On behalf of my family and my two sisters and their families, thank you to our mother, Eileen Doyle and our father, John A. (Jack) Norton for your voluntary enlistment and service during WWII. Thank you mom who enlisted at 18 in the Women’s Royal Canadian Navy and, by coincidence, was one of four women in Prince Edward Island to do so. The other three were her first cousins. Dad, thank you for joining the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve just before your 18th birthday like so many of your peers. Thank you for serving on numerous dangerous convoy escorts during the war.
Thank you too to our uncles Walter Norton, George Norton and Louis Doyle for following your brother and sister’s example. Walter joined the RCNVR at 18 risking his life numerous times on convoy escorts. George joined the Royal Canadian Army, First Canadian Paratroop Regiment and risked his life in combat during numerous operations. Louis joined the RCNVR at 16 only to be found out during basic training and released. Undeterred, he went home to P.E.I. and immediately enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army, West Nova Scotia Regiment with his father’s written permission. Louis served in combat operations as a dispatch rider.
Thank you to our Uncle Maurice Withrow, Petty Officer 2nd class, who served in peacetime in several Royal Canadian Navy warships including HMCS Magnificent until his untimely death on duty on board HMCS St. Croix. Thank you to our uncle Lieut. Harry Suto, RCN, who served a full career in peacetime in a number of Canadian warships. Originally enlisted as an ordinary seaman, Harry was commissioned from the ranks before he retired. Following his retirement, he served seven more years in a contract position as an instructor at the Maritime Warfare School at HMCS Stadicona.
Thank to the many young Canadians who enlisted in the various branches of the United States armed forces and served with courage in some of the most dangerous combat missions around the world. Thank you to the many thousands of men and women who have served and continue to serve in our Canadian Armed Forces at home and abroad for your many sacrifices and those of your families supporting you service. Among the armed forces of Canada’s allied forces and their enemy forces, members of our Canadian Armed Forces continue to serve with distinction. They are among the most highly respected and capable in the world.
During Remembrance Week, let’s pause and reflect on the countless sacrifices members of our armed forces and their families have made and continue to make on our behalf. Lest we forget, the debt we owe to all of these brave and selfless men and women for the rights and freedoms we enjoy as Canadians is enormous.
John E. Norton
Former F/O, RCAF, Primary Reserve,
Quispamsis, N.B.
