New memorial unveiled to recognize sailors and Air Force crew who died during Battle of the Atlantic

A new memorial has been built at the Forks of the Thames recognizing those who died during the Battle of the Atlantic. CTV London's Brent Lale reports.

A new memorial has been built at the Forks of the Thames recognizing those who died during the Battle of the Atlantic.

During a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle, the new monument was unveiled.

“This is exceptionally important because for the first time, we are recognizing all of the sailors and all of the Merchant Navy and Air Force crew who were lost at sea and have no graves,” said Ed Holder, chair of the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial. “We came together as a great group to put together the names of every sailor and airman lost in the sea. Now they’ve got a site.”

The memorial was funded by donations by corporations and individuals with support from the Federal Government.

More than 100 people gathered at HMCS Prevost Sunday for the annual ceremony, which takes place on the first Sunday in May.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 80 years,” said Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy who was in London for the ceremony.

“One of the sad things for us is it’s one of the last years we’ll probably have Atlantic veterans. They’re all turning 100 or older now and, we’re losing that part of our history. But it’s a chance to really commemorate what they did and won that battle for us that was a key contributing factor to the defeat of Nazi Germany and our victory in the Second World War,” he said.

The Battle of the Atlantic lasted from September 1939 to May 1945.

More than 70,000 allied seamen, merchant mariners, and airmen lost their lives, including approximately 4,400 from Canada and Newfoundland.

“The other part of the Battle of the Atlantic that most Canadians have forgotten is that war came to our shores during the Battle of the Saint Lawrence,” said Topshee.

“Twenty-three ships were sunk in Canadian waters in the Saint Lawrence Seaway in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, including the S.S. Caribou, the ferry that links to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The Canadians who died in our waters outnumbered the Canadians who died in the beaches of Juno. We think of the great victory at Juno Beach, and it absolutely was but the fact that more Canadians died here is something, I think, most Canadians would not know.”

The monument cost more than $500,000 but Holder feels “every penny was worth it.”

“You can’t put a price on those selfless heroes that gave their lives for Canada,” said Holder.