Pipe organ serves as unique war memorial to fallen Saint John students

A Casavant pipe organ installed at a Saint John high school as a tribute to former students who died in the Second World War needs major repairs.

Alumni of the Saint John Vocational School, now Harbour View High School, commissioned the organ from the legendary Quebec-based organ builder Casavant Frères in the fall of 1943. 

It was installed and dedicated in a ceremony on March 18, 1944, to honour the students who had already enlisted and died in the war. 

Over the course of the Second World War, 834 students enlisted, including 86 young women. Fifty-three of them died. 

Simon Couture, vice-president of Casavant Frères, says the organ cost $4200 in 1943, a good deal a the time.

"The organ was not new actually, it was repurposed. This instrument was installed first in 1939 in a private home north of Montreal and we had to take the organ back after a few years because our client couldn't make the payments."

"To my knowledge this is a unique case in our history." 

Information Morning - Saint John8:55Casavant pipe organ in high school auditorium serves as rare war memorial

Elke Semerad tells us the story of a 73-year-old Casavant pipe organ installed as a tribute to fallen former students of Saint John Vocational.

There is a direct link between the organ company and the school.

Joseph Ledoux was one of Casavant's longest serving employees and the company representative in the Maritimes for 30 years. He lived on Douglas Avenue, steps away from the school.

His son Paul was a student there until he enlisted with the Canadian Forces. 

"It's rather a sad story. There's a letter I have here from 1943," says Couture, "that says that his son died during the war. He was in Essen, Germany, in January, and buried in Mussey, France, in April 1943.' 

"That's totally possible that (Joseph) wanted to put an organ in the school so close to where he lived and to where his own children went." 

An organ like this today with such intricate woodwork is valued between $250,000 and $300,000. At 73 years old, the organ now needs considerable work to bring it back to top condition. 

"Most specifically the instrument needs is a complete re-leathering," said Mike Molloy, former a music teacher and organ player at Harbour View High School.  

"Organ leather has to be very supple, very soft. Right now it's almost like brittle cardboard so it could give at any time."

Molloy also noticed, in addition to other issues, some keys on the console stick. 

"A lot of the wiring inside the instrument needs to be updated, which in itself would be a fairly substantial job. And then all the pipework would have to be cleaned." 

Couture estimates repairs to the organ could cost as much as $100,000. 

Mike Butler, principal of Harbour View High School, says the school is looking at ways to make sure the organ is here for generations to come.

"We've discussed this fall undertaking a project to first of all find out what needs to be done, how much is that going to cost, what kind of financing we could find, what can the school contribute, what community groups might be interested."

This poem in the video below was mysteriously left on the school secretary's desk near the date of the organ dedication, March 18, 1944.

Poem left anonymously near the time of the dedication

8 years ago

Duration 1:07

A Casavant pipe organ installed at a Saint John high school as a tribute to former students who died in the Second World War needs major repairs.