REFLECT                           RELIVE                    REMEMBER

The Royal Canadian Naval Ships Memorial Monument faces Lake Ontario at Spencer Smith Park in Downtown Burlington Ontario. It honours the memory of the Canadian Ships and Sailors who served during the Second World War.

The monument lists the names of all the ships involved in the six year Battle of the Atlantic from September 1939 to May 1945, including both the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Merchant Navy.

Did you know the Royal Canadian Navy grew between 1939 and 1945 to become the world's third largest navy, with a total of 577 ships of all types? Of these, 31 ships and 2,044 crew members were lost through hostile actions. Many other crew members were wounded or taken prisoner. In addition, 73 merchant ships and 1,578 inluding 8 women civilian crew members were also lost.

Local Naval Veterans have held Battle of the Atlantic services in Spencer Smith Park for many years. Without the benefit of a monument, members of the public would simply walk through or around the service unaware of the importance of the occasion.

Following the naval memorial service in 1993 a group of Royal Canadian Naval Association members, that included Wlliam E. Drew, Art Burchat, Alex Bramson and George Donnelly(former H.M.S. Hood crew member), recognized the need for a monument. These veterans formed a committee to propose a design that included a base, a cairn, a ships wall and a bronze statue backed by four flags.

With construction and installation dependent on fundraising efforts, the committee proceeded to solicit contributions. They contacted cities and towns that had ships named after them(as Burlington did). They contacted Canadian Naval Clubs, Ontario Legions and service clubs and raised funds through local businesses by running raffles, and by hosting naval memorabilia displays. These activities were all managed by Royal Canadian Naval Veterans.

The effort took some years, but the response was heart warming. Enough funds were raised to contract Ottawa artist Andre Gauthier to sculpt a seaman standing at salute to his lost comrades. The model used for the statue was a member of the local Sea Cadets wearing the uniform worn by Mike Vencel during his naval service. The statue was cast in bronze, and the other components of the monument were built by Old World Stone Ltd. of Burlington. The total cost of about $140,000 was raised by generous corporate and private donations.

In April 1995 the monument was assembled. The parade and dedication ceremony took place on Sunday May 14, 1995. Those in attendance included former Lt. Governor Hal Jackman who performed the unveiling, local members of Provincial and Federal Parlaiment, the chair of Halton Region, the Mayor and members of Burlington Council and the Commanding Officers of both H.M.C.S. Star and H.M.C.S. York. The parade led by the band of H.M.C.S. Star, included 1,500 Naval Veterans and was viewed by 4,500 spectators.The beautiful waterfront location includes a floral garden and two benches for people to pause and reflect. The City of Burlington continues to maintain this important site. The monument is cleaned regularly by members of The Burl-Oak Naval Veterans. If you visit and one or more of the Veterans are in attendance, please take a minute to speak to them, they will be pleased to answer any questions.

Did you know this Naval Ships Memorial Monument is the only Canadian memorial that remembers all of the ships that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War? Services held at the sight attract many visitors of all ages.