Lewis, J C L (John Ceredig Lloyd)

Lewis, J C L (John Ceredig Lloyd)
Paymaster Lieutenant John Lloyd Lewis was born on the 31st January 1912 and lived in Calgary, Alberta. He first joined the Navy on the 6th of July 1931 but left 3 years later and re-joined at the beginning of the war on the 20th of November 1939. He was married to a Mrs. Margaret A. Lewis. He served onboard H.M.C.S. New Waterford.[1]
On June 19th John’s ship set sail to Londonderry from Halifax as part of Group EG 6 as a replacement for the damaged H.M.C.S. Teme.[2] The ship would continue to serve as part of this group until April 1945.
On the 21st of November 1944, a body was found in the River Foyle, Londonderry. It was that of Paymaster Lieutenant Lewis who had been missing since the 22nd of October. He had drowned.
It seems that on the night he went missing he had been drinking all day with a young local lady and a few friends and when returning to his ship on his own he fell into the river Foyle.
A mystery surrounds this death. According to a personal war diary by Charles Callow, who served on H.M.C.S. New Waterford, Lieutenant Lewis supposedly went missing on the 15th of April 1945[3] instead of the 22nd of October 1944 and his body was recovered on the 20th of April 1945[4] instead of the 21st of November 1944. The diary then goes on to state that the funeral was to take place on the 29th of April 1945[5] instead of the 23rd of November 1944.
The official death certificate and his naval record state the official information, but the ships logs do not mention him going missing at all on either date. His personal effects were also not returned until the 20th of June 1945. A strange side story and maybe a mystery that is never solved as the discrepancies cannot be explained.
John was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star with Clasp, War Medal, and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, with Clasp.
Date of Death: 22/10/1944 (Aged 32)
Service: Paymaster Lieutenant, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, H.M.C.S. New Waterford
Burial Location: Londonderry (or Derry), City Cemetery, C. of E. Plot. Sec. F. Grave 46.
[1] HMCS New Waterford was a River-class frigate and was launched during July 1943 and ultimately would survive the war.
[2] HMS Teme was a River-class frigate and was launched during November 1943 and was sold for scrap during 1945.
[3] 15 April 1945 – Slipped to sea today 0800. Lieut. Lewis reported missing – last seen on deck 0300 by sentry on Q deck. Ship sailed without him.
[4] 20 Apr 1945 – We got W/T message today. Lieutenant Lewis’ body found near Derry. We will have a funeral next week if we make port okay. He apparently went over side at night. Wife and kids in Vancouver – poor folks.
[5] 29 Apr 1945 – Heading for Derry. Be in tomorrow. Admiralty has ordered inquiry into Lewis’ death. Funeral party picked. Guns and bayonets polished up.