Legions to host Remembrance Day ceremonies

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This article was published 09/11/2021 (1586 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARED-down gatherings and virtual services will mark Remembrance Day on Thursday, the second held during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the yearly RBC Convention Centre ceremony has been cancelled, there will be several places where people can honour Canada’s veterans.

More than 2.3 million Canadians have served in the military and more than 118,000 have died during their service, says the Veterans Affairs department.

Several Royal Canadian Legions plan to hold a private or limited capacity ceremony. Among them is Henderson Highway Legion branch #215, which will hold a pared-down service open to 175 people.

The service would typically be held at a nearby church and would hold as many as 600 people. This year, the service will take place at the Legion building and will be open only to members starting at 9:30 a.m., then the public around 11 a.m.

“We used to have a lot of speeches, but this year we’re cutting them out because we want to keep the activity to a minimum,” branch president Gord Machej said. “It’ll be a traditional Remembrance Day service, a few laying of wreaths, we’ll probably say In Flanders Fields. It’s going to be scaled down, but we still want to have the main event, which is remembering the veterans.”

It’s important for branches to meet, if they are able, Machej said.

“If you know your history, you’ll know the veterans of this country did a lot, they gave their lives in many cases to give us the freedom and peace we have today. We need to remember that, we can’t forget,” he said.

“The purpose of the day is to remember, to remember the sacrifices.”

Seven other Legion branches will hold limited-capacity services for those with proof of full vaccination: Charleswood #100; Elmwood #9; Norwood/St. Boniface #43; St. James #4; West Kildonan #30; Winnipeg South Osborne #252 and Stonewall #52.

Transcona #7 will hold a private ceremony not open to the public.

Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 by countries in the British Commonwealth. It was originally called Armistice Day to commemorate the armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, Nov. 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.: the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Armistice Day was held on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. In 1931, the House of Commons passed a law to change the name to Remembrance Day and observe it only on Nov. 11. The first Remembrance Day was observed on Nov. 11, 1931.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca