The Postwar Treatment of Canada's Second World War
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‘THE KISS OF DEATH BESTOWED WITH GRATITUDE’: THE POSTWAR TREATMENT OF CANADA’S SECOND WORLD WAR MERCHANT NAVY, REDRESS, AND THE NEGOTIATION OF VETERAN IDENTITY by MATTHEW MOORE A thesis submitted to Carleton University in fulfillment of the requirements for the course HIST 5909, as credit toward the degree of Master of Arts in History – History Department of History Carleton University Ottawa, Canada August 31, 2015 © Copyright, 2015, Matthew Moore ii Abstract This thesis focuses on the Merchant Navy’s redress campaign and appraises shifting government attitudes towards the mariners in veterans’ legislation. It traces the wartime experience of the mariners and discusses their postwar treatment. By examining the factors that contributed to the mariners’ initial exclusion as veterans, this study sheds light on the complex process whereby the state evaluates and then reassesses what is owed to those who serve. It demonstrates that concepts of “veteranhood” are fluid, and, that in the case of the Merchant Navy, once neglected wartime narratives can be reincorporated into the nation’s military past. In the case of the Merchant Navy, renewed public engagement with Canada’s social memory of its involvement in two world wars helped the merchant seamen find an audience willing to validate their claims. This study of Merchant Navy redress serves as an exploration into the nature of the state-veteran relationship. iii Acknowledgements Like most historical work this thesis has benefited tremendously from the help of others. I would like to express my gratitude first and foremost to my supervisors, Drs. John Walsh and Tim Cook whose expertise, understanding, and patience added considerably to my graduate experience. In particular, Dr. Cook’s vast knowledge and skill in the field of Canadian military history and war memory studies helped create focus and vision for my project. Without the constant support of my supervisors this project would not have been possible. My thanks also extends to the members of my defence committee, Dr. Serge Durflinger, acting as my external reader, and Dr. Norman Hillmer. Both professors volunteered their efforts during a busy time of year and helped provide my work with additional insights. I would like to acknowledge the generosity of the Department of History at Carleton University and thank the staff for offering such a collegial environment. My growth as a historian owes much to the conversations and inquiries that took place in its halls. For financial support I would like to thank the Connolly family for the generosity and support of the Helen and Joe Connolly Bursary and the anonymous donor of the Shannon Scholarship in Canadian Social History, both offered through Carleton University’s history department. In addition, I received ceaseless aid in navigating the complex corridors of graduate studies from Joan White, whose tireless efforts and encouragement as graduate secretary deserve much praise. For access to private papers I am indebted to Bruce Ferguson, president of the Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association (CMNVA), and Betty Spry, the organization’s national secretary and treasurer. I also thank Tom Brookes, Stéphane Ouelette, Morley Verdier, and Velma Emberly for helping connect me with Canada’s remaining Merchant Navy community. In particular, I would like to thank Phillip Etter, Donald Baker, Randolph Hope, Frank Grant, and Willis Marsolais for contributing their wartime memories and private documents to my research. For help exploring the public archives and records at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and the Directorate of History and Heritage at the Department of National Defence (DND/DHH), I am indebted to military archivist Paul Marsden and Dr. Stephen Harris. In addition, I received guidance in navigating public records from Josée Thérien, clerk at the Canadian Senate, and Frances Montgomery, federal document specialist at the Carleton University library, both of whom enabled me to more aptly explore the topic of Merchant Navy redress in the Canadian Senate, the House of Commons, and the various committees in which the topic was debated. This work required the opening up of a great deal of records. Evelyn Marshall, Tom Marshall, and archivist Michael Macdonald deserve much praise for helping me access the late Senator Jack Marshall’s fonds at LAC. Michelle Felice from Historica- Canada assisted me in obtaining oral history interviews from the Memory Project and Johanne Waites helped me access files from Veterans Affairs Canada through formal Access to Information Protocols (ATIPS). Jean-Françoic Couolmbe at LAC also iv provided much guidance and ensured further success in ATIP requests at the national archives. Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to thank my family and friends for the endless support they provided me throughout the process. In particular, I must acknowledge my long-term partner and best friend Julia, whose love and encouragement were second to none in motivating me from start to finish. v Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents v List of Abbreviations vi Introduction 1 Chapter 1: “Virtually an Arm of the Fighting Services.” 