Читать книгу Toronto Sketches 11 - Mike Filey - Страница 7

In 2010, the new Toronto Island Airport ferry was christened Marilyn Bell 1 in honour of the former Toronto schoolgirl who became the first person to swim Lake Ontario. Marilyn, who was just sixteen years old at the time, accomplished the task on September 9, 1954. She completed the torturous forty-mile crossing from Youngstown, New York, to the break wall south of the Boulevard Club in Toronto’s west end in just under twenty-one hours.

Flight Lieutenant David Hornell, VC, by war artist Paul Goranson.

This painting by artist Graham Wragg depicts Hornell’s PBY-5 Canso flying boat in its death throes following an attack on a German submarine off the coast of northern Scotland in late June, 1944.

Now Marilyn Bell-Dilascio, and living in New York, the Canadian heroine did the honours, although out of deference to the environment she poured the traditional champagne over the ship’s name plate rather than smashing the bottle over the bow.

Coincident with the naming of the new vessel and the change of the airport’s name to the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport (over the years since it opened in 1939 the facility has been known as Port George V Airport, Toronto Island Airport, and, most recently, Toronto City Centre Airport), the Toronto Port Authority officials decided to rename the existing ferry, as well. It has been known since its arrival in the fall of 2006 by the rather mundane title TCCA1.

Following a public contest, which saw the swimmer’s name selected as the name of the new ferry, the next most popular choice and the one that would be affixed to the older vessel was that of David Hornell. And while the former had over the years become a well-known name, the latter was less so.

The Toronto Island Airport ferry TCCA1 was recently renamed in honour of David Hornell, VC.

David Hornell was born on Toronto Island on January 26, 1910, and subsequently moved to Mimico (a western suburb of Toronto), where he attended a local public school before moving on to high school. Following the outbreak of the Second World War in the fall of 1939, David joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and received his wings in September 1941. He served on both Canadian coasts before being shipped overseas. It was while on patrol in his PBY-5 Canso flying boat off the coast of northern Scotland that the crew spotted a surfaced German U-boat. Pressing the attack, Flight Lieutenant Hornell’s aircraft was badly damaged by shelling from the enemy submarine and soon the entire starboard side of the aircraft was in flames. Nevertheless, Hornell and his crew continued the attack and ultimately destroyed the submarine. But they then found themselves in trouble. With incredible dexterity, the pilot crash-landed the severely damaged aircraft, and although almost blind, he determinedly encouraged his crew to fight off the notion that they all were doomed. After nearly twenty-one hours taking turns in the only useable rubber lifeboat, the crew was rescued. But it was too late for the badly injured David Hornell, and he soon succumbed to his injuries.

January 31, 2010