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Ground will be broken in London this fall for a national memorial to Canadians who died in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The memorial, at HMCS Prevost, the Royal Canadian Navy reserve division by the Forks of the Thames River, will honour those who fell during the Second World War’s longest continuous campaign.
It also will be the site of a national ceremony on May 4, 2025, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the battle.
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More than 4,000 Canadians – 2,000 sailors, 1,600 merchant mariners and 752 air force personnel – died in the battle, including 70 from HMCS Prevost, said Jeff Topping, the unit’s honorary captain.
The monument intends to honour RCN, RCAF and Merchant Navy members lost in the “long and arduous” Battle of the Atlantic between 1939 and 1945, he said.
“Canada’s contribution included protecting convoys going across the ocean to supply Europe with food and military supplies as well as engaging the enemy in the Atlantic waters as well,” Topping said. “Many ships were lost.
“It was a crucial campaign, marked by relentless attacks on Allied shipping by enemy U-boats, aircraft and surface vessels.”
Contributions to the Battle of the Atlantic from central Canada were significant, Topping said.
“We punched above our weight in central Canada for those that volunteered to join the navy . . . a number of corvettes were built here in Ontario,” he said.
Families of those lost at sea have had limited ways to honour their memories, Topping said.
“Many don’t have a grave, a headstone where a family could have laid flowers or paid tribute like cemeteries over in Europe,” he said.
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