Pierre Baillarge was born April 22, 1938 in Les Cedres, Quebec. His grandfather served in the Great War, and his own father was in the Merchant Navy during the war, doing the important work of keeping Britain supplied, and when his ship was sunk he returned home. Later he worked at the Soulanges Canal outside Montreal, where he was a lockmaster. Both of Pierre’s older brothers served in the Canadian Forces too, and Pierre made the decision to enlist himself in 1956. He would serve 3 years during the time when the Cold War was heating up. Pierre had hoped the army might open up opportunities for him, but as he recalls his education was limited and his English was not too good at that time – and those factors limited his possibilities in the army of the 1950s. Following his stint in the army he joined the Merchant Marine, and he worked on the Great Lakes for a number of years. Along the way he married, and he and his wife and family found their way in postwar Canada. Pierre Baillarge was interviewed by Scott Masters at his home in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec in March 2026.
