[CW] THE FIRST FEMALE TELEGRAPH OPERATOR FROM CANADA – A GIRL WITH "A MAN’S COURAGE"

Tue Apr 2 22:13:48 EDT 2024

 > The title of this story is so very inappropriate in multiple ways.
 >
 > As a woman, there’s a level of pearl-clutching here I find a bit 
humorous.  A reasonable person can understand that something written 70+ 
years ago is unlikely to conform well to modern parlance.
 >
 > Girl? Why is she not a woman?
 >
 > If you read the article, you’ll see she’s referred to as such 
multiple times.

Bravo, Cena,

Thanks for defending my forwarding of a lovely story about one of our 
wireless pioneers, Fern Blodgett Sunde.I was sent to me by her fellow 
radio officers from Norway, Radio Officer Ivar Haug.

*Fern Alberta Blodgett Sunde* (née 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_name#Maiden_and_married_names> 
*Blodgett*; July 6, 1918 – September 19, 1991) was a Canadian 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadians> wireless radio operator who 
served on board the M/S /Mosdale/, a Norwegian merchant vessel, during 
the Battle of the Atlantic 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Atlantic>. She was the 
first Canadian woman to earn a second-class wireless operator's 
certificate, the first Canadian woman to serve with the merchant marines 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_merchant_seamen_of_World_War_II> during 
the Second World War <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II>, and 
the first woman to serve as a wireless radio operator at sea. In 1943, 
she was awarded the Norwegian War Medal 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Medal_(Norway)>, the first woman to 
receive the decoration.

    Early life and education[edit
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fern_Blodgett_Sunde&action=edit&section=1>]

Sunde was born July 6, 1918^[1] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Cobourg2020-1> 
  in Regina <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina,_Saskatchewan>, 
Saskatchewan <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan>.^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2> 
  When she was six months old, her family moved to Cobourg 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobourg,_Ontario>, Ontario 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario>.^[3] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Museum2020-3> 
  Growing up, she would often watch the steamships navigating Lake 
Ontario <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ontario> and later described 
how she dreamed of becoming a sailor.^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2>

In 1936, Sunde began training as a nurse but she abandoned the pursuit 
after 14 months. Instead, she moved to Toronto 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto> and enrolled in business school. 
She completed her studies in 1939 and found work as a stenographer 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorthand> at an insurance company.^[4] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-RAC2019-4> 
^[5] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-MontrealGazette1942-5> 

      Training[edit
      <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fern_Blodgett_Sunde&action=edit&section=3>]

When the Second World War 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II> broke out in September 
1939, Sunde learned that there was a shortage of oceangoing wireless 
operators and saw an opportunity to work at sea. She decided to pursue 
training in wireless radio operations. She was initially rejected by two 
schools and she later recalled in an interview how "[The two schools] 
said they had never had a woman student and they didn't intend to start 
now."^[4] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-RAC2019-4> 
  She was later accepted to a third school in Toronto, the Radio College 
of Canada <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCC_Institute_of_Technology>, 
which had opened up a program for women in light of the shortage of 
wireless operators that had been brought about by the war. The class 
roster included just Sunde and another woman who dropped out after the 
first week.^[5] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-MontrealGazette1942-5> 
  She completed her training after 18 months of night school, three 
nights per week, while continuing full-time work as a stenographer 
during the day.^[6] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-GlobeDemocrat1942-6> 
  She graduated on June 13, 1941, becoming the first Canadian woman to 
earn a second-class wireless operator's certificate.^[1] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Cobourg2020-1>

      M/S /Mosdale/[edit
      <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fern_Blodgett_Sunde&action=edit&section=4>]

On June 13, 1941, the same day she graduated, Sunde received a phone 
call from her principal, who knew of her desire to serve at sea, 
informing her that a British-controlled Norwegian 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway> merchant vessel, the M/S 
/Mosdale/, was docked in Montreal 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal> and urgently needed a radio 
operator. She caught a train to Montreal that evening.^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2> 
  Women were prohibited from serving on board Canadian and British 
ships; however, Norway had no such restrictions.^[7] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-OurCanada2021-7> 
  The captain, Gerner Sunde (1911-1962), had not realized that Sunde, 
who had applied as "F. Blodgett", was a woman. However, he could not 
delay his departure any further and he accepted her for the 
position,^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2> 
  making her the first woman to serve as a seaborne wireless radio 
operator, or /sparks/ (a colloquialism derived from the spark-gap 
transmitters <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter> used 
at the time).^[4] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-RAC2019-4> 
  Sunde's salary was $170 per month plus board.^[8] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-EdmontonBulletin1941-8> 

