Battle of the Atlantic remembered by Thunder Bay survivor of HMCS Athabaskan
Ernie Takalo, 90, says 'there are things you don't want to remember' about war time service
A Thunder Bay veteran of World War II says it's good to hold events such as Sunday's commemoration of the Battle of the Atlantic, but he worries about the dwindling numbers of those who remember the war.
Ernie Takalo was a stoker on HMCS Athabaskan when it went down in a battle with German destroyers northwest of France in 1944.
But the smile faded as he recalled the night the Athabaskan sunk. He was one of 44 crew members who were rescued by HMCS Haida, 128 crew died, 83 were taken prisoner.
"The Haida kept going and we couldn't swim fast enough to get on it," he said. "But I was very fortunate to be picked up. There were scramble nets, like rope ladders, down the side. But you were all covered with oil."
At 90, Takalo said his memory is slipping.
"I guess there are things that you don't want to remember," he said.
Takalo, who is one of only two surviving members of the original Athabaskan, received special recognition at a commemorative ceremony at HMCS Griffon in Thunder Bay on Sunday.
"I think it's very good," he said of the event. "But the numbers are sure getting less and less. You haven't got the same companionship that you used to have and not that many people to talk about the war.
"Of course you shouldn't talk about it," he added. "You should forget about it."
After a pause, Takalo seemed to change his mind about the benefits of talking and remembering.
"I guess the young people should know, in a way, what went on," he said. "A lot of young people don't know what we went through."