Latest news with #JonathanVance
Hamilton Spectator
15-05-2025
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
Here's what to do in Hamilton this long weekend
Environment Canada forecasts a long weekend in the mid-to-high teens, with cloudy conditions. Saturday calls for a high of 19 C, with a high of 15 C on Sunday. Here is what you can get up to this Victoria Day weekend: The City of Hamilton and Rotary Club of Dundas Valley Sunrise will put on a fireworks display on Sunday, May 18 at around 9:30 p.m. Families, couples, friends and solo-riders should go to Dundas Driving Park at 71 Cross St. From 4 p.m. to dark, there will be a music and kids fest, an artisan market, food trucks, coffee, snacks and glow sticks available for purchase. For more information, go to . Chocolate Tales is running a croissant-making class on Saturday, May 17 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Attendees will learn to make dough from scratch and take home about a dozen unbaked croissants. Tickets to the class are $85 on . If you're looking to enjoy the weather and stay active in the process, the Hamilton Community Ride is on Sunday at 10 a.m. Cyclists will meet at the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Memorial Pavilion in Bayfront Park for a pre-ride coffee and social. The 30-kilometre ride through East Hamilton will then begin at 11 a.m. until an expected end at around 1:30 p.m. To end off the event, riders will meet at the park outside of Eastwood Arena at around 2 p.m., where raffle prize winners will be announced. For ride details and a waiver, go to . Garden Hamilton will hold its annual plant sale on May 17 from 9 a.m. to noon. Go to Immanuel Christian Reformed Church at 61 Mohawk Rd. W. to peruse hanging baskets, native plants, annuals, perennials and vegetables. Purchases are cash only. The The Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society will host Jonathan Vance, a professor of history at the University of Western Ontario, to speak about Jewish soldiers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War, with an emphasis on Hamilton's contribution. The talk will happen at the Coach House at Dundurn Castle on May 16 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 and includes light refreshments. For more details and ticket information, go to . The Weird and Wonderful Extravaganza will happen at Legion Branch 58 at 1180 Barton St. E. on May 17 from 1 to 5 p.m. The festival will celebrate Hamilton's history with exhibits on subjects like former Beamsville socialite Evelyn Dick, as well as crystals, fossils and dinosaur relics. There will also be guests like author Robin McKee, a magician and balloon sculptor Eric Kenny. Host Jen Frankel will interview participants and exhibitors throughout the event. Attendees can enjoy $5 tacos from 905 Tacos and participate in a hot wing-eating contest at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door or online at . The Rockstar Music Spring Showcase is on Sunday, with the first set at 1:30 p.m. and the second at 3:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Staircase at 27 Dundurn St. N. in Hamilton. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. For more information and tickets, go to . Redchurch Café at 68 King St. E. in Hamilton will host a collage and sip night on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. Enjoy a drink at the café while doing crafts. Tickets are about $23 on . Not this weekend, but looking ahead: Head over to Hamilton Air Force Association at 128 King St. E. between 4:30 and 6 p.m. to pick up your lobster and ribs on June 7. Tickets are $60 and includes two portions of lobster or ribs and one salad, roll or dessert. Go to or call 905-627-3355 for more details. Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. cbholla@
CBC
02-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Monument in London, Ont., honours Canadians who served in WW II's Battle of the Atlantic
National monument in London honours Battle of the Atlantic veterans 9 minutes ago Duration 1:12 Social Sharing A Royal Canadian Navy base in London, Ont., has built a national memorial paying homage to the sailors and air force personnel who served and lost their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic — the longest continuous battle of the Second World War. The monument, outside the HMCS Prevost at the Forks of the Thames, will list each ship and the names of the navy merchants and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) members who were lost at sea. It will be unveiled this weekend for the naval campaign's 80th anniversary. The September 1939 to May 1945 battle lasted almost the entirety of the war. It was a crucial Canadian contribution that protected convoys carrying important supplies such as food, fuel and ammunition along the Atlantic Ocean from Halifax to Europe. "What we're building is a circle of honour that lists by ship every sailor lost at the Atlantic and up on the hill, as if high and still protecting us from the skies — the airmen listed that gave their lives protecting those convoys," said Jeff Topping, the Prevost honorary captain who spearheaded the project. "Telling the stories of the ships is one thing, but it's really about those who gave their all during the Battle of the Atlantic. We wanted to tell their stories and that's where the concept came of listing all the names, so you could see them and remember them." More than 2,000 sailors from the Royal Canadian Navy and the Merchant Navy of Canada never came home, while the RCAF lost 873 personnel and 350 aircraft that provided air cover to the convoys, according to HMCS Prevost. The Atlantic 'a critical transportation route' The Battle of the Atlantic played a pivotal role in allowing Britain to become an "arsenal" for European allies as critical resources crossed the Atlantic in significant quantities, said Jonathan Vance, a history professor at London's Western University. "Everything the allies would eventually need to defeat Nazi Germany had to come into Britain from overseas, mostly from North America, including supplies that Britain needed to sustain itself," he said, calling the battle an "Atlantic lifeline." "This was a critical transportation route right from Day 1 — if we hadn't won it, none of the other battles would've happened because the supplies couldn't have gotten close to the front." Despite the Battle of the Atlantic's importance, little is known about the individuals who served in it, said Vance, adding it took years for the Canadian government to recognize merchant seamen as veterans. "It was such critical work and a lot of the work went unnoticed in large measure," he said. " Crews were not military; they were merchant seamen who got lost in the shuffle when it came to remembering veterans and their contributions." The monument's first phase started in 2010 with a simple memorial on a hill outside the Prevost, but members wanted to do more and scoured through archives in Ottawa to ensure every name was accounted for. It took months, but they're confident the list is complete, said Topping, adding the navy has raised more than $500,000 in donations from organizations across the country. In London, approximately 70 sailors joined at HMCS Prevost, either before or during the war, who never returned home, he added. "Nowhere in Canada is there a single place where all the names are listed because if you think of ships going down at the sea, many sailors have no grave." Topping hopes this memorial will help other Canadians learn and appreciate those who were involved in the battle. "All of these sailors, airmen and merchant navy gave their lives for our freedom," he said. "The freedoms we enjoy today were as a result of what they did 80 years ago, so we hope that people will come honour, pay tribute and take away a bit of history for that next generation." The Prevost will host a ceremony on Sunday, when it will showcase the wall to the public at its location on 19 Becher St., starting at 1 p.m. ET.
