This fund was created through a bequest by my aunt, Mrs. Martha (Dent) Coughlin, who died in 2008 at the age of 94.
Martha and Tony Coughlin met at high school in Ottawa in about 1930. They dated for a number of years, including the time when Tony attended Queen's and McGill in the 1930's. Tony was active at Queen's as a member of the Arts Society executive and he also played for the Queen's football team.
Tony was a member of the naval reserve and when war was declared in 1939, the couple was married in a hurried ceremony before Tony was called up for active service. Tony was a star officer candidate in the navy, and obtained the highest marks when he attended gunnery school in Halifax. He was seconded for a time to the Royal Navy early in the war, when he served on a British Battleship, and was appointed Gunnery Officer on the HMCS Assiniboine when he returned to the Royal Canadian Navy. As the war progressed, he was given command of the HMCS Chilliwack, a corvette. While commanding the Chilliwack, he was awarded the DSC for his efforts in sinking the German submarine U-744. He was then appointed second-in-command of the Tribal-Class Destroyer Iroquois. During a severe storm, Tony Coughlin was nearly swept overboard and was severely injured. He died on October 20, 1944. He was buried at the Lynes cemetery at Scapa Flow on the Orkney Islands.
Martha Coughlin never remarried after the war, although she maintained a very active social life. She travelled the world extensively and visited Tony's grave in Scapa Flow many times.
On her death in 2008, Martha Coughlin established bursaries in Tony's name at both Queen's and McGill among a number of charitable gifts.
