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They made the Ultimate Sacrifice
FRANCIS, James Augustine, Cook (S), A938, RCNR, MPK - 22 Oct 1940, HMCS MARGAREE - Son of James A. and Mary E. Francis, of Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia; husband of Rachael Francis, of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Cook Francis died when his ship, HMCS MARGAREE, was struck by 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. Prior to enlisting James served as a cook on board the "VENOSTA".
James Augustine Francis was born a Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, on January 31, 1909, and was reported on October 26, 1940 as "Missing, believed killed." Officer Francis was on HMCS Fraser when it was lost in a collision, but he was one of those to survive this ordeal. However, when HMCS Magaree was lost in a collision with a large merchant ship in the North Atlantic Ocean during the night hours of October 22, 1940, he was lost. James was educated at Notre Dame School and Sydney Mines High School, and joined the service at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on October 20, 1939. On July 22 1935, he married Rachael Higham, by whom he is survived together with two children, Roy and Frankie, who reside at Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia.
Ships served in: HMCS STADACONA - Enlisted 21 Oct 1939 as a Cook (S), RCNR HMCS FLEUR DE LIS - Drafted to FLEUR DE LIS 16 Nov 1939 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 17 Jan 1940 HMCS FRASER - Drafted to FRASER 18 Jan 1940 * Survived the sinking of HMCS FRASER on 25 Jun 1940 HMCS MARGAREE - Drafted to MARGAREE 06 Sep 1940 * Commissioning crew
Service File for James Augustine Source: The Library and Archives of Canada
Second World War Casualty Index
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