaster which befell the Canadian destroyer Fraser, was noted as a sound sleeper in his own home. He proved his reputation when he remained asleep after another ship had cut through the Fraser 20 feet from where he lay, splitting the ship in two. A shipmate awakened him; however, by "yanking at his ears" and when "Frenchy" tumbled out on deck with the others, the hulk was already turning on its side. The fresh air and the sigh of his pals safe were too much for the young Montréal lad, and he broke forth with "Roll Out the Barrel." It was the first tune that came to mind he said later, so he just whooped it up and soon the other joined in. Mrs. Boileau has had no official notification of her son's rescue yet but saw his name in the list published in the newspapers, she said happily. From her it was learned that Laurence will not be 18 until July 19. He enlisted on July 31 1939 after he had been twice turned down because if his youth. (Source: Ultimate Sacrifice by Robert D'Aoust)
Ships served in: HMCS STADACONA - Enlisted 31 Jul 1939 as a Boy Seaman, RCN HMCS FRASER - Drafted to FRASER 06 Mar 1940 * Rated Ordinary Seaman, RCN * Survived the sinking of HMCS FRASER HMCS MARGAREE - Drafted to MARGAREE 06 Sep 1940
Service file for Joseph Boileau Source: The Library and Archives of Canada
Second World War Casualty Index
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