Sunday, May 08, 2011

On the seas of memory

The first Sunday in May is traditionally Battle of the Atlantic Sunday, the day when the conflict – and supreme sacrifice of more than 70,000 Allied sailors and merchant seamen – are commemorated. That was last week. And today, exactly a week later, is the anniversary of VE Day, the day the battle ended and the second great war of the 20th century came to a close in Western Europe.

My father served aboard a frigate, HMCS Dunver, during the latter half of the conflict. When he died five years ago, I followed in his steps and made an annual contribution to the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, which works to maintain the HMCS Sackville in Halifax as a monument to those who served both in the Battle of the Atlantic and the navy as a whole. Today, by the trust’s estimate, there’s a million Canadians with a relative who saw active service in the navy between 1939 and 1945.

Canada’s navy doesn’t get a lot of respect, however. Sure, a dollar coin was minted last year to mark the navy’s centennial, and dark rum enjoyed a higher profile on account of its long association with the service (and vice versa). But here in Vancouver, concern over the fate of 43 West Hastings hinged on the building’s post-war history as Save-On Meats, a popular butcher in its day with a neon sign that’s become part of the city’s chic heritage; Jones Tent & Awning Ltd., the previous tenant, is mentioned only in passing with no recognition of its role as a supplier of flags and other goods to the navy during the war.

The loss of memories like that – with no disrespect meant to the importance of Save-On Meats to its neighbourhood – steadily erodes our understanding of the fundamental way the Battle of the Atlantic and the as a whole impacted cities on the home front, and influenced a generation. Indeed, I wouldn’t have known about Jones Tent & Awning if I hadn’t looked at the tag on a naval ensign my father kept from his ship, and taken the time to find out where the manufacturer was located during the 1940s, where the flag I held was made.

Word is 43 West Hastings is being renovated to host a deli and restaurant, likely with the kind of retro twist that’s become common in the area as gentrification has occurred and a new generation pays homage to the old. You'll probably find me down there someday for lunch, when the new incarnation opens this summer. I don’t know that I’ll take the flag that was made a few floors above, but I’ll definitely take my memories and offer a word of thanks for sacrifices made and peace enjoyed.


Sitting with the ensign from HMCS Dunver (1990).


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