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Convoy PQ. 17

My friends Bill Coleman (see here) and Laurence Lemiuex are staging a performance of Bill’s piece for orchestra, choir and dancers, Convoy PQ. 17, on June 6, 2004 in Montreal. Details on their website.

Bill’s father Joe Coleman is a survivor of PQ. 17, a World War II supply convoy that ran from North America to Russia. On July 5, 1942, his freighter, the Bolton Castle went down, with eleven other vessels, the victim of German bombing after the convoy’s escorts were withdrawn. He escaped with his life, into one of two lifeboats. Bill’s piece is a requiem for the convoy, and an homage to his father and his comrades.

Convoy PQ. 17 runs one night only, on the 60th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2004, at the Centre Pierre Péladeau in Montreal. Tickets are on sale now.

Thursday, May 20, 2004 - 12:23pm
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Comments

Submitted by Wendy June Cotton (not verified) on Mon, 2004-06-14 20:10.
My uncle, P O Henry McLeod Sanders was on the Pozarica which was amongst the PQ17 convoy. He was known as “Sandy”. He was killed off the coast of North Africa in January 1943 - ironic that he survived the Russian Convoy to be killed thus. Did anyone out there know him?
Submitted by Timna (not verified) on Sun, 2005-10-09 01:17.
Henry McLeod Sanders. Was he the son of Henry Sanders and Sarah Horsley by any chance?
Submitted by Edward John Reynolds (not verified) on Thu, 2005-12-22 15:50.
I was the Yeoman of Signals aboard the Pozarica and knew Sandy very well both as a messmate and a friend.We lost him when torpedoed during an attack by Italian Savoya bombers off Bougie in North Africa.The torpedo struck aft un der the twin four inch gun where Sandy was at the time. He was the senior of our 2 Gunners Mates. It was a mystery as all we found of him was his gym shoes on the gun deck.He was a quiet friendly person well liked and respected by all and we missed him very much.