Arnold Schildknecht was born around 1915, the son of Mrs. Grace Martell of Port Franks, Ontario. His grandfather was Charles J.H. Smith, and his Uncle Hubert H. and Aunt Agnes M. all lived in Port Franks. His brother was Henry Schildknecht, who during the war, served aboard the SS Calgarian. Arnold’s half-brother was James Martell. Arnold attended Sarnia Collegiate from 1927-1930. At wartime, recording his occupation as a labourer and residence as Port Franks, he joined the Canadian Merchant Navy. He would later serve aboard the SS Indier (Belgium) as Able Seaman. The ship was a steam transport carrier of 5409 tonnes completed in August 1918 as British War Redcap for Shipping Controller. In 1919, it was transferred to a company based out of Antwerp, Belgium, and renamed the SS Indier, a WWI B-class standard cargo ship.
In April of 1941, the SS Indier was en route from Philadelphia, New York, Halifax to Glasgow, with a cargo of 6300 tons of steel and general cargo, part of convoy SC-26. In the mid-Atlantic, south-southwest of Iceland, on April 3, 1941, at 5:08 am, German U-boat U-73 hit the British steam cargo ship SS Westpool in the convoy with one torpedo. One minute later, the U-boat missed a presumed armed merchant carrier with another torpedo. The SS Westpool sank in less than one minute. Thirty-five of a crew of forty-five aboard the Westpool were lost. At 5:12 am, U-73 fired a third torpedo, which struck the Indier under the bridge, causing the ship to sink within one minute over the bow. Forty-two of the Indier crew were lost. Four survivors were picked up and landed at Liverpool. Arnold Schildknecht was one of the crew of the Indier lost at sea. Twenty-six year old Arnold Schildknecht has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia, Canada, Panel 19. Arnold Schildknecht’s name is also inscribed on the Thedford cenotaph in the Village of Thedford.
SOURCES: C, D, E, G, L, N, P, 2C, 2D