Canadians who fought for control of the North Atlantic Ocean from 1939 to 1945 during the Battle of the Atlantic were honoured in Victoria Sunday (May 7).
A ceremony took place at the cenotaph at the B.C. legislature to help mark the 78th anniversary of the battle.
“This was a divine chapter in the history of the Royal Canadian Navy and the great country we so proudly serve,” CFB Esquimalt base commander Capt. J. Jeffrey Hutchinson said.
Members of Maritime Forces Pacific, HMCS Malahat, Regional Cadet Support Unit (Esquimalt), the Chiefs and Petty Officers’ Association, the 5th Field Regiment Band and the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy also took part in a parade as part of the event.
The ceremony included speeches, the laying of wreaths, prayers and songs.
“Free people volunteered to serve their country despite steep odds and sometimes at the ultimate cost,” Hutchinson said. “They carried that ideal across the Atlantic over waves and through peril. They weren’t looking for notoriety or recognition when they answered the call to protect their nation. They did their duty in that quiet Canadian way. We carry them and their hope in our hearts. That is why we remember.”
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest campaign of the Second World War.
READ MORE: Canada’s oldest living veteran of the Second World War turns 108 in Saanich
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