Wreaths laid to honour fallen members of Canada's Merchant Navy in Second World War

Wreaths were laid at the Winnipeg Cenotaph Tuesday to honour a sector of fallen Manitobans who died while convoying essential goods and personnel during the Second World War.

Sept. 3 marked Merchant Navy Veterans Day in Canada - an occasion to honour the 12,000 volunteer men and women who crewed vessels that carried essential personnel, equipment and supplies across the globe while pursued by enemy U-Boats during the war's Battle of the Atlantic.

Dwight MacAulay, honorary consul for the United Kingdom, said members of the Merchant Navy paid a higher price per capita than any other discipline in the Second World War, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

"These merchant ships weren't armed - they just were loaded with clothing, foods, military materials and military personnel as part of the Allied war effort," he told CTV News Winnipeg.

"For six years, they sailed across the Atlantic, really in very dangerous circumstances."

Honorary Consul for the United Kingdom Dwight MacAulay is pictured at a Sept. 3, 2024 ceremony at the Winnipeg Cenotaph to mark Merchant Navy Veterans Day. (Daniel Timmerman/CTV News Winnipeg)

About 1,500 Canadians serving the Canadian Merchant Navy died and 59 ships were lost during the Second World War.

Andrew Paterson, the president and CEO of Paterson Global Foods, laid a wreath at the ceremony. His family's company, then a shipping outfit, has a special connection to the Merchant Navy. In 1939, Paterson's grandfather volunteered the company's fleet of ships to the war effort. About 70 men died at sea while serving on the company’s ships, he said.

"For me, it's because these men were serving our company. These men were just workers that volunteered for a very dangerous job, and convoy duty was one of the most dangerous jobs in the war," he said.

MacAulay hopes this will become an annual event in Manitoba, as the Merchant Navy played a vital role in securing a victory.

"I think it's only fitting," he said.

"We do have Remembrance Day to honour all of the fallen, but the Merchant Navy is not considered part of the Navy or the Army or the Air Force. They are just basically an add-on but nevertheless, a very, very important sector that was part of the Allied victory in World War II."

Attendees of a ceremony to honour Merchant Navy Veterans Day are pictured at the Winnipeg Cenotaph on Sept. 3, 2024. (Daniel Timmerman/CTV News Winnipeg)