AB George Boyer, Second World War Métis veteran, survived torpedo attack

Navy News / June 17, 2021

Able Seaman (AB) George William Boyer (1922 – 1979), a Métis sailor, served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. At the young age of 20, AB Boyer enlisted to serve his country. He saw service as a duty and although there was a great risk in joining the wartime Navy, he joined as a sailor serving in different ships on operations in the Atlantic.

By joining the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) he sought to return to a normal way of life in defence of freedom. The war instantly became a reality for AB Boyer when the ship on which he served was torpedoed by a German submarine in August 1944.

AB Boyer was serving aboard His Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Nabob, an aircraft carrier of Britain’s Royal Navy which was largely crewed by Canadians, whose mission was to sail to Norway and defeat the German ship Tirpitz. This was a dangerous mission considering Tirpitz was a Bismarck-class warship – and at the time, the heaviest ship in Europe.

While Nabob prepared to fuel an escort vessel, German submarine U-354 fired its torpedo and blew a 10-metre hole through HMS Nabob’s hull. The torpedo blast killed one of his best friends, David Melrose. AB Boyer wrote about Dave in a letter home to family, saying “we were just like brothers.”

In total, 21 sailors were killed from the torpedo blast, which injured another 40 more. Since AB Boyer was not injured from the explosion, he volunteered to be part of the skeleton crew to safely bring the ship back to port in Scotland. Although badly damaged, the violent explosion did not sink Nabob, and it could be safely brought back to home port.

AB Boyer grew up in Saskatchewan, and was of Métis heritage. His family lineage goes back to famed leader Louis Riel.

After the war, AB Boyer settled in his home province of Saskatchewan, married and had a family. He passed away in 1979 aged 56.

With files from the Canadian War Museum