Memorial wall of plaques and photos unveiled and dedicated at Chapleau Royal Canadian Legion Hall in 1947

Memorial plaques and photos of the Chapleau boys who gave their lives in World War I and World War II were unveiled and dedicated in an "impressive ceremony" in the Royal Canadian Legion Hall at Remembrance Day 1947, according to a Chapleau Post story.

(I have included photo of the plaque at Chapleau High School)

Victory in Europe Day, more commonly referred to as V-E Day was on May 8, 1945, and Branch No. 5 was honouring its fallen just two years later  on November 11 . 

The Chapleau Post reported that the upstairs hall was filled to capacity for the ceremony with relatives of those being honoured seated in a reserved section. 

Over 100 Legion members paraded into the hall taking their places as a Guard of Honour standing on either side of the hall.

The ceremony was officially opened by D.T. 'Toddy' Collinson, the branch president, and son of George Collinson, a World War I veteran who participated in the founding of Branch No. 5. Veteran Bill Stedman also spoke.

Msgr Romeo Gascon of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church spoke on the significance of Remembrance Day, focusing on the significance of those who gave their lives.

The plaques, one with the names of those who died in World War I and the other in World War II were unveiled from behind the dark maroon curtains, and dedicated by Rev. H.W. Strapp, of Trinity United Church. The photos were included in the dedication.

Canon H.A. Sims, of St. John's Anglican Church, and a World War I veteran, gave the benediction.

Following the ceremony, the Chapleau Post reported that many favourable comments were made about the arrangement of the plaques and photos covering an entire wall.

I don't recall if I attended this ceremony with my mother Muriel E Morris, and my grandparents Lil and Harry Morris and George and Edythe Hunt. I was six years old.

As most readers know my father James Morris was killed on active service in the RCAF in World War II on July 16, 1943. My grandfather Harry Morris served in the Canadian Forces in World War I, and my grandmother Edythe Hunt, served as a nurse attached to the British Army in England in World War II.

However, this memorial wall remains a special place for me to this day. In 2015 when I was home to launch 'The Chapleau Boys Go To War" with my co-author Michael McMullen, we had a book signing downstairs.

I slipped away and went upstairs and gently pulled back the curtains, and had my own personal moment of silence, not only thinking of my father, but all those from Chapleau, especially those who did not come home. They shall grow not old!

In 1947, at the branch's annual meeting, J.M. 'Jack' Shoup was elected president. Mr. Shoup had served in World War I and II. Other officers included first vice president Henry Therriault, second vice president Rene Aquin, secretary Toddy Collinson and treasurer Fred Matters. 

Auditors were Harry Searle, a World War I veteran who led the Chapleau delegation to Winnipeg in 1925 for the founding of the Legion, served as first branch president and after whom the branch was eventually named; George Collinson and Steve Therriault. The executive committee included Mr. Searle, Mr. Steve Therriault, Ovide Cote, Willard Morrison and Walter Steed.

I have only included photos of those who died from World War II, but will share those from World War I, closer to the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I on November 11 this year. Photos were not available for Leonard Brough, Harold Chandler, Angus Dawson, Frank Matchequis, F. Sheshewabic, Bernham Thorpe.

After Mr. Shoup became president, he gave a speech to the members, reminding them that they still had a "duty to serve." And they sure have, in every aspect of community life!  With a renovation program of the hall currently underway, today's members continue to do so!  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old"

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

from "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

James E. Morris

On July 16, 1943, a Wellington bomber took off from an air force base in England. It was to be a short test flight around the airfield only.

The last entry in the pilot's log book written later by the squadron's wing commander was, "Aircraft exploded in air."

The usual telegram was sent by the war office, expressing regret that Flying Officer James E. Morris was killed while on active service in the Royal Canadian Air Force, July 16,1943. Similar messages would have been sent to the families of my father's crew who were on the flight with him.

The messages of condolences from the King and Queen, the government of Canada and others would come later, full of words like "a grateful nation," "supreme sacrifice," "for King and country."

Although I didn't know it at the time, July 16, 1943, was destined to be the most significant turning point in my life, and I wasn't even two years old when my father's plane exploded in air and crashed over the English countryside during World War II.

Muriel and Jim Morris

In fact, that date had a profound effect on my entire family. Nobody was ever quite the same again. Of course, in 1943, I wasn't really aware of what life was like for my mother, Muriel E. (Hunt) Morris, my grandparents Harry and Lil Morris and George and Edith Hunt, my father's sister Marion, and the close relationship they all had. When my father was killed we were in Chapleau living with Mom's sister Elsie and her husband B.W. Zufelt and their children. Part of the time we would be at my grandparents.

My grandmother Hunt was in England at the time working as a war nurse and my father had visited her the weekend before he was killed. She attended his funeral and burial in Ripon Cemetery, Yorkshire, England. Grandpa Hunt was with us in Chapleau.

