First Battle of the Atlantic ceremony for HMCS Malahat’s junior members

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This past Sunday, 30 members of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Malahat, Victoria’s Naval Reserve Division, marched alongside members of CFB Esquimalt, Maritime Forces Pacific, the Naden Band, and the Sea Cadets, taking part in the Battle of the Atlantic Service at the Cenotaph at the British Columbia Legislature in downtown Victoria.

 

The first Sunday in May is marked by the Royal Canadian Navy and Naval Reserve Units across Canada to honour and remember the 95,000 Canadians who fought during the longest continuous battle of the Second World War – and the 4,600 who paid the ultimate sacrifice, including 2,000 members of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1,600 Canadian merchant mariners, 752 Canadian aircrew and 136 civilian men, women, and children.

 

This year’s ceremony was extraordinary as it was attended by Her Royal Highness (HRH), The Princess Royal, who also marked the 79th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic and the 100th year of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

 

While the majority of HMCS Malahat’s sailors took part in the larger marching contingent, there was another small group from the unit who also marked the occasion. Standing under a tree to the edge of the Cenotaph was Malahat’s ‘Tree Platoon’, made up of seven most junior members. All of them were fresh out of their recent graduation of ‘Mod 2’ of their Basic Military Qualification, their new cap badges on their berets signifying this accomplishment.

 

While this was their first time attending the service for Battle of the Atlantic Sunday, the presence of HRH, the Princess Royal, further amplified the importance of the event.

 

“It’s quite exciting the Princess Royal is here,” said Sailor 3rd Class (S3) Elliot Beels. “I am stoked to be here and be a part of this – it feels like I have an important role to play being here now in uniform. I truly feel honoured to be here today.”

 

Standing under the tree, they reflected on their recent training.

 

“It is really exciting to see how everything we learned and practiced came together today – it feels really good to be here,” said S3 Isabelle Maguet.

 

Other members also recognized the historical aspect of the ceremony.

 

“Being here and paying our respects to those who have fallen and remember our history is very important,” said S3 Callum Leblanc, shortly after the Naden Band played The Last Post, followed by two minutes of silence.

 

“It is a solemn occasion and I feel honoured to be here and to connect to those who gave their lives in war so many years ago,” said S3 Nitin Mehta.

 

Being in uniform as part of the Naval Reserve held special significance to all seven.

 

“It’s pretty cool, honestly, to be here in uniform and be a part of this,” said S3 Cooper Vasey.

 

“I definitely feel honoured to be here,” added S3 Brandon Stevens. 

 

“It is significant for our junior members to attend such an important ceremony as their first event,” said Lieutenant-Commander Anne Gardam, Malahat’s Commanding Officer. “I am happy to hear they are starting to connect with our Navy’s proud history, especially on a day like today.”