What became of John Andrews?

During the summer of 2007, I worked at Government House in St. John's. On days off, I would make use of my time at The Rooms, researching community and family history.

I had heard some talk about a Roy Decker (born 1913) of Ship Cove, but didn't recall ever meeting the man. I knew he had been born in Ship Cove and was the son of Abel and Naomi Decker. I later learned that he became a teacher, principal, Head of Math at Prince of Wales College, and Head of Extension Service at the College of Fisheries, which later became the Marine Institute, St. John's. After a rewarding career, he retired in St. John's, where he resides today.

I paid a visit to Mr. Decker last August. At the time of my visit, Mr. Decker was 94 years of age, and I was amazed at his sharp mind and physical well-being. After initial introductions, where he tried to figure out who I was and where I came from, his face lit up and he broke out in an expression of sheer joy. Having someone from Ship Cove paying him a visit was evidently a treat.

In that hour he talked and talked and I managed to get in some of the questions I had stored in the back of my mind about the early history of Ship Cove/Cape Onion. Before I left he wanted me to promise to come back and stay for a longer time, saying he would reserve a whole afternoon and tell me some old stories. I promised, and soon was checking my calendar for days that I would be available.

That day came in September, and once again, he talked and talked. Mr. Decker was born in 1913 (a young man during the 1920s), so he had an accurate memory, and was able to offer personal reflections of those times.

Roy had three brothers who served in the Forces and, knowing of my service with the Canadian Armed Forces, his interest in that subject prompted him to pipe up and say, "Listen, do you know the story about John Andrews?"

I made a few guesses, but he shook his head in the negative.

"I mean John Andrews who fought in WWI. He fought on both sides, you know."

I was taken aback, and my interest quickened at this revelation. I had never heard of anyone named John Andrews from Ship Cove who had served in WWI. He had me hooked.

I listened and he continued...but in the recesses of my mind there was a lingering doubt...I needed more than a story - I needed facts. You see, I'm an amateur historian, and I needed concrete evidence of this person's existence: A birth record, a service record, a census record, proof of address, or death and burial records.

My doubts, after being told the story of John Andrews, stayed with me until I made my way back to the United Church Archives located on Elizabeth Avenue in St. John's. Knowing that Thomas (John's father) originated from the Notre Dame Bay area, my best bet was to research the records for that area around the period of the 1880s and 1890s. I sat down with the register for Twillingate, Birth & Baptism Records, and was prepared for a long and arduous search for John Andrews. For the uninitiated, this might be considered boring, leafing through page after page of names and dates, but there are times when such a search makes everything worthwhile, and this was to be one of those times. I opened the register and scanned the first two pages, looking for the name of Andrews. Page one, nothing, page two the same, then page three, and one-third of the way down the page, it jumped out at me, the name: Andrews, John. Parents: Thomas and Emma, born January 17, 1885 at Crow Head, Twillingate.

"Jackpot!" I exclaimed, which made the attendant look up and observe, "You found something?" Indeed I had. I had found evidence of John Andrews! I was surprised, almost unbelieving, that my research had been this easy.

To Roy Decker I offer my sincere thanks.

John Andrews (born January 17, 1885, date of death unknown), was the son of Thomas (1855-1935) and Emma (nÉe Decker) (1863-1939) Andrews. Thomas and Emma married April 17, 1882. Emma was the daughter of Abel and Mary Decker, and sister to John and Henry. John Andrews had two brothers, William and Henry. Henry never married and William married Bertha Loveman (William and Bertha have many descendants, some who reside in Ship Cove today).

Life in the isolated outports in those days was anything but easy. A living was scraped from the sea; literally fishing from the beaches in small rowboats. Such was the case with the Andrews family. Thomas migrated from the Twillingate area to Ship Cove and fished the area, where he met and married Emma Decker in 1882. They must have moved back and forth between Ship Cove and Notre Dame Bay, because records show that John was born at Crow Head, Twillingate; William was born at Cape Onion; and Henry at Horse Islands, Notre Dame Bay.

While fishing in Ship Cove, it was common to see Emma working the makeshift splitting table on the beach with her husband, and it was rumoured that she smoked a pipe, just like a man. In these austere conditions John Andrews grew up, and when he became a man, he sought his own brand of adventure by enlisting in the Newfoundland Naval Reserve.

So, what became of John Andrews?

John Andrews was a member of the Newfoundland Naval Reserve in the years prior to World War I, and was required to report to St. John's each summer for four weeks of training. After the training was completed, these reservists would be sent back to their home outports and were on call for active duty.

