Nova Scotia; ca. 1945; painted wood; 46 x 38 x 2 cm. CMC 81-129

This plaque stems from a long tradition of sailors' memorials, and commemorates the men and vessels of the merchant marine that were lost during the Second World War. The letter "V" was of course the Allies' sign for victory, and the Morse code equivalent (...-) was used by the radio operators of the merchant marine as a warm-up signal, alerting others to an upcoming message. The Morse "V" was also used by commercial newscasters, usually in the form of the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.