Alfred Morris was there for history in the making.
He kept company with some of the big moments of the Second World War and he considered it his obligation after it ended to promote its many lessons.
Morris was a fixture at Remembrance Day ceremonies and school discussions. He rarely spoke about the specific traumatic scenes of war locked up in his memory, but when he did, it was an encyclopedic version of events. His family heard only snippets of the vivid recollections he held of the pilots trapped alive in burning planes or survivors flailing in the ocean while he and his mates were under strict orders to leave them to die or risk the entire ship.
His spot in the line of veterans at the Prince George cenotaph will be empty this year, for the first time since 1967. He died just short of this year's Remembrance Day and just shy of his 91st birthday.
"I found every poppy he ever had. Poppies all over the place," said his daughter Liisa as she gathered his collection of memorabilia. She was born on Nov. 11, adding to the importance of the occasion in her household growing up.
Morris had piles of journals, photos (he had a camera against regulation, and despite some film being confiscated during wartime, he had many photos of his activities in the British Royal Navy), maps with lines and notations in blue pen, his certificate for crossing the equator, and many medals for his time at sea in wartime.
"He told us that he once escorted [British prime minister Winston] Churchill in a secret trip across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary to meet with [American president Franklin] Roosevelt five miles off the coast of Halifax for a war planning meeting," she said. "An actor who looked like Churchill sailed on one ship booked under Churchill's name, and Churchill was booked for passage as Mr. Smith on another ship."
His entire war experience was aboard the HMS Illustrious, the first aircraft carrier in history to attack an enemy fleet - the Italian armada - on Nov. 11, 1940.
Chief Petty Officer Morris was on deck for the surrender of the Italian fleet in Malta (Sept. 1943); his ship was hit by a kamikaze attack in the campaign against Japan; he sailed on missions to seek and destroy the famed German ships the Bismarck and the Tirpitz; once collided in heavy seas with sister carrier the Formidable; was inspected by fleet admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten; took part in heavy fighting on three continents; and had so many adventures in so many countries he could exhaust any passport official.
"He never lost his wanderlust," said Liisa. "You'd think a navy man would have wanted to live by the water, but he wasn't actually a water-baby. He went on a few cruises over the years, but it wasn't his thing. But did he ever love to travel."
After the war he served another five years in naval service on HMS Alert, then moved to Canada to follow his mother, sister and brother.
He lived in Red Deer, Vancouver, Quesnel, briefly on the north coast but he spotted a "help wanted" ad from a local pulp mill during an overnight stop at a hotel in Prince George during Canada's centennial year.
His civilian career primarily included positions as a mechanic, machinist and millwright.
In Prince George, he and his wife had two girls and a boy. Their son was killed as a young man in an auto crash and his wife passed away in 2000. Daughters Liisa and Leena currently live and work in Prince George.
In addition to staunch support of the local Legion branch and Naval Association Corps, Morris was also active in the community with the Elder Citizens Recreation Association, the Old Time Fiddlers, a singing and drama group, and had many friends.
"He had arthritis and scoliosis and was probably in agony most of the time, in his last years, but he never said boo about it. Never complained," said Liisa. "He still drove himself, exercised every morning, and danced every weekend."
He also never missed standing on guard with his military colleagues each year. This year, his name joins the long list of those laid to rest after serving in defense of freedom and peace. He wanted little in the way of ceremonies upon his passing, said Liisa. Anyone wishing to pay respects to Morris by way of donation is asked to give to the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
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The Nov. 11 ceremony will begin at 9:15 a.m. at the Civic Centre, complete with pipes and drums, full military colour party, the Prince George Community Band, and the presenting of commemorative wreaths.
At 10:35, the mass will parade from the Civic Centre to the cenotaph at City Hall for the playing of Last Post and Reveille and the two minutes of silence that honours all victims and veterans of war.
A youth-focused reception will happen at the Connaught Youth Centre and an adult/veteran reception is set for the Civic Centre once the formal outdoor ceremonies are finished.
