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Preamble
The wooden docks at the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, are saturated with the tears and footprints of children forced to flee their homeland during World War II. Their trip to our fair country is an arduous one, tots and teens enduring unthinkable conditions in the bellies of ships bouncing through turbulent Atlantic waters. Some of these wee ones have their mommies. Most do not.
Sadly, many émigrés never do make it to safe shores. On Friday, September 13, the SS City of Benares, one of 20 ships in Convoy OB-212, leaves Liverpool, England, for Quebec. On board are 191 passengers, 90 of which are children, along with 216 officers and crew.
Before ever reaching the protection of western shores, the SS City of Benares, flagship of the convoy, is fired upon by a German U-Boat, sinking the vessel. Any that do survive are left to face the bitter tortures of a cold and stormy Atlantic Ocean.
More often than not, Halifax was the first stop for ships carrying precious mortals. Passengers would arrive at Pier 21, then have to find their way to their final destinations, wherever that might be across Canada’s immense landscape. One such passenger traveling by himself was a seven year old boy named Étienne, and this is his story.
Inspired by true events, No Passport for Étienne is the fictional account of a child from German occupied France who, in 1941, got on a ship to Canada, leaving behind his mère and père, never to see them again. It’s also Étienne’s exposé of the successes, struggles, and betrayal of his life in Canada since that fateful day.
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‘m so, so hungry. That woman holding a baby. . . will she give me food?
Or, maybe the lady with the big hat beside her will feed me. The lady is not happy. Her boy is crying and stamping his feet. I wonder what is wrong with him. Maybe he does not like his mama’s hat.
The woman. . . she looks at me, and now at her baby. I be good, very good, like ma mère says I ought. I smile. I don’t stare or point, like ma mère says I ought not. Mother Mary will help me, or my angel. I pray, like ma mère does.
I wish ma mère were here. Why did she push me onto this stinky boat? Why did she not come with me? Will she be waiting for me when the boat stops bumping up and down? Why is it jumping so much? And, why does it smell so awful? Where is it going? Where will I sleep?
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