Colour Guard at a commemoration of sacrifices made at Vimy Ridge, the Battle of the Atlantic, and the triumph of VE Day in Belleville Sunday, May 6/2018.(Photo/John Spitters/Quinte News)
While many don’t know about and subsequently don’t care about major events in Canadian and even world history, there will always be those that do.
And, they were evident on a sunny Sunday afternoon at a commemoration ceremony at Belleville’s cenotaph.
Being remembered were three major events in our history, the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Battle of the Atlantic, and Victory in Europe, or VE Day.
(Photo/John Spitters/Quinte News)
More than 10,500 Canadians were killed or wounded in a four-day assault on France’s Vimy Ridge in April of 1917 in the First World War.
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous battle of the Second World War and 4,6o0 Canadians perished on the high seas. In all, 70,000 allied seamen, merchant mariners and airmen died in the years long battle.
And VE Day, May 8 of 1945, marked the end of World War II.
Veterans and currently serving military personnel, along with about 100 members of the public, paused to remember at the event organized by the Belleville Veterans’ Council.
MP Neil Ellis lays a wreath at the ceremony.(Photo/John Spitters/Quinte News)
Padre Larry Hurley of 418 Wing RCAFA lamented the fact that most don’t know about or gave a “tinker’s damn” about these turning points in Canada’s and the world’s history.
“To many, war is just something that flits by on television. War is something happening somewhere you google to find out where the place is.”
However, he said there will always be Canadians in every community from coast to coast to coast who will remember and he reminded them that “God is a God of peace, so let’s try to be more peaceful.”
Among those laying wreaths were mayor of Belleville Taso Christopher, MPP Todd Smith, and MP Neil Ellis.
