Remembering the Battle of the Atlantic

Remembering the Battle of the Atlantic

Tuesday, April 25, 2017


HMCS Prevost Commanding Officer Sean Batte is shown giving a tour of the memorial to the Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr.

Geoff Dale

Special to Londoner

Canada’s historic contributions to the Battle of the Atlantic will be celebrated with a dedication ceremony and unveiling of a commemorative memorial in London.



Sean Batte, commanding officer of HMCS Prevost, said the memorial was originally installed at the military base on Becher Street in 2010, but has gradually been refurbished over the past three years. A ceremony unveiling the revamped memorial while marking this year’s sesquicentennial will take place April 29.

Batte credited the completion of the memorial to partners the Naval Association of Canada, community groups, architect Barry Murphy, Ron Koudys Landscape Architects, and Landscape Ontario.

The memorial is now more accessible; new walkways and stairs will help veterans move about the uneven grass and hilly terrain. More than 2,000 plants were also seeded for beautification with lighting for nighttime viewing and main entrance gates were installed for greater visual impact.

“There are 28 granite stones spanning the hillside and facing the Thames River,” Batte explained. “Each stone is a metre high, representing a ship lost in the battle. There is another stone for the Merchant Navy.

“Sailors don’t have markers or graves,” he continued. “They die at sea without proper burial, so it was important for us to have a marker for each of the ships. Facing water is meaningful.”

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest conflict in the Second World War and the longest continuous battle for Canadians. At the onset of the war, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) had only six ocean-going ships and 3,500 personnel. By the end, Canada boasted one of the world’s largest navies with 434 commissioned vessels and 95,000 uniformed men and women.

In 1943 Rear Admiral Leonard Murray was in charge of the Allied war and naval forces in the Northeast Atlantic — the only theatre of war commanded by a Canadian at the time.

“More than 1,500 members, six of them women, of the RCN were lost at sea,” said Batte. “The courage of the RCN, Merchant Navy and RCAF personnel made a huge impact helping England in critical times; keeping Allies convoys running and supply lines to Europe open.”

During the Second World War HMCS Prevost enrolled 4,480 officers, men, and wrens into the RCN. HMCS Prevost won the Commodore Walter Hose Efficiency Trophy under the command of Lt.-Cmdr. J.R. Hunter RCNVR in 1941, 1942, and 1943. It became the division’s permanent property.

The commemorative ceremony will feature a parade, potentially the largest since the Second World War, with over 400 participants including five Ontario reserve divisions, U.S. navy personnel, Canadian veterans and more.

It will begin at the Delta Armouries where the HMCS Prevost was stood up in 1941, moving along Dundas Street and turning left to Talbot Street for a review by Budweiser Gardens and Convent Garden Market. RCN Commander, Lt.-Gov. Vice Admiral MFR (Ron) Lloyd will be the reviewing officer.

Guest speaker for the gala dinner at the Double Tree by Hilton is Dr. Marc Milner, recipient of the Admiral’s Medal, known for his naval history work and author of books including North Atlantic Run: The Royal Canadian Navy, and the Offensive Against Germany’s Submarines.

“This is a timely event on several fronts,” Batte said. “In addition to Canada’s 150th anniversary, it’s the 75th anniversary of both the Battle of the Atlantic and London’s recognition of a naval presence in the city. We invite the public to see what promises to be a memorable and historic event.”

“We didn’t have a significant Battle of the Atlantic memorial dedicated to those individuals who risked and often lost their lives at sea. Now we do, so I feel a pride in Canada’s triumphant wartime efforts and the fact we now properly recognize them.”

IF YOU GO

Battle of the Atlantic memorial ceremony

HMCS Prevost, 19 Becher Street

Saturday, April 29 12:45 p.m. - 2 p.m.

General public welcome to free event

More information: http://www.hmcsprevost.com/, http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/events/details/8549

http://www.thelondoner.ca/2017/04/25/remembering-the-battle-of-the-atlantic