My father, like so many who joined Canada's armed forces during World War II was an ordinary Canadian from a small town, in his case, Chapleau, Ontario where he was born and raised, called upon to perform the exceptional. There was absolutely no doubt in their minds whatsoever that it was the right thing for them to do.

After his death, The Evening Telegram of Toronto reported that my father took to flying in his early teens and became associated with several of Canada's early bush pilots who were operating in the Chapleau area. Actually he was going down to the waterfront and getting rides and learning to fly planes, thinking that my grandmother didn't know what was going on. But she did. Mothers always know!  He earned his first pilot's license at the Fort William Flying Club.

In 1940 my father enlisted in the RCAF at Moncton, New Brunswick. He became a flying instructor and was posted to No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School at Mount Hope. He was among the first instructors in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. In 1942 he went overseas.

Flying Officer Jim Morris in England

My mother who likely never missed a Remembrance Day service in Chapleau, once told me that "Every day is remembrance day."

 I received an email from Stephen Hayter, executive director, of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon, Manitoba. Mr. Hayter wrote in part:
"The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum would be honoured to welcome your father's RCAF material into our collection.
"It is your father's story that we wish to preserve for future generations. I am so glad that you discovered us...
"Your father's name is also listed in our memorial book "They Shall Grow Not Old" which also states that he was part of #432 Leaside Squadron (Saevitir Ad Lucem), and that his Wellington aircraft #JA 119 crashed one and one half miles west of Malton, Yorkshire."  (http://www.airmuseum.ca/)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left have grown older. We will always remember them!

My email is mj.morris@live.ca
Please feel free to write me.

Fascinating nicknames abounded in Chapleau

Boo and Butch! Buttons and Babe! Jiggs and Gussie! Hoss and Killer! And Aunty Moo too!



After I wrote a piece about names I have been called in my life, several suggested I write about nicknames used in Chapleau over the years, and so with the help of Robert Jardine, Gail (Coulter) Cyr and others, I decided to have a go at it. Let's call this piece a starting point, and we shall see where it goes. By no means am I attempting to provide all the nicknames --- you can send me your list in fact, and you don't have to be from Chapleau to participate.

Link to my first story on names: http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.com/2009/02/names-ive-been-called.html

And if I have made any spelling or other errors just let me know and I will make corrections. All nicknames were used with utmost respect and friendship as they are here. I was raised among all these people and to badly misquote the Spanish philosopher Cervantes, there is something about the people in the village that you don't always find in the City. They care about each other very deeply and nicknames are certainly terms of affection.

I started with "Boo" and "Butch" simply because they are of my generation of Chapleauites. Harry "Boo" Hong, who died a few years ago now, was a member of one of Chapleau's oldest and popular families, and if my memory serves me right, the family with the oldest continuous business in Chapleau -- Jimmy Hong, Boo's brother, still operates Hongers, founded as the Boston Cafe by their parents.

"Butch" is Harry Pellow, who was Boo's lifetime friend, and is also a member of one of Chapleau's oldest families. Harry now lives in Toronto where he has operated his own architectural firm for 30 years. Butch was the architect for the Chapleau Civic Centre, Chapleau Recreation Centre, Cedar Grove Lodge, Chapleau General Hospital and the golf clubhouse.

Gail (Coulter) Cyr reminded me of the nicknames in the Chambers family who really dominated the local sports scene after World War II. They played fastball, Garth "Tee" and Keith "Sonny" for the Legion team (my favourite) and "Dudie"for the CPR. (Help with his proper name as I have completely forgotten it.) Tee and Dudie were outstanding hockey players of their time, and to be honest Tee was my favourite hockey player (and coach and referee) of my entire life. Their younger brother William "Billy" was also greatly involved in Chapleau sports.


In their family the girls had nicknames too as Carol was "Babe" and Harriet "Buttons" who was in my grade at school.


And who is "Aunty Moo". That`s my mother, Muriel E Morris and the nickname "Moo" was given to her by my father James E "Jamie" later "Jim" Morris. Her nieces started calling her Aunty Moo and it stuck.

It was my parents' generation that really had some fascinating nicknames, and I will share just a few with you starting with ""Jiggs and "Gussie". In those days men generally signed their name using their initials as in J.E Goldstein who was called "Jiggs", and A.E Evans who was called "Gussie. Of course I called them Mr Goldstein and Mr Evans respectively, never ever daring to call them John or Albert, their proper names, and absolutely never by their nicknames!

