THUNDER BAY – The Second World War might have been lost were it not for the efforts of Canada’s Merchant Navy.
The men and women who sailed across the Atlantic delivering much needed supplies to fuel the Allies’ war effort, were a vital cog in the victory over Germany, helping keep the troops fed and vehicles gassed up.
More than 1,600 paid the ultimate sacrifice and more than 75 ships were lost over the course of the war, which lasted from 1939 to 1945.
Merchant Navy ships were targeted by German U-Boats throughout the duration of the conflict, often attacking convoys of ships that often went unprotected, the Royal Canadian Navy occupied with other tasks and unable to provide support.
Terry Christiansen, whose father Thornley made 16 journeys across the Atlantic with the Merchant Navy, said
“The Merchant Navy wasn’t always supported by the navy. Lots of times they were going across without escorts and this and that,” he said on Friday, after helping raise the Red Ensign flag, also known as the Red Duster, outside of Thunder Bay city hall.
“I’m proud of my father for what he did and I’m proud of other merchant navy members did too. We just have it in our memory or else we lose everything,” said another of Thornley Christiansen’s offspring, son Chris.
It’s been 22 years since the Canadian government officially recognized Sept. 3 as Canadian Merchant Navy Day, in part because of the efforts of Thornley Christiansen, who was instrumental in the forming of the Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association.
The group has fought for the rights and for compensation for Merchant Navy veterans as well as for memorials paying tribute to merchant seaman who served their country, largely volunteering to venture out onto the Atlantic.
A memorial flagpole is in place on the banks of the Kam River near the Fort William Rowing Club and a plaque has been installed at St. Thomas Anglican Church.
