Today, August 15th, 2020, marks the 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II with the surrender of Japan. Although not known to many, Canada did participate in the Pacific Theatre – some attached to other countries such as Hampton Grey with the Royal Navy’s HMS Formidable of the British Pacific Fleet, and others, such as the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers, who suffered long years of torture and death as prisoners when Hong Kong fell in 1941. So although Canadians participated in great numbers with distinction in the European Theatre, very little seems to be general knowledge of the Pacific participation. Regardless, after the U.S.A. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese surrendered on the 15th August and signed the documents of surrender aboard the USS Missouri on 2nd Sept., 1945. The fighting was over but the ordeal of the survivors was just beginning.
Today was a beautiful August morning with full sun and temperatures hovering around 20 degrees C. COVID-19 had a hand in the organization of the ceremony with only about 30 invited guests instead of the usual couple of hundred and delegations from almost all countries involved in WWII. The guests pretty much all wore masks, unless speaking from the podium, and all were spaced in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with physical separation not only side-to-side but also front-to-back. As an added measure, each speaker was provided a clean microphone wind cover as they came forward to speak.
Canada was represented by the MP for Orleans, Marie-France Lalonde, Veteran Affairs by Mr. Robert Lȏken, the CAF by LGen. Wayne Eyre, and the Veterans of WWII by Mr. Derrill Henderson. In attendance and also laying a wreath was the Ambassador of Japan to Canada, His Excellency Kawamura. Other countries to lay wreaths were Australia, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
The ceremony started with an aboriginal prayer by Elder Albert Dumont who was then followed by Ms. Lalonde. She re-iterated the Canadian battles in Europe of Normandy, Italy, the Bomber War, the Battle of the Atlantic mentioning that over 1 million Canadians served during the war of which 45 thousand were killed and 55 thousand were wounded. She also mentioned the Canadian participation in the Pacific with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force members and the over 260 Canadian soldiers (mostly from the surrender of Hong Kong) that died under cruel conditions in Japanese prisoner of war camps. She acknowledged that we owe our freedom to these men and that they will not be forgotten.
The program then continued with the Act of Remembrance and the Commitment to Remember ending with a prayer prior to the playing of the Last Post, the silence, the Rouse and the Lament. The wreaths were laid, again using COVID-19 protocols so that the wreath bearers did not come into contact with those laying the wreaths, and diplomatic delegations laid wreaths two at a time, one on each side of the National War Memorial, again so as to not come into physical contact. A final blessing closed the ceremony just before noon and guests were invited to go to Parliament Hill to hear the playing of the Carillon.
to see all the images, CLICK HERE
=========================================================
