Lloyd George Russill

   

 

Radio Operator onboard the RCMP Schooner St. Roch when it sailed from Halifax to Vancouver through the North West Passage in 1944. Was awarded the Polar Medal by the King in 1946. Was an Electronics Technician at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Was Senior Electronics Technician onboard the Global Challenger.

Opérateur radio à bord de la goélette St. Roch de la GRC lorsqu'il a navigué de Halifax à Vancouver en passant par le passage du Nord-Ouest en 1944. A reçu la médaille polaire du roi en 1946. Il était technicien en électronique au Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Était technicien électronique principal à bord du Global Challenger.

 

 

LLOYD GEORGE RUSSILL was born on February 18, 1922, in Wauchope, Saskatchewan

Lloyd Russill on board the Global Challenger in 1972

 

 

AWARDED THE POLAR MEDAL IN 1946

FOR HIS VOYAGE ON THE ST ROCH THROUGH THE NORTH WEST PASSAGE in 1944-1945

Extract from the book THE MORE NORTHERLY ROUTE

 

 

The following is an extract from the book

ARCTIC WORKHORSE

The RCMP Schooner St. Roch

by author James P. Belgado

 

Radio Operator Lloyd Russill was a technician who had never sent or received a message until he was at sea aboard St. Roch

This book is available from Amazon.ca

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The photos below came from the Russill Collection in the book

THE MORE NORTHERLY ROUTE

by author John Beswarick Thompson

This book is available from Amazon.ca

Click here for the link

 

A PDF copy of this book is also available from Parks Canada

Click here for the link

 

"I was in the Marine Section of the Air Force. I was three years in the Air Force and never got into the air. We had radio operators in the Marine Section. When they weren't working at sea they'd stand around our shop and drink coffee. They had heard about the St. Roch and a couple of them had gone over to look at it, but they didn't want to take a trip up north for a possible three years I was ready to move on. So that's what gave me the idea about going on the St. Roch."

"Of course I wasn't a radio operator. I was a technician. I'd taken the Morse Code but I'd never ever taken a message. I'd never sent a message or received one until I was on the St. Roch. Honest. First message I sent we were out near Newfoundland and we were lost. Henry asked me to call up to the shore station and get a bearing."

Lloyd Russill

 

Above is the crew of the St. Roch on the day the ship left Halifax in 1944.

Eighty-six days and 7,295 miles later, the men and their ship were in Vancouver

having sailed through the most northerly route of the Northwest Passage

R.C.M.P. Reference Library

 

"That's me in the coat the Eskimo lady on board made for Dickens, the cook.... At Akatan Dickens sold his coat - I sold my radio - to an American. He got a better price than he paid for it. $150,I think."

Lloyd Russill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Eskimos were really great people. I cannot think of anything but nice things about the Eskimo people."

Lloyd Russill

 

 

 

"I pulled this little girl's tooth one day. I was in my cabin and they came in. They didn't speak, but all of a sudden I heard a hiss like a snake. There she was with her tooth sticking out. I had some needle-nosed pliers so I pulled it. They were cute, quiet, little kids."

Lloyd Russill

 

 

"I can remember the day before we left Tuktoyaktuk . . . we were kind of waiting for the old man to make up his mind if we should try the run or not. It was up to him to decide to try for Point Barrow or not."

Lloyd Russill

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Caught a lot of fish. We filled the lifeboat up with them. Starboard boat. Salted salmon. Very good."

Lloyd Russill

 

 

 

"I was sick for about three days. It was so rough that I put my mattress on the floor between my desk and the bunk and didn't move.... Just come out of Akatan, a belly full of beer, just hit the open sea and hit the storm. Oh wow.. !"

Lloyd Russill

 

 

"In that first picture we looked a little serious I guess. So the photographer said, 'What the hell's the matter with you guys ? Aren't you happy to be here in beautiful Vancouver ? How about a smile ?' So we smiled."

Lloyd Russill

 

LLOYD GEORGE RUSSILL died on March 1, 2008, in California, when he was 86 years old.

 

Obituary - Avis de décès

Lloyd George Russill

18 February 1922 - 1 March 2008

 

 

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