École John Stubbs Memorial School
Encyclopedia
École John Stubbs Memorial School is a K-9 school located in Belmont Park neighbourhood of Colwood, British Columbia
Colwood, British Columbia
Colwood is a city located on Vancouver Island to the southwest of Victoria, capital of British Columbia. Colwood was incorporated in 1985 and has a population of approximately 15,000 people. Colwood lies within the boundaries of the Victoria Census Metropolitan area or Capital Regional District,...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, part of the Western Communities
Western Communities
The Western Communities or WestShore is a term used to describe the suburban municipalities of Colwood, Langford, Metchosin and The Highlands. Greater Langford and unincorporated districts west of Esquimalt Harbour and Portage Inlet, and south of the Malahat in the Capital Regional District ,...

 suburbs of Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...

. The school is part of School District 62 Sooke
School District 62 Sooke
School District 62 Sooke is a school district in British Columbia, Canada. It includes the suburbs of Victoria known as the Western Communities as well as the mostly rural areas around the sea-side villages of Sooke and Port Renfrew...

. The school's population currently stands at approximately 675 students, but is currently experiencing growth year-to-year. It is the only school in the area that offers service to students in the Early and Late French Immersion programs (for these grade levels) and the regular English stream.

History of the school's name

John Hamilton Stubbs was the lieutenant commander of the Second World War navy destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

 HMCS Athabaskan
HMCS Athabaskan (G07)
HMCS Athabaskan was the first of three destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy to bear this name. It was a destroyer of the Tribal-class, built in 1940-1941 in the United Kingdom by Vickers Armstrong of Newcastle upon Tyne with Parsons engine works....

. (This is not the Canadian academic of the same name
John Stubbs (educator)
John Stubbs is a Canadian academic. He was president of Trent University and Simon Fraser University.Stubbs began his career as a historian and political scientist, specializing in the history of 20th century British politics and media. He distinguished himself as a teacher and administrator at...

.) Ever since he was a boy, he wanted to join the navy. When he was 10 years old, he joined the sea cadets, not knowing that in a few years he would be a Second World War hero.

On April 28, 1944, two enemy German boats attacked Athabaskan and her sister ship HMCS Haida
HMCS Haida (G63)
HMCS Haida is a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1943-1963.Haida sank more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship...

. Approximately 10 minutes after the first hit, Athabaskan was ripped under the water by another torpedo.

The weight of the water pouring into Athabaskan's compartments had now dragged her down to the point where she was almost perpendicular. The last men to leave were sliding down her bow into the chilling water.

When the sailors were in the water, John Stubbs moved about from float to float offering words of encouragement and telling them to move their arms and legs.

Lieutenant-commander Stubbs also told them to sing this navy song: "Roll along, Wavy Navy, roll along Roll along, Wavy Navy, roll along If you must know who we are We're the RCNVR
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve .-Foundation:...

Roll along, Wavy Navy, roll along. Oh we joined for the money and the fun Yes, we joined for the money and the fun But of money there is none And the fun has just begun Roll along, Wavy Navy, roll along."

At one point, John Stubbs drifted to within several feet of the Haida's side and shouted his final command, "Get out of here, Haida! E-boats!" At that point, he might have been rescued quite handily, but he elected to stay with the remainder of his company. Ordering the Haida to safety, Lieutenant-commander John Hamilton Stubbs never thought that they would be defeated so he and his men never gave up.

External links

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