NFLD-LAB-L Archives

From: Maurice Charette <>
Subject: Loss of Sixteen - Laurentic goes down 1917.
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2005 12:39:08 -0400

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This a poem that is amongst my items put in a scrapbook by my grandmother
and saved. It contains the names of 16 Newfoundlander's who died when the
ship Laurentic on January 31st, 1917. Maybe Kathleen could provide us with
the history on this ship. The names of the sixteen are all contained within
the poem and includes a Benoit from Stephenville (a relative of Ivy's
perhaps).

_________________________________________

LOSS OF SIXTEEN

Brave Newfoundland Naval Reservist go down on the
LAURENTIC, January 31st, 1917.
____________

Attention fellow countrymen,
Please hark to what I say,
And hear about the sad, sad loss
That we record to-day,
How sixteen sons of Newfoundland
Their precious lives did give,
In honor of the dear old flag,
That you and I may live.

The names of these brave heroes,
A sailor's grave to fill:
The first is J. J. Benoit
Belonging to Stephenville,
George Brinton hails from Port-au-Bras,
And Leslie Bringston too,
Erastus Cumby and Ephraim Freake
That formed the steamer's crew.

Laurence Murphy, Eldred Gosse,
William Puddicombe and Luke smith,
Simeon Rodgers and Fred Randell,
That nobly did their bit.
John Tucker and brave Wallace Young,
Like heroes they did brave,
And likewise Samuel Hooper.
Who fills a sailor's grave.

The name of Alexander Ayles,
We must record to-day,
A gallant son of Newfoundland,
From Bonavista Bay.
And likewise Leslie Walters
Upon the list is seen,
Another of our boys in blue,
Belonging to Lamaline.

These daring sons of Newfoundland,
Who died upon the sea
To save the good old Union Jack,
That England should be free.
To sve that flag they gave their lives,
These sixteen heroes brave,
That went down in the Laurentic,
And met a watery grave.

Well done brave Terra Nova's sons,
The plucky boys in blue,
Ye proved that ye were heroes,
And well your parts did do.
We hope you'll see a brighter land,
From sorrow and from care,
In that bright land above the skies,
Its splendour for to share.

__________________________________________

I hope you all enjoyed reading this as I did while transcribing it for the
Newfoundland lists.

Take care
Maurice
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