A rainy day couldn’t stop 100-year-old Winnie Rice from attending a memorial service for veterans.
Rice was among about 100 attendees who gathered in Saint John on Sunday morning to commemorate the sailors, merchant mariners and aviators who died in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Rice comes from a naval family. She said her father and brother served in the British navy.
Born in England, she joined the British army as a teenager and served during the Second World War.
“I had to go into the army,” she said. “But everything for me is navy, still,” she said.
The Battle of the Atlantic was fought from 1939 until 1945 — the longest continuous battle of the war. More than 70,000 Allied seamen were killed, including more than 4,000 from Canada and Newfoundland.
The event held at the naval memorial Sunday attracted Canadian Forces members, cadets, veterans and members of the public.
“But this is very special to me,” said Rice. “Because of my age, I might not be here next year.”
She said she remembers all the bombings and deaths that she witnessed during the war. “It never goes away,” she said.
But if she could be young again she said she would join the navy any day, due to her family history.
Rice said she came to Canada as a war bride. She said it has been her privilege to experience both countries.
“I love them both, I love Canada,” she said.
Rice said it is important to remember the sacrifices made by veterans in the past. She said she admires the younger generation joining the Canadian Forces.
The event was organized by the HMCS Brunswicker naval reserve division.
Cdr. Tom Watts, the commanding officer for HMCS Brunswicker, said it is important to have these events outside of Remembrance Day because more veterans are lost as time passes.
“Unless you’re really able to put yourself in that situation, you can’t comprehend what they went through,” Watts said.
“It’s up to us to make sure that we have these ceremonies and make sure that people recognize what was done for us … the comfort and the freedom that we have today.”