20 Chapter 2: “The kiss of death bestowed with gratitude.” 58 Chapter 3: “Vanished from the public consciousness.” 92 Chapter 4: “It’s almost too late.” 112 Conclusion 145 Bibliography 150 Appendix A: Ethics Approval Form 161 vi Abbreviations ANAVETS – The Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada BPA – Bureau of Pension Advocates CBC – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CGMM – Canadian Government Merchant Marine CMC – Canadian Maritime Commission CMMC – Company of Master Mariners of Canada CMNA – Canadian Merchant Navy Association CMNPOWA – Canadian Merchant Navy Prisoner of War Association CMNVA – Canadian Merchant Navy Veteran Association CSB – Canadian Shipping Board CSU – Canadian Seamen’s Union D.E.M.S. – Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships DPNH – Department of National Health DVA – Department of Veterans Affairs GACDR – General Advisory Committee on Demobilization and Rehabilitation ICMSP – Interdepartmental Committee on Merchant Shipping Policy LPP – Labour Progressive Party MNA – Merchant Navy Association MOMP - Mid Ocean Meeting Point MSO – Merchant Seamen’s Order NBS – Naval Boarding Services NCS – Naval Control of Shipping NCVA – National Council of Veterans Associations in Canada NEF – Newfoundland Escort Force NSHQ – Naval Services Head Quarters P.C. – Privy Council P.O.W. – Prisoner of War PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder RCN – Royal Canadian Navy R.C.N.V.R. – Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve RN – Royal Navy SAPA – Sir Arthur Pearson Association of War Blinded SCONDVA – Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs SIU – Seafarers International Union UMA – United Maritime Authority U.S.M.C. – United States Maritime Commission USN – United States Navy VIP – Veterans’ Independence Program VLA – Veterans’ Land Act 1 Introduction: “We are the men that saved the world,” exclaimed Ossie MacLean during an interview with the CBC conducted from the footsteps of Parliament Hill on October 1, 1998.1 MacLean was the leader of a small group of Merchant Navy veterans who staged two hunger strikes on Parliament Hill in the fall of 1998 in an effort to secure compensation for veterans’ benefits that the mariners had been denied at the end of the Second World War. The desperate plea from the aging wartime sailors – all in their seventies or older - was part of a long-running redress campaign from Canada’s wartime mariners. Ward Duke, one of MacLean’s fellow strikers, stated on national television that his motivation to go on a hunger strike was that “when the war was over they [the federal government] told me I wasn’t a veteran.”2 He and his comrades had spent decades living with that stigma and were desperate to reverse it. They saw themselves as veterans of the war and they wanted the recognition and compensation. The struggle fought on behalf of the Canadian Merchant Navy veterans following the Second World War for recognition of their unique and essential wartime service was long and arduous. It has yet to receive proper attention from historians even though the fight for rights spanned more than fifty-five years, culminating in 2000 with the extension of full veteran status to the mariners. The decision to grant full rights to the merchant seamen marked a complete policy reversal on the government’s behalf and signified a reassessment of the Canadian Merchant Navy’s place within Canada’s memory of the Second World War. The key focus of this thesis is to explore the mariners’ redress 1 CBC, Morningside Radio, “Merchant seamen stage hunger strike on Parliament Hill,” October 1, 1998. Accessed via http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/merchant-seamen-stage-hunger-strike-on-parliament-hill [August 15, 2015]. 2 CBC, The National, “Merchant mariners stage second hunger strike,” November 25, 1998. Accessed via http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/merchant-mariners-stage-second-hunger-strike [August 17, 2015]. 2 campaign, fought mainly from 1989 to 2000, in order to explore how this was achieved as part of a foray into the negotiation of veteran identity, rights and entitlements in post- Second World War Canada. To set the context, the thesis will provide an overview of the wartime and postwar treatment the mariners received at the hands of the federal government. Unlike the Canadian armed forces the Merchant Navy was not a military service arm but part of a civilian industry. In peace, it operated under normal market conditions but in war it was controlled by the Canadian government and became part of a complex web of military and civilian shipping operations directed mainly by the Royal Navy. In Canada, the small industry underwent rapid expansion to meet the wartime needs of the nation and its allies. The government encouraged young men to serve and by the midpoint of the war stringent new measures were put in place by the government to make it difficult for merchant crews to opt out of their work.