The Authors Arriving In Canada By Ship
Empress of France arriving at Montreal 1956 Chris Milligan on the deck of Empress of France entering the Gulf of St. Lawrence - April 1956
Chris Milligan - was born in England. His
family emigrated to Australia
in
1948 but returned to England in 1956. The remarkable journeys there and
back took him across the Bay of Biscay, through Gibraltar to the Mediterranean,
the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean eventually to Melbourne. Not
content to stay in England, the family then emigrated a second time by
ship from Liverpool to Montreal in 1956, taking a North Atlantic route. Both
of these journeys opened great new vistas, made a deep impression on him,
and excited an interest in global geography. After his university studies in
geography, he became an elementary school teacher, then a professor at
McGill University where he shared his enthusiasm for geography and the social studies with prospective teachers. Among his several book publications, is Australian Hospital Ship Centaur: The Myth of Immunity, the investigative story of the sinking of a noncombatant during World War II. His research for that book with John C. H. Foley helped to locate the site of the wreck in 2010.
McGill University where he shared his enthusiasm for geography and the social studies with prospective teachers. Among his several book publications, is Australian Hospital Ship Centaur: The Myth of Immunity, the investigative story of the sinking of a noncombatant during World War II. His research for that book with John C. H. Foley helped to locate the site of the wreck in 2010.
R. M. S. Aquitania David Smith upon arrival in Canada in 1949
David Smith - was also born in England. His
very first venture on
water occurred when an adventurous cousin took him one gusty day in
a sailboat on a perilous excursion at Shoreham-by-Sea. He emigrated to Canada
as a young teenager aboard the R.M.S. Aquitania on its last outbound trans-Atlantic
journey in 1949. The six-day stormy voyage from Southampton to Halifax
in the month of November is still vivid in his mind. He remembers the
aged ship creaking and groaning as it plunged through waves as high as houses.
After his university studies, he taught for several years at Chambly County
High School, St. Lambert, where he organized a chess club, and assisted
in coaching track and field. In 1962, he directed the first bilingual Model
United Nations for high school students in Quebec. In his later career,
he was a specialist in the teaching of history and the social sciences at
McGill University. Among the books he has published is Educating for a Peaceful Future co-authored with Terrance Carson.
Note: Click RMS Aquitania "Cunard's Last Four Stacker" to view a video on the ship, and footage of the vessel being prepared for breakup in early 1950