A pair of London, Ont. volunteers have been awarded a prestigious honour.
Barry Murphy and Rob Kamphuis have been given the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation for their work on the Battle of the Atlantic memorial at HMCS Prevost.
“To be nominated for this award at a national level for my contribution was totally out of the blue,” said Ret. Lt. Cmdr. Robert Kamphuis.
The pair were nominated for the commendation by Honorary Capt. Jeff Topping of the Royal Canadian Navy for their years of hard work designing and constructing this memorial.
“Barry, a professional, landscape architect was responsible for design, construction and making sure the physical plan that you see today happened,” said Topping. “Rob is generally behind the scenes doing the hard work, the heavy lifting, the finances, making sure all the names are correct and everything is in place.”
The award was established in 2001 with the approval of the governor general.
“Honouring Canada’s veterans and their sacrifices is a responsibility we all share. It is a privilege to recognize these individuals for their compassion, dedication and commitment to supporting veterans and preserving their legacy for future generations,” said Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Jill McKnight in a statement.
Kamphuis has been involved since the project’s inception contributing countless volunteer hours. Overseeing the project, he was able to ensure its completion in time for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic in May 2025.
He personally designed the commemorative panels, meticulously verifying each name to ensure accuracy and dignity. His favourite aspect is seeing the families visit the monument.
“Three to four generations after the fact and we have parents pointing out to their 12-year-old’s saying, ‘This was your grandfather and this is what he had done during the war,” said Kamphuis.
Murphy, a professional landscape architect, has been a committee member for more than a decade.
His contributions have included site surveying, landscape and memorial design, and sourcing high-quality materials. He also secured donations of labour, plants, trees and fixtures.
“I was involved in the structural design from the lower components where we have the words ‘The Battle of the Atlantic’ on it at the pedestrian level,” said Murphy.
“We wanted to have it accessible, so we had to make sure that the paving was flat. We also designed the lighting that would up light the panels at night because this monument just is only for daytime, it’s also celebrated in the evening for people walking on the Thames Valley Parkway,” he continued.
Kamphuis had visions of making this a national-level memorial for Canadians to recognize and for Londoners to see the hard work that went into a national-status memorial.
“It’s a proper recognition for all the sacrifices, Canadians have made over many decades,” added Kamphuis. “The contributions during the Second World War, helps really, put a physical presence to their sacrifice and really helps to bring home what Canadians did to build this country.”
Each of the duo received a certificate, a lapel pin for civilian wear and a bar for wear with decorations. The design is a gold maple leaf on a red poppy, a flower long associated with the sacrifices of war, topped with the royal crown.
More than 1,400 have been handed out during the past 25 years.
“The commendation is very specific in to volunteer work, benefiting veterans, or honoring veterans,” said Topping. “It’s only once a year, so, it is very prestigious.”
