Bill Black
The following is from Intergenerational Integrities 2021 Anthology. Intergenerational Integrities involves 18 like-minded, passionate secondary students of British Columbia and Alberta who share a common love for writing, history and learning. Their purpose is to connect youth and seniors, especially during the Covid-19 global pandemic, where many have been physically and socially isolated. For this initiative, each student has been paired with a veteran of the Korean War.
Bill Black served with the surface marine in the Tribal Class Destroyer HMCS Cayuga from 1952 to1955, serving in the third trip in Korea from Nov '53 to Dec '54. At the height of the Cold war, 1947-91, he volunteered for submarine service and was posted to the 1st Submarine Squadron Royal Navy in Scotland, UK in early 1955. He was posted thereafter as Ship Superintendent Submarines at HMCS Dockyard Halifax, NS. He continued to serve at sea as an engineering officer. He retired from active service in 1984 and continued to work for DND as Senior Engineering Procurement Officer. He retired after 45 years of naval and public service in 1993. He is an active member of KVA Canada and President of KVA Unit 7. He is also member of the Central Submarine Association; President HMCS Huron Association; the Naval Officers Association of Canada; HMCS Bytown Wardroom (Officers’ Mess); and the Royal Canadian Legion (Branch 593).
Melody Sameti is a 16-year-old student at Dr. Charles Best Secondary School. In her spare time, she enjoys walks with her dog, playing basketball and reading. She is honoured to be a part of Intergenerational Integrities and to have been given the opportunity to listen to the stories of brave veterans of the Korean War and to share them with others to ensure that the legacy of the Korean War is forgotten no more.
Brave Canadians: Bill Black
By Melody Sameti
During this insanely different year, I have been lucky enough to not be excessively affected by the pandemic; however, many others are not in the same position. The seniors in our society have felt particularly isolated, so when I found out about Intergenerational Integrities, a project to connect youth and seniors, I knew I had to join. What I didn’t know was that I would get the honour to hear from Bill Black and his experiences in the Korean War, which were both remarkable and touching.
From 1950 to 1955, more than 26,000 Canadians served on land, at sea, and in the air during the bitter conflict between North and South Korea. These soldiers were told that there was conflict in a faraway, rugged land and they were asked, “Who will go?” In the end, over 26,000 Canadians volunteered and set off to Korea with eight Tribal-class destroyers [1], but their efforts have unfortunately been forgotten. Bill Black, a man who was only 15 when the war started, is amongst these brave Canadians.
In 1951, Bill was in the Queens Own Rifles, a Reserve Army [2] in Toronto, and his regiment was going off to Germany with the 27th Brigade [3]. Because of his young age, Bill knew that they wouldn’t accept him to go to Germany, so he spoke with his father. Bill’s father had fought in World War 2 and described that the best times he had were while sailing the oceans. He convinced Bill to transfer from the Army to the Navy so that he could do something useful, and possibly see the world. At the time of his switch, Bill was 17 years old, only a little bit older than me.
On December 2nd, 1953, after Bill and his crewmates had done work for months, they left Canada for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to finish up their training. In Hawaii, they fired guns, shot down drones, and did damage control exercises to get ready to fight. I’ve visited Hawaii on many occasions, but I have never been to the naval port on which Bill trained. It is crazy to think about our insanely different experiences at the same age and in the same place. On December 16th, the HMCS Cayuga, the Tribal-class destroyer on which Bill served, left Pearl Harbor for Kwajalein, an island in between Japan and Hawaii. On the way, Bill and his crew would fire their weapons at sea for practice. They spent Christmas in the North Pacific Ocean and arrived at Sasebo, Japan, on January 1st, 1954. Bill started his patrols on January 8th in Pyongan province, where he spent most of his time.
On the HMCS Cayuga, 26 people, including Bill, slept in hammocks and they didn’t make much money. Throughout the two years that Bill spent in the HMCS Cayuga, there was only one phone call home allowed. Bill called his parents, who had no idea where he was, and he was only given five minutes to speak with them. Bill’s parents barely knowing where he was, shows me his absolute bravery, because as a teenager, I can’t even imagine leaving home for an unknown land at such a young age. The HMCS Cayuga could travel up to 40 miles an hour and it was 38 feet wide, 300 feet long and weighed 2400 tons. Sasebo, Japan was the home court for all the Navy ships because they only had to cross the Sea of Japan to get to Korea. In addition, every six months Bill’s ship had to go into drydock [4] in Sasebo to get work done on the propellers and outside of ship. On one occasion, Bill and his fellow crewmates took 27 orphans on board the HMCS Cayuga and entertained them for hours. I wonder how this special experience might have affected the lives of these kids and how they must have felt being aboard this massive ship.
Korean orphans taken on board the HMSC Cayuga.
Travelling to and from Korea was no easy task and it often took several weeks. For their return trip, the HMCS Cayuga left Yokosuka, Japan on September 13th, 1954, and sailed to avoid the typhoon conditions. They arrived in Hong Kong’s port several days later and stationed at the harbor until October 25th. Afterwards, the Cayuga departed Hong Kong for Sasebo and then left Sasebo for home on November 22nd. The HMCS Cayuga only sailed the Pacific Ocean, whereas the East-coast destroyers had to circumnavigate the world to get home. Bill returned to Toronto in the third week of December.
Afterwards, Bill served in the Navy for 35 years, spending most of his career in surface ships and submarines. He was a stoker [5] and an engineering mechanic, so he would run the boilers and engines in the ship with the other members of the crew. Today, 70 years later, Bill Black is the president of Korea Veterans Association and he is working to make sure his story, amongst countless other Canadians, are forgotten no more.
Bill’s story has made me understand the courage of our country’s soldiers and his willingness to find adventure and fight is truly remarkable. As a young Canadian, I could not imagine leaving everything I knew behind to go fight in a faraway country and I applaud all the soldiers who were bold enough to do so. When he knew he was too young to go to Germany with his regiment, Bill didn’t give up and instead found another way to see the world. His perseverance and bravery, along with the other 26 000 soldiers of the Korean War, must be shared and cherished because their experiences are so special. During these uncertain times, I think that everyone can benefit from hearing the stories of a brave Canadian, so, I ask you all to reach out to a grandparent, friend, or soldier and listen to their incredible stories. What you might learn could surprise and affect you more than you may think.