In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar

SUTHERLAND, Donald Marshall - At Toronto on 23 June 2016, having just celebrated his 100th birthday. Husband of the late Gwendolyn Evans; father of Sheila Harris (David), Meg Best (Randy), Donald A. (Sandy) Sutherland (Lori), Peterborough and John D. (Jock) Sutherland, Toronto; grandfather of Gordon Harris, Kirby, Hilary and Rebecca Best and Libby Sutherland. Don joined the RCNVR, in 1940, as an Ordinary Seaman, served on loan to the Royal Navy, 1940-1942 and RCN, 1943-45, at Greenoch, at Juno Beach, Normandy and at London. He graduated from Trinity College ('50), worked at the Royal Ontario Museum (Assistant Curator Far Eastern Department) and had a long career in publishing at Oxford University Press, Macmillan of Canada and McGill-Queen's University Press Don has donated his body to the University of Toronto for medical education. A private family service has taken place. If desired, donations to the Nature Conservancy of Canada would be appreciated. Published by The Globe and Mail from Jun. 25 to Jun. 28, 2016.

Citation for Mentioned in Despatches:

SUTHERLAND, Donald Marshall, Sub-Lieutenant, Mention in Despatches, RCNVR - Awarded as per London Gazette of 6 January 1942 (no Canada Gazette). RCN Beach Commando "W" Beach Master 

"For courage and skill in carrying out hazardous duties."

Donald “Don” Marshall Sutherland was born on 22 June 1916 in Toronto. He worked at The Canadian Bank of Commerce before the war.

When war broke out in 1939, Don was a pacifist and conscientious objector. The fall of France in June 1940 changed all that. He enlisted as an Ordinary Seaman in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR). The RCN did not yet have enough training facilities for its sailors, so Don was sent to England.

Commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant, Don transferred to Scapa Flow, at the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland. He volunteered to lead a crew in mine disposal activities, protecting the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet from mines left by German aircraft or submarines. In 1941, Don was recommended for the George Medal “for courage and skill in carrying out hazardous duties”. Authorities downgraded the award to a Mention in Dispatches when Don indicated that the stress of the role was too much for him.

After taking leave in Canada — during which his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean — Lieutenant Sutherland rejoined the RCN. In late 1943, Don was serving at HMCS Niobe, a manning depot in Greenock, Scotland, when word came that officers were needed to train with Canadian sailors as Beach Commandos. Don underwent training at the Royal Navy’s Beach Commando training centre and the Canadian Army Battle School.

On 7 July 1944 “W” Beach Commando relieved “P” Beach Commando on Juno Beach. Lieutenant Sutherland was Beach Master “W1”, responsible for Mike Green Sector west of Courseulles-sur-Mer. Don and his men worked to ensure the steady flow of vehicles, men, and supplies across the beach. In less than two months they offloaded some 100,000 driverless vehicles.

Don remembered his time on Juno Beach as the most rewarding part of the war. When the supply effort shifted to larger port facilities “W” Beach Commando disbanded. Disappointed, Don was relegated to intelligence work, staffing a desk.

After the war in Europe ended Don was slated to join the navy in the Far East. Japan surrendered before he had the opportunity and Don returned to civilian life in October 1945.

In the late 1940s, Don studied Chinese at the University of Toronto and in China. He returned to Canada shortly after the 1949 Chinese Communist Revolution and worked as an assistant curator in the Far Eastern Department at the Royal Ontario Museum in the early 1950s. He had a long career in publishing with Oxford University Press, Macmillan of Canada, and McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Don Sutherland passed away on 23 June 2016, just one day after his 100th birthday. (Source: Defining Moments Canada // definingmomentscanada.ca)