THUNDER BAY - Under a grey sky and misting rain, the flag known as the Red Duster was raised to commemorate the men who sacrificed their lives during the Second World War to keep the allied powers fighting.
“They sacrificed their lives actually for the freedom we have today,” said Russell Christiansen. “They were part of the one big collaboration of everyone.”
On Tuesday, city officials and family members of veterans raised the Red Ensign, or Red Duster, which was flown by the Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War.
The flag has been raised outside city hall every year for the past 19 years after the Canadian government officially declared Sept. 3 as Canadian Merchant Navy Day.
Thornley Christiansen, a veteran of the Canadian Merchant Navy and member of the Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association, worked for years to bring recognition to the thousands of mariners who risked their lives during the war.
Now Thornley’s sons, Russell and Chris, continue on the tradition to honour the hard work of their father and the other veterans to mark the day by raising the flag at city hall.
“It was a commemorative effort by all seamen across Canada to have a day honoured just for them,” Christiansen said. “Just for people to remember the sacrifice the merchant seamen put into the war, but also all veterans of the war.”
The Canadian Merchant Navy was tasked with transporting supplies from Canada and the United States to the United Kingdom to carry on the war effort in Europe.
Mariners faced many dangers during the journey across the ocean, from treacherous weather in the North Atlantic, to German U-Boats lurking beneath the waves and attacking allied convoys in what was known as wolf-packs.
“You have to realize when they were crossing the ocean, they really had no protection,” Chris Christiansen said. “They were just supply ships, but those supplies were just as important as anything else.”
Throughout the war, Canada lost more than 1,600 merchant seamen aboard 75 ships.
Thornley Christiansen made 16 journeys across the ocean and while his ship was never attacked, he did see ships go down beneath the waves, which is something he did not talk about often.
“He liked to talk about the happy things,” Chris Christiansen said. “He was very proud. And the only way to stay proud is to carry on the traditions.”
