Mr. Merrett served in the Second World War as a British marine with the 40 Royal Marine Commando. He immigrated to Canada in 1955 and became a Canadian citizen in 1963. He has been a devoted member of the Royal Canadian Legion for more than 40 years. He continues to be active in Legion activities at Branch 176 and he has personally collected thousands of dollars distributing poppies each November. On Remembrance Day, Mr. Merrett joins other Veterans in their parade to the Victory Square service and he has also participated in a high school assembly where he shared his wartime experiences with the students. He reminds his young audiences of the sacrifice made by those who fought and died in battle and he underlines the ages of those who never got a chance to live their dreams. He is extremely proud to represent Veterans by delivering the official toasts at the Legion's annual Veterans' dinner. Mr. Merrett is also well known for his love of singing and for more than 30 years, he has made monthly visits to hospitals where he uses music to provide comfort and compassion to Veterans and other patients in long term care.