Dalhousie veteran remembered for his fight for merchant navy recognition
CBC
When Aurelle Ferlatte returned to New Brunswick after fighting in the Second World War, more than 1,600 of his fellow Canadians in the merchant navy had died at sea.
But it would take over 50 years before their sacrifice and service was fully recognized. When the merchant navy returned, they didn't have official status as veterans and were ineligible for health care, pensions, education benefits and loans.
Canada's merchant mariners served on more than 25,000 cross-Atlantic trips during the Second World War, transporting munitions and supplies to Europe.
After the war, Ferlatte fought for decades with the federal government to change that. In his hometown of Dalhousie, N.B., family, veterans and community members say they're thinking of his contributions on the first Remembrance Day without him, after he died in June at the age of 94.
Guy Ferlatte, his younger brother, said he still remembers the day Aurelle returned home.
"We were very proud of him. He had his big suitcase full of stuff that he had bought for everyone at home," said Ferlatte.
He said Aurelle used the death certificate of a brother to enlist at just 16 years old. The minimum age to join at the time was 17, but that didn't stop him. He became a radio operator and went overseas for several years.
"He had been around the world a couple of times, he had some scary experiences," Guy Ferlatte said.
Guy Ferlatte said his older brother didn't speak much about his war experiences until later in life, when he started to share stories.
He recalls hearing about the time when Aurelle went to get something from the ship's cargo hold, only to have the hatch close on him because of a bombing.
"He was there for 24 hours in the dark with the rats ... that was the scariest experience he ever had," said Ferlatte.
After the war ended, Aurelle had trouble getting a ship back home, because many of the merchant vessels were sold.
"The only reason the ship came back for him is because he was the only radio operator and they needed him for the ship," Guy Ferlatte said.
After returning to Dalhousie, Aurelle Ferlatte kept busy as an entrepreneur running several local businesses, worked as a trade unionist with the Canadian Paperworkers Union and was involved in politics.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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