Their wartime experiences took the Bonner family from navigating the seas to playing a major role in shaping Canada’s post-war landscape
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The words “war and ashore” imply that war takes place at sea and something else takes place on land. While war is also fought on land and in the air, this is a personal and family story. In our family, the term “sea” is broad, symbolizing everything from sailing under canvas, navigating lake boats, and operating in bays to serving in the North Atlantic during the Second World War.
This story comes from the late Harold Bonner, who sailed lake boats with his father and brother and transported aviation fuel to Newfoundland during the war, and Allan Bonner (me), the first generation in the family not to go to sea. The stories combine Harold’s written accounts and tales he shared with Allan. Some of these have appeared in Ted Barris’ Battle of the Atlantic and several of my books, including Tough Love at the Table.
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The stories feature the colorful personalities you’d expect to find on a merchant ship, while stories from ashore include references to key figures in post-war Canadian real estate development – —Sam Bronfman, Edward and Peter Bronfman, Trevor Eyton, and what Harold referred to as the “whiz kids” – Peter Pocklington, Nelson Skalbania, Robert Campeau, and others. Lesser-known regional developers such as Montreal’s Harry Cohen, St. John’s Craig Dobbin, Calgary’s Sam Hashman, and Halifax’s Ralph Medjuck also make appearances. Over the years, Harold played a significant role in reshaping the skylines of many Canadian cities, particularly as President of the Halifax Waterfront Development Corporation.
But back to war. When war came, most in the family tree went to sea. That’s what they’d done in civilian life, and sailing ships was the contribution they could make.
Ashore in the headline refers to the skills and trades they took to the sea and the new ones they brought back to the land after their tours of duty were up. Harold was from Parrsboro, Nova Scotia and knew little of geopolitics. What he knew for sure was that if he didn’t keep his engine room running and the “screw” (propeller) turning, the Nazis might win the war. For the rest of his life, he expected people to follow simple orders and complete tasks as assigned.
Harold enjoyed searching the family tree. He discovered blacksmiths in the branches. Their craft was to fabricate objects using heat, cold forging, and beating on an anvil – a mysterious and “black” (unseen and mysterious) art. Allan was the first in the family tree to attend university instead of being an apprentice as a blacksmith or anything else. When studying 17th-century literature at the University of New Brunswick, he investigated alchemists – the medieval proto-scientists who tried to turn base metals into gold – a secret and black art. Allan later entered the modern black art of public relations.
Disparate topics. Disparate manifestations of ordinary people just trying to make a living. Ordinary people often must do extraordinary things to survive. Extraordinary actions save lives, waste lives, go unnoticed, or change history.
That’s what we’re remembering not just on Remembrance Day but in all leadership activities in war … and ashore.
Allan Bonner was the first North American to be awarded an MSc in Risk, Crisis, and Disaster Management. He trained in England and has worked in the field on five continents for 35 years. His latest book is Emergency! – a monograph with 13 other authors on the many crises that occurred during the pandemic.
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