In 1940, Nazi Germany had invaded Norway 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Weser%C3%BCbung> and ordered 
Norway's merchant fleet – most of which had been at sea during the 
invasion – to return to German-controlled waters. However, the crews 
ignored the orders and instead joined the Allied 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II> war effort as the 
Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission (Nortraship 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nortraship>) and transported provisions 
across the Atlantic Ocean to the United Kingdom. Consequently, Norwegian 
ships were considered prize targets by the German /Kriegsmarine 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriegsmarine>/ and Norway lost more than 
half its fleet by the end of the war.^[9] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Navy2020-9>

The /Mosdale/ was a 3,000-ton fruit carrier with a crew of 35 and, 
occasionally, up to 12 passengers, which included correspondents, 
service members, rescued sailors from ships that had been torpedoed, 
and, on one occasion, an African explorer.^[10] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-KingstonWhigStandard2015-10> 
  Launched in 1939, just one month before the war began, the ship was 
relatively new.^[11] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vest-Adger2009-11> 
  Its modern design gave it a top speed of 15 knots and it often 
travelled alone since it could outrun German U-boats 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-boat>.^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2>

      Early years of the war[edit
      <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fern_Blodgett_Sunde&action=edit&section=5>]

Sunde's duties consisted primarily of listening for coded messages, 
which were received in various combinations of short, medium, and long 
waves <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_frequency>^[7] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-OurCanada2021-7> 
  and sent using encoding formats that changed with each crossing.^[10] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-KingstonWhigStandard2015-10> 
  Accuracy was essential, as the crew faced the constant threat of 
storms, enemy U-boats, bomber attacks, and uncharted minefields.^[9] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Navy2020-9> 
  Sunde seldom transmitted messages while at sea, since the signals 
could be triangulated, giving away the ship's position. Instead, 
transmissions were reserved for emergencies, which often meant that the 
ship had already been located by the enemy.^[11] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vest-Adger2009-11> 

Sunde faced a number of obstacles. She worked in cramped quarters and 
she could not read the equipment instructions, which were written in 
Norwegian <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_language>, in an 
environment where a single mistake could mean disaster for the ship. 
Sunde was also prone to extreme seasickness 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_sickness>.^[9] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Navy2020-9> 
  Nevertheless, she continued with her duties with a bucket by her side. 
She quickly won the respect of the rest of the crew^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2> 
  and noted in an interview how they treated her no differently than 
each other. When asked by a reporter if she would consider leaving her 
post and settling down, she replied, "Not yet. Until Germany is licked, 
I belong right here."^[6] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-GlobeDemocrat1942-6> 

At first, Sunde was the ship's only wireless operator. By the end of 
1942, however, the Battle of the Atlantic 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Atlantic> had greatly 
intensified. Until that point, transmissions from the Admiralty were 
broadcast only at certain times of day. However, regulations were 
changed and Allied ships were ordered to keep radio watch 24 hours per 
day.^[11] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vest-Adger2009-11> 
  To accommodate the extra workload, two additional radio operators were 
added to the crew.^[7] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-OurCanada2021-7> 

The /Mosdale/ was never torpedoed during the war, though there were 
several close calls. During one crossing, a U-boat surfaced just off the 
ship's starboard bow, making Sunde the first woman to transmit the 
position of an enemy submarine.^[6] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-GlobeDemocrat1942-6> 
  In early 1943, the /Mosdale/ was attacked by a German plane, which 
fired on the ship with its machine gun. However, Sunde had decoded an 
earlier warning message from a nearby ship, giving the crew ample time 
to ready its anti-aircraft gun. The plane was forced to withdraw without 
damaging the ship.^[11] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vest-Adger2009-11> 

In July 1942, a year after they had met, Sunde and Captain Sunde were 
married during a brief layover in Saint John 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John,_New_Brunswick>, New Brunswick 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Brunswick>.^[4] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-RAC2019-4> 
  Sunde moved into the Captain's quarters, which became their first 
shared home.^[7] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-OurCanada2021-7> 

      Later years of the war[edit
      <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fern_Blodgett_Sunde&action=edit&section=6>]

