Merchant navy

ELLIOTT Lewis

War
2nd Word War
Date of Birth
Original Unit
Rank
2nd Engineer
Date of Death
Age at Death
40 years 1 month
Biographical Summary

Name:                   ELLIOTT      Lewis                                                                                                                                                      Canadian Merchant Navy
Rank:                    2nd Engineer 
Ship:                     SS Portadoc                                                                                                                  Residence:           Goderich - Ontario                                                                                                                  Birth:                     May 25, 1901 - Goderich, County of Huron - Ontario                                                              Died:                     June 27, 1941     40 years   1 month
Cemetery:             Kindia Christian Cemetery - Kindia - Guinea - West Africa                                                    Wife:                     Mrs. Winifred Elliott - Flint - Michigan - USA
Parents:                Mr. Thomas and Bertha Elliott of Flint - Michigan - USA

Lewis  was born in the West Wawanosh Township - County of Huron and he attended North Street United Church in Goderich.
On April 7th, 1941 at approximately 17:30 hours, the Canadian Paterson SS Portadoc at 1,746 tons was off the coast of West Africa when she was struck by a torpedo by U-124 at 17:39 hours under the command of Kpt lt George-Wilhelm Schutz. The one torpedo that U-124 fired struck the stern of the Portadoc about 150 miles southwest of Freetown. She settled by the stern but did not sink. U-124 then surfaced at !7:50 hours and put 21 rounds from her deck gun into the Portadoc and as well used her 20mm AA gun.
All of the Portadocs crew survived the sinking of their ship and U-124 gave these men medical aide and repaired the lifeboat before giving them provisions along with directions to the closest land and safety. The crew drifted for 6 days before they made landfall at Benty - French Guinea  and were rescued and they were taken prisoner in French Guinea who was at the time loyal to the Vichy French Government. They had tried to reach Freetown in Sierra Leone buy were 50 miles north of where they wanted to be.
2nd Engineer Elliott contacted pneumonia in a camp and died approximately one month later.
Months later near the end of 1941, a prisoner exchange took place but not before the remaining crew members had walked to Sierra Leone. By now 7 crew members had died.
When she was torpedoed the Portadoc was carrying a cargo of coal and miscellaneous goods and her
voyage had taken her from St.. John in New Brunswick to Freetown in Sierra Leone.
The Portadoc had a GRT of 1,746 and her position when she sank was 07.17N and 16.53W.
The SS Portadoc was a former Great Lakes steamer whose homeport was Fort William.                               Lewis is honoured and remembered on the Goderich - Ontario Cenotaph as well as on the Memorial Plaque of North Street UnitedChurch (Lakeshore United Church) in Goderich. .
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