Memorial planned for heroes of Atlantic... 73 years on
THE heroes of one of the most crucial campaigns of the Second World War could finally be recognised for their sacrifices.
A memorial is being planned in honour of the 50,000 Allied serviceman and merchant sailors who lost their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The struggle to protect the convoys bringing vital supplies from the USA to Europe was the longest campaign of the conflict, and Winston Churchill said it was ‘the dominating factor’ on which the war’s outcome depended.
Tomorrow an appeal will be launched to raise £2.5 million to fund a 15-ton bronze sculpture on the waterfront in Liverpool, where Allied commanders of the battle were based.
The campaign’s chairman Vice Admiral Mike Gretton – whose father Vice Admiral Sir Peter Gretton served during the battle – said the memorial would be chance to correct an oversight, 73 years after the last skirmishes.
He said: ‘Despite the immense significance of the Battle of the Atlantic, it does not have a dedicated national memorial in Britain.
‘We believe that, as the veterans leave us, it is vital that we create a fitting memorial to the lion-hearted men and women who served.’
The statue is being designed by Paul Day, who previously created the Battle of Britain Monument on the Thames Embankment.
His new sculpture will remember those on both sides of the conflict, including the many German U-boat submariners who died.
Alec Owen, 93, who served in the Navy’s convoy escorts, told The Mail on Sunday that the memorial was crucial. Recalling one sinking, he said: ‘I can still see those people we left in the water. It’s difficult to explain the atrocities and what we went through.
‘I feel a memorial must be created to help us communicate what happened, so that our stories are not forgotten.’
For more details of the project, visit battleoftheatlantic.org.