On July 15, 1943, following the /Mosdale'/s fifty-first Atlantic 
Crossing, the ship's crew received a visit from Norway's King Haakon VII 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haakon_VII_of_Norway> and his son, Crown 
Prince Olav <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_V_of_Norway>, while the 
ship was docked at Cardiff <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff>. The 
king had been in exile in London 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London> and visited Norwegian ships 
throughout the war. He presented five members of the crew with medals, 
including Sunde, who received the Norwegian War Medal 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Medal_(Norway)>, making her the first 
woman to receive the decoration.^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2> 
^[9] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Navy2020-9> 
^[11] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vest-Adger2009-11> 

The /Mosdale/ crossed the Atlantic 96 times throughout the war, more 
than any other Allied vessel, delivering badly needed supplies to 
England. Sunde handled radio communications on 78 of those voyages.^[1] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Cobourg2020-1> 
  Not one of the /Mosdale'/s five sister ships survived the war.^[4] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-RAC2019-4> 
  Sunde and her husband continued to serve on board the /Mosdale/ for 
six months after the war ended.^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2> 
  In March 1946, the ship returned to Norway for the first time in more 
than five years. It sailed into Oslo 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo> to the cheers of thousands of 
onlookers who had turned up not to celebrate the ship and its legacy 
but, rather, its shipment of bananas, the first bananas to reach Norway 
since the beginning of the war.^[11] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vest-Adger2009-11> 
^[12] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vino2020-12>

Sunde continued to serve as a sparks off and on until 1952.^[9] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Navy2020-9>

    Later life and death[edit
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fern_Blodgett_Sunde&action=edit&section=7>]

Sunde retired in 1952 and settled in Farsund 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farsund>, Norway – her husband's hometown 
– to start a family.^[7] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-OurCanada2021-7> 
  Sunde and her husband had two daughters, Fern and Solveig Ann. In 
1962, while at sea, Sunde's husband died suddenly of a heart attack at 
the age of 50, leaving her to raise their two daughters alone. She never 
remarried and spent the rest of her life in Norway.^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2> 
^[9] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Navy2020-9> 
^[11] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vest-Adger2009-11> 
  She died on September 19, 1991.^[4] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-RAC2019-4>

    Awards and legacy

Sunde had cleared the way for women to serve as sparks. In December 
1943, four months after Sunde had been awarded the Norwegian War Medal, 
two additional Canadian women joined the Norwegian merchant fleet as 
wireless operators. By the end of the war, 23 women – 21 Canadians and 
two Americans – had enlisted as sparks on board Norwegian ships.^[11] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Vest-Adger2009-11> 

In 1988, Sunde received a medal from the city of Farsund for her efforts 
during the war.^[2] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Forster2011-2>

The Cobourg Museum Foundation 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobourg_Museum_Foundation> commissioned a 
life-sized bronze statue of Sunde called /Make Waves/ created by Tyler 
Fauvelle.^[9] 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-Navy2020-9> 
  The monument stands on a beach at Victoria Park in Cobourg overlooking 
Lake Ontario, the same view that inspired Sunde's fascination with ships 
nearly a century earlier. It was unveiled at a ceremony on October 17, 
2020, while the crew of a Canadian Coast Guard 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Coast_Guard> vessel anchored 
nearby stood at attention. During the ceremony, Dr. Leona Woods, a 
Cobourg resident who had spearheaded the committee behind the monument, 
said in a speech:

    Fern was a Cobourg girl whose story is of national and international
    importance. She connects Canada with her ally Norway. She represents
    the veterans who participated in the Battle of the Atlantic. She
    speaks to the need for us to continue working for gender equality,
    and respect for all people in our society.^[7]
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_Blodgett_Sunde#cite_note-OurCanada2021-7>

    http://www.cobourgmedia.ca/fernblodgettsunde

        FERN BLODGETT SUNDE

            (COBOURG GIRL MAKES WAVES)

    <https://www.cobourgmuseum.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/fbs3.png>• First
    Canadian female wireless operator

    • First to serve at sea

    • First of 22 women who served on Norwegian merchant marine

    • First woman to receive the Norwegian War Medal

    Fern Blodgett grew up in Cobourg, often looking out over the waters
    of Lake Ontario, dreaming of becoming a sailor. But growing up she
    learned that only boys could work at sea. When WWII started she
    thought she could become a wireless radio operator. The first two
    schools she applied to turned her down because she was a woman. But
    Fern Blodgett was a persistent woman, and a third school, the Radio
    College of Canada, accepted her.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWv528S_lB8

    73

    DR

    dr.jpg

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