Honouring the Merchant Navy

By Thomas Lee

Phil Etter, 86, stands in his "war room" at his home in Belleville. Etter is a Merchant Navy Veteran who served on the S.S Lady Nelson in The Second World War. He is still an active member of the Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association. Photo by Thomas Lee

As you enter Phil Etter’s “war room,” the first item you see is a picture of Winston Churchill. Underneath the portrait a Churchill quote reads, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

Piles of historic papers and books on boats, military history and philosophy are cluttered throughout the war room. You get a sense that Etter is very proud of both his history and his lifetime accomplishments.

Etter is a Second World War veteran.  He joined the Merchant Navy halfway through the war.  He served as an assistant parser on the S.S Lady Nelson for three long years. During his term of duty on the hospital ship, Etter was exposed daily to the price of war.

“I observed first-hand the real cost of war; not in money and materials but in human lives and human suffering.  Seventeen thousand medical, surgical and mental cases were carried on the Nelson during her service as a hospital ship,” Etter said.

Upon returning home after the war, Etter gained employment with Imperial Oil.  It is there that he first met the woman who would become his wife of 64 years.

“She was in a stenographic pool and I had the bright idea that perhaps if I asked her on a date, I might get some priority on my work.”

Since retiring from Imperial Oil in 1982, Etter has been actively involved as an advocate for the rights and benefits of the Merchant Navy.

“The Merchant Navy were regarded as civilians, because they were never sworn into the military like members of the Army, Air force or Navy ” Etter said

He has spent endless hours preparing documentation on behalf of the Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association, or the CMNVA, in an effort to advocate to officials in the federal government that their service was worthy of a formal acknowledgement.

“After the war, we were involved in another war with the federal government in an effort to gain rights and benefits,” he said.

Finally, in February 2000, Merchant Navy personal were given a token compensation, depending on how many years they served in the Navy.

Etter has been awarded both the Queen’s Jubilee medal as well as the Beaver medal for his work with the CMNVA.

Another passionate endeavour for Etter was the Memory project. In this program, veterans volunteer their time to go into schools and talk to students about their service and personal experience during the war.  Unfortunately, Etter recently had to stop his involvement with the Memory project for health reasons.

“I knew I had a problem, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) but it had been controlled. But I learned while flying overseas that it was necessary to hook me up to this equipment,” Etter said.

Etter has been hooked up to oxygen equipment for two years now.  He has two oxygen concentrators in his home, one downstairs and one in his bedroom.  The machines are attached to electrical cords, restricting his movement to 50 feet.  He also has an oxygen tank in his car. It’s good for five hours.

“It’s a bit of a nuisance,” Etter said.

Etter currently resides at his home in Belleville with his wife. He has two daughters who are now married and have children of their own. Etter is still passionately involved with the CMNVA where he tirelessly advocates for the Merchant Navy to have their military service recognized.

In 2010, the Veterans Memorial Bridge was opened and sitting on the side of the bridge is a memorial to the service of the men and women who served with the Merchant Navy.