Commemoration
of the
Battle of the Atlantic
O Canada
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot-love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise
the True North strong and free;
From far and wide, O Canada,
we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
Opening Sentence
Proclaim with me the greatness of God,
together let us extol God’s holy name.
The Lord shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide for strong nations afar off;
And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore. (Micah 4:3)
Responsive Reading
Chaplain
Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose love is everlasting.
All
God is inside the city, so the city can never fall;
at the crack of dawn God comes to their aid;
to the roaring of nations and tottering of kingdoms.
When God shouts, the world disintegrates.
Chaplain
Let us thank God for God’s love,
for the marvels God has done on behalf of all people;
satisfying the hungry, and filling the starving with good things.
All
Come think of God’s marvels,
the astounding things God has done for the world;
all over the world, God puts an end to wars;
God breaks the bow, snaps the spear,
and gives shields to the flames.
Chaplain
Then they called to God in their troubles
and God rescued them from their sufferings;
releasing them from gloom and darkness,
and shattering their chains.
All
Pause a while and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted over the earth!
Chaplain
Others, taking ships and going out to sea,
were plying their business across the oceans;
they too saw what God could do, what marvels on the deep!
All
They called to God in their trouble
and God rescued them from their sufferings,
reducing storms to a whisper until the waves grew quiet,
bringing them, glad at the calm, safe to the port they were bound for.
Chaplain
If you are wise, you will study these things
and realize how God shows us God’s love.
First Reading
But the souls of the righteous are in God’s hand, and torment shall not touch them. In the eyes of the foolish, they seem to be dead; their departure was reckoned as defeat, and their going from us disaster.
But they are at peace, for though they may have seemed to be punished, they have a sure hope of immortality; and after a little chastisement they will receive great blessings, because God has tested them and found them to be worthy. Like gold in a crucible God put them to the proof, and found them acceptable like an offering burnt whole upon the altar.
In the moment of God’s coming to them they will kindle into flame, like sparks that sweep through stubble; they will be judges and rulers over the nations of the world, and the Lord shall be their king for ever and ever.
Those who have put their trust in God shall understand that God is true, and the faithful shall attend upon God in love; they are God’s chosen, and grace and mercy shall be theirs.
(Wisdom 3:1-9)
O God our Help in Ages Past
O God our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.
Under the shadow of thy wings
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defence is sure.
A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone,
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
be thou our guard while troubles last,
and our eternal home.
Second Reading
Brothers and sisters: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; and the perishable cannot inherit what lasts forever. I will tell you something that has been secret: we are not all going to die, but we shall all be changed. This will be instantaneous, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds. It will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed as well, because our present perishable nature must put on imperishability and our mortal nature must put on immortality. Thus when this perishable nature has put on imperishability, and this mortal nature has put on immortality, the words of scripture will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Never give in then, my brothers and sisters, never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord’s work always, knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be labouring in vain.
(1 Corinthians 15:50-58)
A Prayer for Peace
Almighty God from whom true peace comes, open our minds and hearts to a true love of peace. Guide those who are in authority to listen well to your wisdom, to work only for justice and charity, which is the only true path to peace in the world. May your kingdom come so that the earth will be filled with your knowledge and your love and your peace. Amen.
A Prayer for the Air Force
Almighty God, whose loving care encompasses even the sparrow in its flight, guide and protect, we pray, all those who fly the uncharted spaces of the sky. Bless those who, through service in the Air Force, stand guard over the sacred trust of home and country. Endow them with wisdom and understanding that they may clearly see the path of duty and courageously devote themselves in service to the nation they love. In the solitude of flight, may the beauty of your greatness be revealed to them, that they may pattern their lives in accordance with your will. Extend your strengthening presence to those who wait at home, and may they ever know your watchful care will keep safe their absent ones. Let your blessing be upon us, O God, we pray. Lead us to carry on the trust left to us by those who have given with honour their lives in service of their country. May we find peace in the knowledge of our mission accomplished and their task completed, united forever in faithful service. Amen.
The Naval Prayer
O Eternal Lord God, who alone spreadest out the heavens and rulest the raging of the seas; who has compassed the waters with bounds until day and night come to an end; be pleased to receive into Thy Almighty and Most Gracious protection the persons of us Thy servants, and the fleet in which we serve. Preserve us from the dangers of the sea and from the violence of the enemy, that we may be a safeguard unto our most Gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth, and her Dominions, and a security for such as pass on the seas upon their lawful occasions; that the inhabitants of the commonwealth may in peace and quietness serve Thee our God, and that we may return safely to enjoy the Blessings of the Land, with the Fruits of our Labours, and with a Thankful Remembrance of Thy mercies to Praise and Glorify Thy Holy Name. Amen.
