Crew Members of HMCS Niobe During World War One
Crew members of HMCS Niobe.
William Dalton Johnston is almost certainly the man far right in the front row.
The man standing far right in the 3rd row from the front is Bernard Maurice Cocquyt (see his info below).
The significance of this photo is not known, but all of the visible trade badges are stokers' badges, so this may
be the engineering department, or even a graduation photo from basic training. The cap tallies read "HMCVR".
Bernard Maurice Cocquyt:
Bernard's daughter, Yvonne Tabalotny, emailed me this info in May, 2019: "Bernard Maurice Cocquyt, RNCVR, was born on 24 May 1895, . . . . in Snelleghem, Belgium. He came to Canada with his parents in 1907. I don't know how long he served in the Naval Reserve. He was a farmer and also a fireman with the CNR in Saskatchewan, Canada. I guess his experience with being a stoker prepared him for that hard work on the steam locomotives! Dad died in Manitoba, Canada in November, 1971.
" I have a "Services rendered" pin of his, with the number 2278 stamped on the back. Would that have been given to men when they were demobilized? I remember him talking about the explosion in Halifax, and (I have) his sailor's hat with the HMCS Niobe ribbon on it. " Please see his entry in the Nauticapedia database.
William Dalton Johnston:
Please contact his grandson, William Johnston, for more information. William Dalton Johnston served on HMCS Niobe during World War 1, and was in Halifax on December 6, 1917, when a munitions ship exploded in Halifax Harbour, destroying most of the downtown area. Please see his entry in the Nauticapedia database.
Can you provide names, details or corrections?
Please email Charlie Dobie.