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[Woman aboard]

In September 1953, a young woman, Lilian Saudemont, tried to get to Canada on the Norwegian cargo vessel Loeksefell. After an medical examination by the Canadian immigrant services, she had to return to Ostend.

Still willing to move to Canada, she tried again. In 1955, her father asked the company N.V. Motorvisserij if there was work for his son, Leon. There was no work at this time for him, but they wrote down his name and address for the case they would need someone in the future.

A few weeks later, just before the O.305 François Musin left for Iceland, they noticed they were missing a crew member, so they called Leon Saudemont. A couple of miles from the coast, when Leon entered the bridge, Captain Free Wolle asked her identity cards, since she was sailing for the first time. While reading the name 'Leon Saudemont', he immediately taught about the 1953 story about Leontine. He asked if she was perhaps not Leontine, instead of Leon. She ignored that question, so he proposed a medical examination, since he was the captain. She ran outside, started crying. Free knew he had a woman aboard and called the harbour authorities. The vessel returned an another crew member was taken aboard. The company never put any charge against Leontine Saudemont.

(c) Frederic Logghe - 2005-2007
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