BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC COMMEMORATED

On Sunday May 7, representatives of Branch 270 Coldwater (left to right, Comrades Norm Marion, Rick Morse, and Wayne Tutt) laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in commemoration of the Battle of the Atlantic.

The Battle of the Atlantic was Canada's longest military engagement of the Second World War, lasting from September 1939 to May 1945. This battle was bravely fought by the men and women of the Canadian Merchant Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force. More than 4,600 courageous service men and women lost their lives at sea.

Canada’s role in the Battle of the Atlantic was large and significant. Starting from a tiny base of ships, aircraft and personnel, and an infrastructure of meagre proportions, Canada became one of the foremost Allied powers in the Atlantic war. By 1942, Canada was able to carry a major share of the defence of North American waters and, at the same time, was Britain’s principal partner in the defence of trans-ocean convoys.

In Canada the Battle of the Atlantic is commemorated every year on the first Sunday in May, this year on May 7.