Explanation
Artifacts have a way of reminding us who we are. Family relics handed over from one generation to the next can gain considerable sentimental value.
Bristol began on June 30, 1969 and continued to work until October 28, 2020. She had a long and well-known history.
In the summer of 1982, when Britain decided to save a small population of Falkland Islanders from the grips of South American military dictators, HMS Bristol led the Royal Navy reinforcement ship group into the South Atlantic.
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Through the Falklands conflict, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher received full support from US President Ronald Reagan. During that time, British, Americans and Canadians seemed inseparable.
A wonderful forgotten ship
In later years, HMS Bristol served as a training vessel. When she was finally served, there was a stairwell of public support to keep her as a museum ship within the Royal Navy National Museum.
Gerald Vernon Jackson, Portsmouth in England, claimed to be a city council member.
However, despite public efforts to preserve the iconic ship, the UK Ministry of Defense sold her to a Turkish recycling company. In June 2024, Bristol was taken from a mooring in Portsmouth and towed to be demolished in Aliga, Turkey.
Family Relics from Another Time
Many older people in the Atlantic Canada have a personal interest in naval history.
About ten years after World War II, my mother’s sister married an American sailor. The couple settled in Hampton, Virginia, and they often invited me to mix with friends in the US Navy and spend an amazing southern holiday.
It was a modest little event in the grand scheme of global relations, but then we learned that ordinary members of the military could become both a fierce advocate for each country and a well-intentioned ambassador of each country.
The inherited artefacts are fascinating reminders of shared experiences and cultural identity. Before my American uncle passed away, he gave me a little sign. And after learning of Bristol’s unfortunate end, I handed it to my daughter.
Today we live in very different times. In fact, it is difficult to imagine someone under the age of 40 being moved by the ownership of a 45-year-old flag from a dismantled battleship.
Western schools and universities have become split, res, mediocre factories. English-speaking graduates have been taught that their ancestors are all terrible oppressors and nothing is worth learning from them. Identity politics and indifferent self-promotion are the order of the day.
On a geopolitical level, the once-terrifying North Atlantic Alliance is in ruins. British and Canadian defence forces are shrinking, and the People’s Republic of China is threatening to eat up the strength of the US military.
Between World War II and the present, the US, Canada and the UK developed one of the most frightening partnerships in world history. We shared a common history of democratic governance, military loyalty, economic cooperation and cultural traditions. These days, our personal and international relationships seem to be completely traded. At almost every level of human effort, we are heading towards an uncertain future of “bowling alone.”
To reverse these trends, we need to turn back the clock from around 40 years. We need to restore the conservative instincts, diplomatic habits and true friendships that existed between us during the days of leaders such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Brian Mulroney.
The views expressed in this article are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the epoch era.
