Memory Project Archive
Lucien Simard (Primary Source)
Lucien Simard was born in Saint-François, Quebec, in 1926. Both his family and community had strong connections to seafaring. After his 18th birthday, he started working as a sailor on a merchant ship. Soon after, Simard tried to enlist in the Royal Canadian Navy, but was rejected because he couldn’t speak English. He remained in the Merchant Navy for the length of the war and participated in the Battle of St Lawrence. Simard was one of 12,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. Approximately 1,600 merchant sailors lost their lives due to enemy action. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.