Hal Lawrence

Harold Ernest Thomas Lawrence (1920–1994) was a Canadian naval officer and author. He was born in the Corps of Royal Engineers barracks at Chatham, England; and moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia.^[1]

Lawrence entered the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve as a midshipman in 1939, and was promoted to Sub-lieutenant while serving aboard the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Alaunia. He received Mention in Dispatches for service aboard HMCS Moosejaw during the battle of Convoy SC 42. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading HMCS Oakville's boarding party onto the sinking U-94 during the battle of convoy TAW-15. The citation reads:^[2]

"Lieutenant Lawrence was in charge of a boarding party of two which attempted to prevent the scuttling of a U-boat. With complete disregard for his own safety, the Officer, accompanied by a Petty Officer, boarded the U-boat and, having subdued the enemy crew, he took action in an endeavor to prevent the scuttling of the U-boat, notwithstanding the fact that it was then sinking. His spirited and determined conduct was worthy of the highest traditions of the Royal Canadian Navy."

Lawrence was subsequently promoted to lieutenant and executive officer of HMCS Oakville. Lawrence was next assigned as gunnery officer in the commissioning crew of HMCS Sioux. He was transferred from the volunteer reserve to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1945 and became executive officer of HMCS Sioux. He received a master's degree from the University of Ottawa before retiring from the Navy in 1965.^[1]

Lawrence impartió clases en la Universidad de Ottawa y en la Universidad de Victoria tras retirarse de la Marina. Escribió tres libros sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial : «Una guerra sangrienta» (1979), «Cuentos del Atlántico Norte» (1985) y «Victoria en el mar» (1989). Falleció en Victoria, Columbia Británica , en 1994. La Universidad de Victoria conserva el archivo Hal Lawrence, que incluye 120 entrevistas grabadas con fotografías y mapas históricos. ^{[ 1 ]} Donó su biblioteca personal al Centro de Entrenamiento de Oficiales Navales de Esquimalt, Columbia Británica, donde los libros se conservan como la Biblioteca Hal Lawrence.

Específico

General

• Blair, Clay (1996). La guerra de submarinos de Hitler: Los perseguidos 1942-1945 . Random House. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
• Blair, Clay (1998). La guerra de submarinos de Hitler: Los perseguidos 1942-1945 . Random House. ISBN 0-679-45742-9.