A special ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic will be held in Napanee this weekend for the first time.
The event is set for this Sunday at 11 a.m., featuring a parade (map of route included below) and commemorative service to honour the roughly 4,600 Canadians who lost their lives in the longest battle of the Second World War.
Naval Cadet Courtney Laidler, a public affairs officer with His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Cataraqui, said the annual event is an important moment of remembrance.
The parade will begin at the Napanee Legion on Mill Street and include a pipe band. Participants will march to the cenotaph on Thomas Street, where a ceremony will take place. The parade will then return to the Legion for a public reception.
Laidler said Napanee was chosen this year to expand the Royal Canadian Navy’s presence beyond Kingston, which already has a strong military community.
The Battle of the Atlantic, fought from 1939 to 1945, played a key role in shaping Canada’s navy into one of the largest in the world.
Laidler encouraged residents to attend and take part in the commemoration.
A separate ceremony will also take place in Kingston at the same time at Navy Memorial Park.
Written by Emily Chatwood
