Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Cobourg council heard plans at its July meeting to honour a pioneering female hero of the Second World War with her own statue.
No money is being asked, though council heard a request for approval in principle, a location and an in-kind donation of site preparation for a life-sized statue of Fern Blodgett.
This is the centennial of her birth in Regina, though her family moved to Cobourg when she was a baby. Local proponent Leona Woods described how she attended Cobourg Collegiate Institute and often wandered down to watch the ships from the Lake Ontario shoreline.
She left Cobourg to train for a career in stenography, but the advent of war changed all that – wireless radio operators (often called Sparks) were in short supply, and not enough men were around to meet the demand.
Blodgett was turned down by two training schools in Toronto, but persisted in her goal to earn a professional wireless radio operator’s certificate. She would be the first Canadian woman to do so.
Britain and Canada would not allow women to run the radios on their ships, but Norway would. Capt. Gerner Sunde (whom she later married) hired her to work on the merchant ship Mosdale.
The Battle of the Atlantic was on, during which 3,500 Allied vessels (and 40,000 lives) were lost. Even a merchant ship ran the risk of U-boat attacks, strafing by enemy aircraft, hitting floating mines and perilous climate conditions.
All five of the Mosdale’s sister ships were lost, but the Mosdale made 98 Atlantic crossings. Blodgett was there for 78 of them.
The war-time contributions of Blodgett and her husband were recognized with the Norwegian War Medal in 1943, presented by King Haakon.
Another in a long line of Cobourg women of distinction, Woods declared, and they are hoping to recognize her with a statue by Tyler Fauville of Creative Casts Ltd.
A professional sculptor who lives and works in Lively, Ont., Fauville has a body of work that includes a dozen memorial statues. He especially likes creating pieces that memorialize the contributions of historical figures who are at risk of being forgotten.
“Fern Blodgett is another example of a story overlooked by history,” he told council.
“She deserves to be celebrated, and will inspire youth – especially young women.”
The unveiling (a free public event they hope will take place in 2020) has the potential to be a news event that will bring attention to Cobourg, and her story has the potential to attract visitors to the statue for reflection and inspiration.
The site they hope the town will allow is at the east end of the waterfront close to the walking path. The beautiful background will no doubt inspire many selfies that will spread the word about what Cobourg has to offer.
Fauvette estimates the cost of the statue at about $155,000. He will be applying for a Federal grant for half the amount during the current World Wars Official Commemoration period, with the Cobourg Museum Foundation acting as his local liaison for the project. From there, fundraising would be undertaken to cover the remainder of the cost.
Woods displayed a maquette of the statue he hopes to create, a young woman in a uniform, arms akimbo, with waves breaking around her. The waves will make a good place to sit and reflect, Fauvette said, and he expects many a young woman will climb on to the base to link arms with Blodgett.
“The waves symbolize the danger of life at sea and a time of social turbulence, and the power of making waves as an agent of change,” he said.
Mayor Gil Brocanier asked Fauvette how sure he was of the price tag – at one time, the town was looking at a $250,000 proposal for a James Cockburn statue.
That seems high, Fauvette said.
In any event, he will sign the proposal listing the price and will be bound by his signature.
“That will be that, whether I make money or not,” he said.
Councillor Suzanne Seguin said she’d prefer to have a few more weeks to digest the proposal, and asked for a staff report to be prepared on the project for the August council meeting.
Photo:Councillors Forrest Rowden and Debra McCarthy in the background, the maquette of the statue Tyler Fauvette hopes to create stands on display. It honours Cobourg resident Fern Blodgett who served in the Battle of the Atlantic as the first Canadian woman to train successfully as a wireless radio officer
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