In the summer of 1914 John Andrews was called into St. John's for training and, having finished, planned to make his way home. He departed St. John's and made it as far as Bell Island, Conception Bay, hoping to find transportation heading north to the community of Ship Cove.

Iron ore mines on Bell Island, at that time, were exporting ship-loads of ore overseas. One of the importing countries was Germany. Germany and Great Britain, in the years leading up to the Great War, were in an arms race, building naval fleets.

While John was at Bell Island, waiting for some sort of passage to points north, he befriended a group of German sailors from a German carrier who were taking on a load of ore for transport back to Germany. John's new friends asked him if he would like to accompany them to Germany for a visit, as their ship was scheduled to return to Bell Island for another load in a month's time. John agreed.

A little aside about John Andrews. He was described as a man of the sea, which meant the sea was his life. Whether on it or near it, he cherished its smells, sights, and sounds. 'His veins flowed with salt water', as the saying goes. To John, life away from the sea was a life not truly lived.

So, John Andrews sailed away from Newfoundland and visited with his new friends in Germany, but, dramatically, when hostilities broke out in Europe, the Great War intervened, cutting a sudden swath through the day-to-day life of commerce and shipping between nations. John, a British subject and member of the Newfoundland Naval Reserve, found himself in Germany, suddenly among hostile people, friendless, and alone.

The Germans arrested him, locked him up, and held him as prisoner, where he languished in the lockup and wondered what was to happen to him. Imprisoned, with no access to the sea, no ability to sail the oceans, John thought his life was not worth living. What could he do? In a very short time, he started complaining to his captors, to the guards, and to anyone who would listen. Over and over, he cried out, "I can't live here, the sea is my life, and I need to be a sailor!"

However long this complaining went on is not known, but, someone must have heard him and offered him a deal: He was released from prison and joined the German Navy!

Where and on what ships he may have served is not known, but, on May 31, 1916, Britain's Grand Fleet and the German Imperial Navy met in the North Sea west of the Jutland Peninsula off Denmark. The largest naval battle of all time ensued; the two forces pummelled one other fiercely. Losses were heavy on both sides - in both ships and personnel. The skirmish ended with the Germans fleeing to the North Sea port of Willemshaven. The British fleet, albeit with greater losses than the German fleet, maintained its mastery of the seas for the remainder of the war.

On a German ship in this battle was our John Andrews. His ship was sunk, and when the British started to pick up survivors, he was fished from the seas along with the German sailors. He was now considered a POW (prisoner of war) and was taken to England, where he was detained as an enemy of King and country.

Once again, John was locked up and held prisoner, where he languished in jail and wondered what was to become of him. Imprisoned, with no access to the sea, no ability to sail the oceans, John thought his life was not worth living. What could he do? In a very short time, he started complaining to his captors, to the guards, and to anyone who would listen. The guards at first were somewhat bewildered by John Andrews, for here was a 'German', captured from the Jutland naval battle, yet he was speaking some strange dialect of English and claiming to be a British subject!

This relentless complaining on John's part led to a review of his claims and, sure enough, it was discovered that John Andrews was indeed a British subject, a resident of Newfoundland, and a member of the Newfoundland Naval Reserve. He was subsequently released and re-enrolled in the Royal Navy and served out the balance of the war, sailing the high seas under the British flag.

* * *

When the war ended, John Andrews was repatriated, landing at St. John's, where he prepared for demobilization. John was not the only serviceman from the Ship Cove/Cape Onion area; half a dozen other members were to make their way back home that summer.

Family members and the community in general waited with anticipation for their local heroes, whose return was cause for much discussion on the wharves and stages and over cups of tea around tables in the small fishing village. One by one, the soldiers and sailors returned, but weeks went by and there was no sign of John.

Finally, a telegram was received overland from St. Anthony, and the telegram was from John Andrews in St. John's, requesting ten dollars for passage home. Ten dollars in 1919 was no small amount, especially to a fishing family in outport Newfoundland. Nevertheless, the money was somehow collected and wired to St. John's.

But John Andrews was never heard from, or seen, again.

* * *

What happened to John Andrews? To this date, no death or cemetery records can be found for this Ship Cove native.

Did he decide to remain in the city of St. John's, or did he sign onto a foreign ship and sail away on another adventure?

Whatever he did, we can certainly conclude that John lived a life that is every young man's dream, and every old man's fond recollection.

* * *

(Leonard Tucker resides at Ship Cove. Anyone who may have any new information about John Andrews can contact him. He can be reached by e-mail at mewstone@sympatico.ca)