About Phil Rafuse
It started
with a son searching for his old man brass pounder in February 2016
I found your site after a Google
search, when I read that (who knew) today, Feb 13 was International Radio day.
My father, Philip Rafuse, was an Arctic and Marine wireless operator for many
years. Wondering if there is a way to see if anyone in your community may have
known him. Any assistance appreciated.
John Rafuse (JMR)
Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
I note that we have a Eileen Rafuse in
Roll Call but no Philip Rafuse. I am forwarding your message to
Laval Desbiens
and John Gilbert who might have known your father. They might be able to
assist you.
Best regards
Donald Courcy
, VE2RE
History Keeper and Webmaster -
Radiocommunication.ca
Hello John.
I have gathered many of the radio
operator names on the RadiocomHistory.ca site. Most of my inputs to the list were
taken from the radio amateur call books prior to about 1970. I only found
those that had DOT addresses, so if the operator served at a major site
where there were civilian housing (with a personal home address) I would not
find them unless I knew them personally. Most people would expect there to
be a list of employees in the national archives. That is not the case and,
because of privacy laws, virtually the only way of finding the names of ROs
is from private collections or directories (including the call books).
So, We would be interested in
knowing more about your father.I wonder where you live? The only name that
came up on my hard drive for Rafuse was Elizabeth Rafuse who married my
colleague, Robert Frank, in Bridgewater (or perhaps Lunenburg) Nova Scotia
in 1960. Robert was in the Meteorological Branch and was at Eureka, NU with
me in 1957-58. I don`t know the Eileen Rafuse mentioned by Donald above.
My father was originally from
Lawrencetown NS, in the Annapolis Valley and from my understanding attended a
wireless school or college in the late 1950s (?) in Saint John New Brunswick.
After that he spent time in the Arctic, believe at a site called Resolute or
Resolution. Later, he joined the Gypsum ships out of Hantsport NS for several
years before becoming a Radio Officer aboard Canadian Hydrograhic Vessels
(Baffin, Hudson, Dawson, Acadia, etc.).
I have a lot of his papers after he
passed away in 2005 and just now beginning to sift through them all. I found
your site and just wondered if anyone in the community might have known him.
I currently live in Eastern Passage
Nova Scotia and was myself a Naval Offcer (weapons and communications) for 20+
years. If by chance anyone knew him, it'd be very cool to know that, but in
any case I have lots of great memoirs of his time as a wireless officer.
Thanks again, and all the best,
JMR
Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
Hello again, John. Tnx for the
further information on your father, Philip Rafuse. Both Resolute Bay and
Resolution Island are stations of interest to me. Resolute Bay, which is now
an Arctic community, was the second of the Joint Arctic Weather
Stations (JAWS) to be established (1947). Since 2001 a group of us that
worked on the JAWS have gathered information and stories about the
High Arctic Stations. I worked on the roll call of people who were on the
stations up to about 1960 and Don Shanks in Calgary (copied on this
email) worked on the roll call post-1960. There are dozens of names and we
know we have missed some of them.
Resolution Island was established as
a wireless station around 1928 with the normal supply route being from
Newfoundland and Labrador and through the HB straits. It was a Canadian
station with operators supplied initially by the Department of Marine and
Fisheries and, after 1936, by the Department of Transport. We have
been in touch with several people who operated on Resolution Island.
As you go through your father`s
papers you might check to see which of the stations he was on, and when, as
that information would be of interest both for the JAWS project and for the
RadioAlumni project (which is where you first contacted us).
Bill Stadnyk is, like myself,
associated both with the JAWS and radio operations, so I have copied this to
him as well as he might have known your father. Also, if your father
held an amateur radio operator licence, and you can find his call sign, we
might be able to identify him through that route.
Reading that
Phil Rafuse was a brass pounder from the Maritimes,
Laval
Desbiens decided to contact
Spud Roscoe
Spud : Would you know of á Philip Rafuse, radio operator ?
Laval
Hi Laval: Yes, Philip Rafuse was from Annapolis Royal, Nova
Scotia and was Radio Officer in CSS Baffn and CSS Hudson. I believe he died
some years ago. Spud
Hello Spud: I knew you were the man who could help so here is the
exchanges between his son and my buddies of RadioAlumni. Maybe can you feed
him with what you know of the man with cc to us of course. Cheers and stay strong always.
Laval
Hi Gang: We have quite the thing going on Phil.
Unfortunately I did not get to meet him but knew him "on the air" and worked
him many times. He had a distinctive fist like I have on a bug and some of the
guys called him Twitch. God knows what they called me. I have his ham call
sign someplace and it will likely take me awhile to dig it out. Nice to meet
you John. I did not know he had a son that is how little I knew about him. I
was always going to stop in to Annapolis and have an "eyeball" with him when I
went by but never managed unfortunately. My wife is from Weymouth. I too
sailed with Gypsum and retired from Coast Guard. Let me see if I can fnd his
ham call.
Regards,
Spud Roscoe VE1BC
Halifax, Nova Scotia
www.ve1bc.com
Hi everyone. Incredible to hear from
you all, seriously much appreciated. I can summarize these emails and send
back, probably by this weekend; may be able to dig up some other info as
well, although that may take a bit longer. He left a lot of letters and
other info to me but for many years it was hard going through them, but I
will try to get it done. It's even possible we have some old 35mm slides of
the Arctic site, hope to know more this weekend.
Hi John: Nice to hook up with you
and I only wish I had put a better effort into meeting your Dad. Our ships
did not get together is the only reason I did not meet him. I believe your
Dad owned an oil dealership in Annapolis at one time and Dick Ellis bought
it. Is there any truth to that rumour. Dick is gone now and his GM
dealership in Digby has been taken over by Bruce Motors.
Spud
RAFUSE, Philip Barteaux - 67, Annapolis Royal, passed
away Monday, December 12, 2005, in Soldiers' Memorial Hospital.
Born in Middleton, NS, he was a son of the late John and
Celeste (Barteaux) Rafuse.
During a seagoing career
of nearly three decades, Philip sailed the world's oceans on merchant and
research ships including the Auxiliary Schooner R/V VEMA and the Bedford
Institute of Oceanography vessels CSS Baffin, Hudson and Dawson, taking part
in a number of significant oceanographic and hydrographic voyages.
He held a certificate as a First
Class Radio Officer and, following his wireless training in the 1950's,
spent two years in the Canadian Arctic at a remote radio site.
When at home, he had a strong love for the woodlands of his native Annapolis
Valley and shared that interest with family and friends throughout his life.
Known for his quick wit and enthusiasm for conversation with people at all
levels, on any occasion, he enjoyed every day that was given to him.
Those fortunate to have known Philip will remember his
positive outlook, humour and courage in the face of difficult illnesses and
his abiding love for his family.
He was the husband of Frances (McLeod); father of John
"Rory" (Marie-Claude) and Dr. Cher Weild (Peter); grandfather of
Jean-Philippe Rafuse and Philip William, and also welcomed into the family
Lillian Long (Mike) and Bonnie Brown; brother of Dean (Vermuda) and Glen;
uncle to several nieces and nephews.
(Source: John "Rory" Rafuse, son of Phil Rafuse)
