N.L.'s role in the Battle of the Atlantic should be remembered, John Crosbie says

There's an effort underway to memorialize Newfoundland and Labrador's role in the so-called Battle of the Atlantic, described by many as the longest and most decisive struggle of the Second World War.

The effort is in conjunction with a massive memorial project in Halifax, which was the North American hub for convoys that sailed to and from Europe from 1939 until 1945.

The man at the forefront of this province's campaign is former lieutenent-governor and politician John Crosbie, who remembers quite clearly how the war changed Newfoundland and Labrador — a British dominion governed by a commission of government at the time.

Thousands of Canadian and American service personnel flooded into places like St. John's, Argentia, Botwood, Stephenville, Gander and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

"It's very important to have it properly commemorated, which it hasn't been," Crosbie said Monday during an interview with the St. John's Morning Show.

Crosbie and others believe a monument should be established in Newfoundland and Labrador, and they plan to launch a campaign to make that happen.

The project will be discussed during a meeting at the Crow's Nest in St. John's Thursday. The event will include a representative from the trust's board of directors.

U-boat infested waters

The outbreak of war in Europe required a steady flow of munitions and other supplies to Great Britain, which was fighting for its survival against Germany. To fill this critical need, and the later effort to push the Germans out of western and eastern Europe, large convoys of ships sailed the North Atlantic.

Early in the war, these convoys were ravaged by marauding German U-boats, but the tide slowly turned as Canada developed its navy into one of the largest in the world, and the range and capabilities of patrolling aircraft improved greatly.

An escort vessel called the corvette became synonymous with these convoys, helping shepherd the merchant ships.

The corvettes — there were more than 120 in the Canadian navy — would often leave St. John's harbour to join up with the convoys.

Crow's Nest to host Thursday meeting

HMCS Sackville, the last corvette,  is a floating museum in Halifax harbour and will become the centrepiece of a project called Battle of the Atlantic Place.

The project, spearheaded by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, is scheduled to be completed in time for Canada's 150th birthday in 2017.

Crosbie said the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia are contributing to the project, and he hopes Newfoundland and Labrador's government will do the same.

He said members of the public will also be able to contribute.