This First Person column is written by CBC journalist Richard Woodbury, who lives in Halifax. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.

My paternal grandfather died more than a decade before I was born, meaning I never got to meet him.

So, imagine my shock when the first time I heard his voice was through a transcript in which his words described what was likely the worst day of his life.

On March 26, 1941, Able Seaman Eric Arthur Woodbury was one of 41 people aboa…