The Speedy Painting
This is the most familiar image we have regarding HMS Speedy. It is a painting from C.H.J. Snider which was created to support his story, "The Loss of the Speedy", which appeared in his column, "Schooner Days", in the Toronto Telegram in 1949. In fact, the work was a collaboration. Snider did the initial sketch, using his knowledge in marine history to show all the details he believed would have been part of HMS Speedy and then, Owen Staples, a well known Toronto artist, added the water colours to produce this powerful image.
"The Loss of the Speedy" in "Schooner Days"
Snider's column in the Telegram, called "Schooner Days" included more than 1,300 articles about marine history, boat races and regattas as well as archaeological work involving underwater shipwrecks. The story about the Speedy would seem obvious for Snider and it appeared in his column in 1949 as a dramatic and entertaining piece which is downloadable here as a 13-page PDF. The author has not used this document as a source for writing the current book about the Speedy, although many details match in this account with others, suggesting that Snider collected material from the known sources of the time. However, it is clear that his intent was to write a terrific story, and he did. The copy I am providing is not beautifully formatted, but includes a legible, typed version of the work. These pages were found in Ed Burtt's collection of papers, and a note attached suggested it was sent to Ed by Larry Turner of Presqu'ile Provincial Park in 1977. The same document can be obtained at the Archives of Ontario.
| the_loss_of_the_speedy_by_chj_snider.pdf |
| bio_of_chj_snider_from_ao.pdf |