Battle of the Atlantic remembered in Halifax
The Battle of the Atlantic — Canada's longest military engagement during the Second World War — was remembered at a ceremony in Halifax on Sunday morning.
Hundreds of people in uniform along with members of the public took part in the commemoration at Point Pleasant Park.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of HMCS Athabaskan — a vessel that was torpedoed in the English Channel resulting in the deaths of 128 people.
"It's a lot of memories, a lot of sad memories when you think of all those people who lost their lives, you know, the futility of war," said retired captain Earl Wagner.
Wagner, 95, served in Canada's Merchant Navy during the Second World War. He joined the battle in February, 1941.
"I talk to the kids in school and I said, 'Remember, if you don't remember anything I told you, just remember that war is hell,'" said Wagner, who is originally from West LaHave and now lives in Halifax.
He said he attended the Battle of the Atlantic memorial to remember those who died in the war.
"I always think about that when I come to these here, it's a very solemn ceremony — especially with that nice music in the background. It puts you in a mood of melancholy I suppose," Wagner said.
A Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft flew past the memorial service.
As wreaths were placed during the commemoration, Luce Bélanger approached the cenotaph with a drum with a painted eagle on it.
She noticed an eagle flew above the cenotaph as the names of the ships that went down during the battle were read out.
"The drum is ... the symbol of the heartbeat, so for me to give my drum is also to honour the hearts that stopped beating," Bélanger said.
Bélanger is in Halifax as a support for the Canadian Forces Aboriginal Entry Program, a three-week course designed for Indigenous people considering a career in the military.
The Battle of the Atlantic was fought from the beginning of the war in 1939 until Germany's surrender in 1945.
Nearly 2,000 members of the Royal Canadian Navy died along with 1,600 Canadian merchant seaman. Another 750 Canadian airmen were lost.
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