Thursday, March 31, 2016

AS SEEN ON TV - BERNIER OF THE NORTH


'MURDOCH MYSTERIES'
"THE BIG CHILL"


Another historical figure has finally been "immortalized" in the universe of Earth Prime-Time - Captain Joseph-Elzéar Bernier
 


From the 'Murdoch Mysteries' Wikia:

Someone is trying to sabotage Captain Bernier grand expedition to the North Pole. He accuses the Swedes.Bjorn Nordenskjold wants nothing more than to beat him to the North Pole. Before Murdoch investigates the sabotage, he must first determine the validity of murder accusations made at the exhibition.

The CGS Arctic, commanded by Captain Joseph-Elzear Bernier, was one of Canada's first Arctic patrol ships. A wooden vessel built of oak and pitch-pine by the German government, it was originally intended for service in the Antarctic. However in 1904 it was purchased by Canada and put to use in the Arctic.

Joseph-Elzéar Bernier (1852 - 1934) was a Quebec mariner who led expeditions into the Canadian Arctic in the early 20th century and was given the Royal Geographical Society Award for his work.

From Wikipedia:
Joseph-Elzéar Bernier (January 1, 1852 – December 26, 1934) was a Quebec mariner who led expeditions into the Canadian Arctic in the early 20th century.

He was born in L'Islet, Quebec, the son of Captain Thomas Bernier and Célinas Paradis. At the age of 14, he became a cabin boy on his father's ship. Three years later, he became captain of his own ship and commanded sailing ships for the next 25 years. Bernier was named governor for the jail at Quebec City in 1895. From 1904 to 1911, he explored the Arctic archipelago on annual voyages in his ship the CGS Arctic and officially claimed the islands for Canada. Bernier retrieved documents that had been stored in caches by earlier Arctic explorers. He also established Royal Canadian Mounted Police posts in the Canadian north. During World War I, Bernier commanded a ship which transported mail along the eastern coast and carried goods in convoys across the Atlantic. He returned to patrolling the arctic after the war's end, continuing until his retirement in 1925, when he was awarded the Royal Geographical Society's Back Award.

Bernier died of a heart attack in Lévis at the age of 82.

He published Master Mariner and Explorer: A Narrative of Sixty Years at Sea ... in 1939.

It's doubtful that Captain Bernier will be seen in any other TV show, especially outside of the Great White North, but stranger things hav happened. In the meantime, Remy Girard's portrayal of the explorer stands as the official televersion in Earth Prime-Time.

BCnU!

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