Frederick William Wallace, (1886-1958)writer and more

[Felix C]

Recently read two of his book and enjoy them. His wiki page indicates command of a Q.ship in the war. Any info on him? 

[KizmeRD]

He moved to Canada from Scotland at the age of 8, and after leaving school he got a job as a clerk in a shipping firm. He later became a freelance writer of sea stories, and in 1913 he founded the monthly journal ‘The Canadian Fisherman’. Then in 1915 he helped organise the Canadian Fisheries Association, serving as its Secretary until 1922.

Wikipedia claims that during the Great War he commanded a ‘Q’ ship, however I can find no evidence of this, and (despite a strong and enduring love for the sea and for naval history in general) there’s really nothing that suggests he was ever actually employed as a seafarer (mercantile marine, fisherman, or navy). Perhaps its just publishers hype in order to sell books? (he doesn’t appear to have made such claims personally). I hope others might prove me wrong, and that what’s stated in Wiki is in fact correct.

MB

 

Edited 14 September , 2023 by KizmeRD

[horatio2]

Supporting the sceptical view of  @KizmeRD is the fact that there is no trace of WW1 medals being issued to a naval officer of that name. A Q-ship command would have required a naval commission.

[KizmeRD]

Does anyone have access to Nova Scotia Historical Society Journal (Volume 4, 2001)?
M. Brook Taylor wrote article in it entitled ‘The making of an Iron Man’ which purports to be a biographical account of Wallace’s life.

MB

edit

M. Brook Taylor appears to be the source of the claim that F. William Wallace commanded a Q-ship during the war. He says so in the preface of ‘Captain Salvation’ (re-published in July 2005, long after the author’s death).  Apparently Wallace was Captain of the schooner/Q-ship Alfred J. Lutz (Digby N.S.) and had served at sea for six years beforehand???

M. Brook Taylor is/was a member of the History Department at Mount St. Vincent University, so hopefully he doesn’t make unsubstantiated claims in print.

 

Edited 14 September , 2023 by KizmeRD

[horatio2]

Interesting. Per Dittmar and Colledge  -  "ALBERT J. LUTZ, decoy or Q-ship, schooner conversion. Built 1908, 95 registered tons. In service 6.7.17-22.11.17, armament not listed."

Only four months Q-ship service apparently. https://beatoninstitute.com/albert-j-lutz-schooner 

 

Edited 14 September , 2023 by horatio2

[KizmeRD]

Seems improbable to me that a Canadian author of sea stories was simultaneously publishing books, editing a monthly fishing industry journal, and acting as Secretary of the Canadian Fishing Association in addition to being a naval officer commanding a wartime Q-Ship. There’s no evidence that F. William Wallace was ever a naval officer, or had any entitlement to war medals.

MB

 

Edited 14 September , 2023 by KizmeRD

[KizmeRD]

Curiously there may be a glimmer of truth to the story - people interested should try and get hold of a copy of THE MYSTERY SHIPS OF NOVA SCOTIA IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR written by JOHN N. GRANT and published last year.

Apparently there were a group of people in Canada who sort to emulate somewhat what the Royal Navy had been doing on the other side of the Atlantic, so during the second-half of the year 1917 a small fleet of six schooners was assembled from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to act as bait for German U-boats in Canadian waters. This small fleet of quasi “Q” ships included the ‘Albert J. Lutz’ (which was armed with a single 12-pounder deck gun). Their exploits appear to have sailed into obscurity, without acknowledgement from either the Canadian government, or the Royal Navy.

MB

Edited 14 September , 2023 by KizmeRD

[Felix C]

Many Thanks. FWW did leave an autobio, Roving Fisherman : An Autobiography. Recounting Personal Experiences in the Commercial Fishing Fleets and Fish Industry of Canada and the United State s 1911-1924. Too much $$$. Many in libraries. Maybe he details wartime too.

[KizmeRD]

It would appear that between 1911 and 1917, Frederick William Wallace made seven voyages aboard Canadian East Coast fishing schooners (although not as a regular crew member) - instead, he took a camera with him, in order to write down and record in pictures what life was like for fishermen working out on the Grand Banks during the last days of sail. It seems that his final trip out to the Banks in 1917 may well have been aboard the ‘Albert J.Lutz’,  but he was still nevertheless only a supernumerary (civilian) - and not ever ‘in command’ of a ship in naval service.
Throughout his life wrote a number of novels based on the sea, and also contributed many articles in magazines (including National Geographic). He also wrote a couple of factual histories chronicling Nova Scotia and Newfoundland sailing vessels too.  He was the son of a Master Mariner, a great supporter of the Canadian fishing industry, and an accomplished naval writer and photographer. He deserves to be remembered.

MB
 

[horatio2]

Many thanks for that background research, @KizmeRD.