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Letters
Saw the Surcouf in Halifax in 1941 December 5, 2011 Please be advised I saw the Surcouf in Halifax in 1941. She was at Jetty three. No one was allowed near her. As the dockyard was roped off so no one could near the sub. Me being just a raw recruit wearing a Canadian navy Uniform thought this was for civillians, so I ducked under the rope there was a Free French sailor on Guard Duty with his back to me, he held a rifle with a fixed baynonet, I scared him, by saying would you like a cigarette, he turned around and ran towards me with the bayonet and said Octune a German word meaning stop. I ran and dove under the rope barrier. I immediately reported this to a commanding officer of the barracks, and he told me to keep this secret and tell no one. I would like your comment about this. It was in the fall of 1941. Ken Garrett Leading Seaman RP1 retired
Surcouf was certainly in Halifax in 1941k see this URL from Wikipedia. Was the word he used achtung? meaning attention, strange the French sailor would use a German word. We can still not be certain how she was finally sunk, and by whom. Season's greetings. |