My uncle B.W. Zufelt, who owned a bakery and was reeve of Chapleau for several years was called "Bubs" and of course I called him Uncle Bubs, while Harry Pellow's father was C.A. but everyone called him "Bill" and his brother K.A. was "Pat". Just to give you a sign of the times, even though so many had nicknames, there was much more formality. For example, when my mother married E.E. Collins who was called "Red" or "Ernie", I had always called him Mr Collins. I asked Mom what I should call him and we agreed upon Ernie. I was back home teaching by then and was the reeve but I still called that generation Mr and of course Mrs. (My father was killed in World War II while on active service overseas in the RCAF)

Bill McLeod' s father B.W. McLeod was called "Bordie", while Henry Corston was "Chicken" and his brother Stewart was"Toodie. Edwin Keays was "Killer" and Yvon Morin was "Shorty", and John White was "Jokie". Elmore Leigh's nickname was "Sparky" and Henry Theriault, the long time president of Branch 5 of the Royal Canadian Legion, "Hank." George Sanders went by the nickname "Ice", while Ron Morris who was quite tall was "Shorty." Dr G.E. Young was called "Doc" by most over the 52 years he practised medicine in Chapleau, but his nickname was "Ted." "Hoss" was Harold Casson.

Robert Jardine told me that his Uncle Donald was "Flappy" and his father Douglas was referred to by his initials "W.D." as use of initials was also pretty common, as L.D. Card was referred to as "LD" or "Dondy" while his brother F.A. Card, who was a long serving Chapleau councillor and also reeve was "Nick."

I am not even going to try and provide all the nicknames in the Fortin families but I would be remiss if I did not mention some of them. Some that come to mind are ""Buzz, "Cac", "Mick" "Willie" and "Froggy". Mr "Willie" Fortin died in 2008 at age 100.

Let me share an anecdote involving "Froggy" Fortin. In the summer of 1961, after my first year at university I was working at Missanabie for the then department of lands and forests and I used to hitch rides on Canadian Pacific Railway freight trains back into Chapleau. One night I saw that the conductor was Mr "Froggy" Fortin and I hesitated to ask him for a ride in his caboose, but I did.

He looked at me and growled, "Who are you and why should I give you a ride on my train?"

I muttered my name and turned to leave.

He said, "Wait a minute! I know who you are are. You are Jimmy Morris's son and you can ride on my train any time."

Mr Fortin proceeded to tell me that during the depression when my Dad was a CPR police officer he was clearing everyone off a train heading west which was his job. Men were on the freights heading to work in the wheat fields. My Dad saw Mr Fortin, a Chapleau boy, and permitted him to stay on the train -- the rest he kicked off!

That gave Mr Fortin a good head start on getting work out west and he never forgot the favour. So I got my ride to Chapleau for a dance and have never forgotten the favour. But I always called him Mr Fortin, never "Froggy" and his brother "Mick" who lived near us on Grey Street was Mr Fortin too.

So in my village where nicknames were so popular, people cared about each other notwithstanding differences they may have on some issues.

I hope you will share more nicknames with us. In doing this post it brought back so many fond memories. Email me at mj.morris@live.ca

God, the king, the country and ME!

As I wait for the Harper government to present its budget in the House of Commons today, my mind wanders back to a much simpler time in my life. At least as I look back 60 years or so, it sure seems that way. Notwithstanding the reality that my father was killed while on active service with the Royal Canadian Airforce in World War II, life was pretty good for me growing up in Chapleau, a small community in Northern Ontario.

I had a wonderful Mom, and grandparents. along with my aunt and uncle on Mom's side and cousins who constantly bugged me, and my other aunt, my Dad's sister who fascinated me because she had moved from home and lived in such exotic places as Calgary and Toronto.

I had my friends with whom I spent countless hours playing children's games often centred near the huge rock on the "back river" across from our house on Grey Street adjacent to the Roman Catholic Cemetery. I also had my tricycle which enabled me to patrol the streets of Chapleau, and head off to visit Maw and Grandpa, my Dad's parents who lived on the "other side of town."

Enough already, you say. What does all this have to do with the Harper budget, and God, the king, the country and me. In a way everything, because back then despite great differences on political and religious issues, we knew where we stood. I don't recall ever hearing that Canadians did not trust the prime minister, to me a very serious allegation indeed.

For example, family came first of course, and by extension that included all members of the community when any were in need. I think it was Cervantes who first noted about the small community that people cared about each other! And they did. And I am sure they still do.

In my home, after I was all growed up so to speak I could look back and say unequivocally that God, duty to serve country and community, love of family and friends were the guiding principles in my early life. This also meant support of the Anglican church, the Progressive Conservative party, and loyalty to the king (George VI at the time.)

All these years later I am a lapsed Anglican, (although God certainly remains), no longer a Conservative and after Stephen Harper, in my view abused power by going to the Governor General to have parliament prorogued rather than face a vote of non confidence in the House of Commons, a convert to the abolition of the monarchy in Canada. I still love my friends and family.

I think of the poem 'The Second Coming' by William Butler Yeats as I sort out where I stand today

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming!

Link to the poem: http://classiclit.about.com/library/weekly/aa031701a.htm

Please feel free to post your comments or email me at mj.morris@live.ca