On Sunday, May 1, 2016, Canadians from across the country will gather to commemorate the sacrifices made by the thousands of Canadians who fought so valiantly during the Battle of the Atlantic, which ran from 1939 to 1945.
The national ceremony will be held at Parliament Hill at 11 a.m. and will include Canadian Armed Forces members from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), alongside members of the Merchant Navy (MN). They will be accompanied by Central Region Sea and Air Cadets, Navy League Cadets, the Royal Canadian Legion Colour Party, local veteran organizations, other government departments, the diplomatic community, and the Ottawa Children’s Choir.
Each year, on the first Sunday in May, Canada and its naval community commemorate those lost at sea in the longest single campaign of the Second World War. Today, the legacy of the Battle of the Atlantic is upheld by those currently serving in the RCN, pledging themselves as “Ready, Aye, Ready” to defend Canada and to uphold its ideals around the world.
From 1992 to 2004 he led or participated in nine expeditions to Canada’s Arctic in search of the wreck of one of the expedition ships, discovered by Parks Canada in 2014, and the grave site of Sir John Franklin himself.