One of only thirteen members of the Canadian Armed Forces to be awarded the highest military honour during the war, Triquet was later pressured to resign from the force due to the overwhelming public and political expectations that the award entailed. The role of hero did not suit Triquet and weighed heavily on him and his family. MacFarlane shows how Triquet's story was changed by those who wished to make his hero status the cornerstone in a political debate between francophones and anglophones, particularly with regard to his representing the Commonwealth despite his French-Canadian heritage.

John MacFarlane is the curator emeritus of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, curator of the Nauticapedia Project and author of a number of books and articles on nautical history. He was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy (Reserve). He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (London), recipient of the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers and the SS Beaver Medal for Maritime Excellence. He lives in Qualicum Beach, BC.

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