Merchant seaman, coin and stamp dealer.
Born at Toronto, Ontario on 24 December 1921, he went to Montreal in 1940 and worked as a stevedore until he could join a merchant ship as an Ordinary Seaman. During the next five years he served in several theatres of war on 12 different ships of various Allied countries, as well as on Canadian ships. In 1943, in the harbour of Naples, Italy, under enemy fire, he was credited with saving the British ship Empire Lightning from serious damage. For this courageous action he was awarded the British Empire Medal (civilian) as well as Lloyd’s Medal for Bravery; only three Canadians were decorated with the Lloyd’s Medal during the Second World War.
In August 1945, he made one peacetime voyage across the Atlantic on a merchant ship in order to be married in London to Jean, whom he had met in 1943, and with whom he went on to have four children. In August 1946, he and his wife drove to Winnipeg, where he had secured work at the Winnipeg Film Exchange. He soon became a partner in a theatre poster business until, in 1958, he established the Regency Coin and Stamp Company. He became known internationally as a knowledgeable and reliable coin dealer and an expert in his field. He wrote several books on Canadian coins, stamps, and tokens, as well as a book on British Commonwealth Coins. He was a life member of the Canadian Numismatic Association.
He gave many hours of his time to volunteering, serving on the board of non-profit organizations in Winnipeg, notably the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the Jewish Child and Family Service. He was also a founding member of the DASCH Foundation (Direct Action in Support of Community Homes), and was the first person to receive the Annual DASCH Recognition Award and to be made an Honorary Life Member of DASCH Inc.
He died at Winnipeg on 17 January 2005. His military decorations and six campaign medals, along with other memorabilia, were donated to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa in 2003.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 19 January 2005.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 19 January 2022
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