Fentum, Albert

Albert Fentum was born April 6, 1925 in London, England, in the Lewisham neighbourhood. He attended school, and like the rest of the family, he lived day-to-day during the Great Depression. Early in the war, Albert experienced the Blitz. It prompted him and a friend to join the Royal Marines. After going through vigourous training, Albert was posted to a cruiser, the HMS Sheffield.   The Sheffield saw action all over the North Atlantic, and it was as well heavily involved in defending the Arctic convoys.  Basic duties included convoy protection, and the ship also was engaged in a number of actions against German ships, including the Scharnhorst.  After being damaged at sea, the Sheffield was sent to Boston for repairs, and the war came to an end while she was in port.  While there, Albert met Marie, and fell in love, but once the ship was repaired he went home to London, where he was decommissioned and he rejoined civilian life.  A few years later, he saw a travel agent ad for Canada, and he made his way here, where he has been ever since. Albert now lives in the Sunnybrook Veterans’ Wing, where a delegation of Crestwood students visited him in January 2020.