HMCS TRENTONIAN was at the forefront of the invasion operations, her crew had been on continuous escort duties for almost 50 days without leave. To show their dismay to TRENTONIAN’s skipper, the crew had set aside several days ration of rum, and in the middle of the English Channel while escorting another convoy to Normandy, the entire off watch crew gathered below the bridge and held a wedding.

Marrying two of their shipmates, the bride wore a mop head, while “the padre” read from the good book of seamanship. On completion of the formal ceremony the celebration began with shredded newspaper to be thrown in place of rice. The lighthearted demonstration worked, the entire ship’s company received leave on the next stay in port.

Many of TRENTONIAN’s veterans remember this occasion with the same big smiles as they did on that particular day.

Roger Litwiller Collection, Allen E. Singleton, RCNVR photo, courtesy Douglas Campbell, RCNVR. (RTL-DC052)

White Ensign Flying -Corvette HMCS TRENTONIAN

This photo and collection have been gathered from the crew of HMCS TRENTONIAN and have been used by Roger Litwiller to create the book, White Ensign Flying, The Story of HMCS TRENTONIAN, published by Dundurn Publishing in 2014.

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