Eternal Father, Strong to Save
Eternal Father, strong to save,
whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
who bids the mighty oceans deep
its own appointed limits keep:
O hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.
O Christ, the Lord of hill and plain
O’er which our traffic runs a main
by mountain pass or valley low:
Wherever Lord our comrades go,
protect them by thy guarding hand from every peril on the land.
O Spirit, whom the Father sent
to spread abroad the firmament:
O Wind of heaven by thy might
Save all who dare the eagles flight,
and keep them by thy watchful care
from every peril in the air.
O Trinity of love and power,
be thou our shield in danger’s hour;
from rock and tempest, fire and foe,
protect us wheresoe’er we go;
and evermore shall rise to thee
glad hymns from air and land and sea.
Last Post
Roll Call of HMC Ships
Roll Call of Canadian Merchant Ships
Roll Call of Canadian Air Squadrons
Silence
Reveille
Laying of Wreaths
God Save the Queen
God save our gracious Queen,
long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen.
Send her victorious,
happy and glorious,
long to reign over us;
God save the Queen.
Benediction
May the God of all consolation bless you in every way,
and grant you peace all the days of your life. Amen.
May the Lord keep you from all misfortune,
and strengthen your hearts in peace. Amen.
May the Lord enrich you with the gifts of faith, hope and love,
so that what you do in this life may bring you to the happiness of everlasting life. Amen.
And may the almighty God bless you, and all whom you love
this day and evermore. Amen.
Battle of the Atlantic
On 3 September 1939, the “Athenia” was sunk off the coast of Northern Ireland. One week later, Canada was officially at war. From that day until the last of the German U-Boats surrendered after VE Day, in May 1945, the Allied navies and air forces could not relax their vigilance for a moment.
Battle of Atlantic Sunday commemorates the sacrifices of sailors, merchant seamen, RCAF and Canadian Army personnel who gave their lives in the North Atlantic. The Royal Canadian Navy gave to the struggle over 2000 dead and 24 warships. More than 900 RCAF and Canadian Army personnel were lost as well. The elements were often as vicious as the foe, with raging storms, pack ice, bitter cold, fog, and the dense blackness of North Atlantic nights.
The RCN and the Merchant Navy made nearly 26,000 safe crossings arrying over 181 million tons of supplies to Great Britain.
Freedom was made secure.
Thus we remember…
HMCS FRASER HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN
HMCS REGINA HMCS BRAS D’OR
HMCS OTTAWA HMCS ALBERNI
HMCS MARGAREE HMCS LOUISBOURG
HMCS SKEENA HMCS OTTER
HMCS WEYBURN HMCS SHAWINIGAN
HMCS LEVIS HMCS ST CROIX
HMCS CLAYOQUOT HMCS WINDFLOWER
HMCS CHEDABUCTO HMCS TRENTONIAN
HMCS SPIKENARD HMCS ATHABASKAN
HMCS GUYSBOROUGH HMCS RACOON
HMCS VALLEYFIELD HMCS ESQUIMALT
They will not be forgotten.
Canadian Merchant Ships
Between 1939 and 1945, over 1700 Merchant Navy personnel lost their lives due to enemy action. This figure includes Canadian seaman who were lost while serving aboard 278 Canadian and Allied ships.
Over 70 Canadian Merchant ships were sunk, mst in the Battle of the Atlantic.
1940 – 7 ships lost 1943 – 2 ships lost
1941 – 13 ships lost 1944 – 8 ships lost
1942 – 36 ships lost 1945 – 7 ships lost
They will not be forgotten.
Royal Canadian Air Force Squadrons
5th Squadron Eastern Air Command
8th Squadron Eastern Air Command
10th Squadron Eastern Air Command
11th Squadron Eastern Air Command
113th Squadron Eastern Air Command
116th Squadron Eastern Air Command
117th Squadron Eastern Air Command
119th Squadron Eastern Air Command
145th Squadron Eastern Air Command
160th Squadron Eastern Air Command
161st Squadron Eastern Air Command
162nd Squadron Eastern Air Command
404th Squadron Coastal Command
407th Squadron Coastal Command
413th Squadron Coastal Command
415th Squadron Coastal Command
422nd Squadron Coastal Command
423rd Squadron Coastal Command
Approximately 350 aircraft were lost and more than 900 aircrew were killed during the Battle of the Atlantic.
They will not be forgotten.