HMCS Ottawa Honours Canadian War Heroin Onagawa, Japan

Representatives from HMCS Ottawa, the Town Council of Onagawa, and the Kanda family, surround the memorial to Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray VC, DSC, following the ceremony on Nov. 26 in Onagawa, Japan. Photo: Sailor 3rd Class Jacob Saunders.

Defence Stories, 
Canada.ca 

— 

Members of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ottawa, currently deployed on Operation Horizon, participated in a special ceremony in Onagawa, Japan, on Nov. 26, honouring a Canadian war hero. Lieutenant (Lt) Robert Hampton Gray, a Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Pilot, received the Victoria Cross as a result of his actions and sacrifice in the skies over Onagawa Bay during the Second World War.

This particular monument is very special: it is the only monument to a foreign military person ever built in Japan. The main local supporter for the project was Mr. Yoshio Kanda, a former communications officer in the Onagawa Defense Force. Taking into consideration the climate between our nations at the time of Lt Gray’s action, Mr. Kanda chose to raise a memorial in 1989 to honour the sacrifice of all parties and to create a symbol of peace between nations.

Mr. Kanda was instrumental in convincing the local population to change their existing narrative on the tragic end to the conflict and make Lt Gray’s sacrifice in Onagawa Bay a symbol of enduring peace. “It is not enemy soldiers we hate, but the war itself,” Mr. Kanda stated. This is not Mr. Kanda’s first involvement with memorials as he was also among those who had helped build a memorial to commemorate the area’s Japanese victims which was completed in 1966.

The Lt Gray monument was relocated from its original site following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that wreaked havoc across the bay. Local volunteers from the Onagawa Lions Club found the monument and relocated it next to the local hospital where it remains to this day. The local legacy of the monument will be assured by Mr. Kanda’s grandson, Mr. Yoshitake Kanda, and other influential members of the community who welcome Canadians as Indo-pacific partners vested in protecting this enduring peace.

During the ceremony, the Canadian sailors and aviators present were touched by the profound respect that the community showed to Lt Gray and the reverence they gave to the gesture of peace. In keeping with this sentiment, Commander Adriano Lozer, Commanding Officer of HMCS Ottawa, said during his address, “We are honoured by the welcome we have received and the commitment to peace by the Kanda family and the community.”

On conclusion of the ceremony, the Canadian contingent placed their poppies on the wreaths at the foot of the monument. They posed for pictures alongside community members prior to their return journey to the ship via train and bus. During the long journey back, all would reflect on the peace that both nations hold dear before returning to HMCS Ottawa and their duties in the Indo-Pacific region.