“My Personal Hero”: Donna Portree’s Tribute to Her Father’s Bravery on HMCS Assiniboine
Tribute/memory from Donna Portree, daughter of Chief Petty Officer Donald Portree’s daughter on his service onboard HMCS Assiniboine during WW2
The Battle took place on August 6,1942. My dad seldom spoke of the war but there are a few things that are unforgettable parts of that day that I have seared into my brain from childhood. He was born and raised in Winnipeg Manitoba, the eldest son of Mary and William Portree of East Kildonan. He trained as an iron molder at the Vulcan Iron Works. When the depression hit there was no work to be had and he rode the rails East to Hamilton Ontario – a day here and there at the steel plants in Hamilton and Dundas. When war was declared he joined the RCN Navy at HMCS Star and was posted to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Britain stood alone as Hitler marched through country after country and it was the convoy ships that provided a lifeline. On August 6, 1942, 200 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, the HMCS Assiniboine encountered German submarine U-Boat-210. The HMCS Assiniboine was damaged, and a fire added to the danger. My Dad had taken firefighting training and one night he was off duty but came up on deck and began to organize the fire crew to fight the fire. He was holding the fire hose and when the water pressure came on, the force flipped him off the side of the ship, hanging on for dear life. The crew hauled him back aboard and he had sustained 2nd/3rd degree burns to his hands and arms fighting the fire. For his bravery, he was recommended for the Distinguished Service Medal, which was presented to him by King George 6th at Buckingham Palace. Only 114 of these medals were given out to the RCN during WW2. Three of the men who were honoured for their bravery came from Hamilton, Ontario.
I remember my dad telling me of the one casualty on that day. It was young 18-year-old Able Seaman Kenneth Watson. I only saw my dad cry twice: when his Mum died and when he told me about AB Kenneth Watson.
My Dad returned from the sea in 1945 and stayed in the Naval Reserve. I remember many a Christmas parties as a kid in the Officer’s mess. To the Navy he was a war hero, but he was my personal hero.
– Donna G Portree.