Battle of the Atlantic Heroes: Able Seaman Andy Bougie

Navy News / June 4, 2021

Able Seaman (AB) Andy Bougie served as a radar operator during the longest naval battle of the Second World War, the Battle of the Atlantic.

In July, 1942 AB Bougie served in His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Skeena when the crew sunk a German U-boat with a depth charge.

This victory is shared with HMCS Wetaskiwin as the two ships were travelling in a convoy across the Atlantic when U-boat 588 was sunk. Several hundred kilometres east of Newfoundland in the Atlantic, the ships were traveling in a diamond pattern formation dropping depth charges to seek out any enemy vessels.

This was a significant contribution as convoys were vulnerable to enemy U-boat attacks. The enemy wanted to sink Allied ships carrying goods across the Atlantic to cut-off supply lines.

Lying about his age, AB Bougie joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on March 6, 1941, two days after his 16^th birthday. In reality he was born on March 4, 1925, but put down March 4, 1923 on his enrolment papers.

Joining out of Montreal, Québec, AB Bougie trained there for six weeks from June 13 to August 12, 1941. He then went for more training at HMCS Stadacona, a “stone frigate” or land-based naval unit, located in Halifax, NS. The sea training at Stadacona lasted from August 13 to October 2, 1941. He was then transferred to HMCS Hochelaga in Montreal for Radio, Electronics and Radar Training.

Assigned to various ships during the war AB Bougie went overseas to Britain with time spent in Glasgow, Scotland and also Londonderry, Northern Ireland. He travelled back and forth between Canada and Britain during the war for further radar training in between operations. AB Bourgie even got the change to train in Bermuda.

Throughout AB Bougie’s naval service he served aboard many different ships including HMC Ships Swift Current, Skeena, St. Francis, New Glasgow, and Leaside. For his wartime service he was awarded the 1939-1943 Star, The Atlantic Star, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal (with clasp), and The War Medal 1939 – 1945.

AB Bougie was transferred back to Canada to HMCS Avalon only two weeks before VE Day (victory in Europe day) on May 7, 1945. As the conflict in Europe ended AB Bougie stayed in Newfoundland the months following to assist with the complex and large-scale task of returning thousands of sailors and equipment home to Canada.

On August 23, 1945 AB Bougie finished his wartime service when he was honourably discharged.

With files from Bob and Rick Bougie, AB Andy Bougie’s sons.