Legions across Huron County prepare for Remembrance Day ceremonies
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
On Nov. 11, communities across Canada will gather once again to honour the brave men and women who went to war and never made it home.
A Remembrance Day ceremony offers an opportunity for solemn reflection, gratitude and a renewed commitment to keeping the memories, of those who served, alive.
Wingham’s memorial cenotaph has been a community gathering point since 1924. A bronze soldier, standing guard over the town, was designed by Canadian sculptor and World War I veteran Charles Adamson - one of only three such sculptures he designed in Canada. Over the years, the memorial has been collecting the names of those who served in World War II, Korea and Afghanistan.
For Jim and Cheryl Saint of the Wingham Legion, looking after this memorial is an honour. “The cenotaph belongs to the community, and we’ve looked after it since the branch was founded,” Jim explained.
For Cheryl, the meaning of Remembrance Day deepens every year. “When you have a Remembrance Day parade, it’s all older gentlemen,” she pointed out. “You just stop and realize that those guys were 18, 22 when they were fighting… it’s mind-blowing that somebody at that age would be out doing what they were doing.”
She is equally mindful of the surviving veterans who continue to carry the consequences of their service. “There’s still a lot of veterans that come out of service and need help,” Cheryl said. “A lot of them suffer from PTSD and trauma - they have to carry that. They deal with that. So the Legion is always going to fund them, and be behind them, in any way we can. That’s our main purpose.”
In Lucknow, the annual wreath-laying ceremony is centred around a marble cenotaph located outside of the library. The striking statue was erected through the efforts of the local branch of the Women’s Institute, in memory of the local men killed in World War I.
In 1929, a huge crowd attended the unveiling of the lower section of the cenotaph. The following spring, a six-foot marble soldier, sculpted in Italy, was installed to complete the monument. The finished structure is over 14 feet tall, and cost $2,200 to construct.
Nearly a century later, the people of Lucknow still gather at that soldier’s feet to pay their respects on Nov. 11. Graham Finlay of the nearby Lucknow Legion believes that remembrance is about more than looking backwards. It is also about making sure today’s veterans have somewhere to turn and people who understand what they have experienced. “The fellowship and the comradeship is amazing,” he said, expressing his hope that more younger veterans will become involved with the Legion. “We don’t know what they went through, so let’s give them a central hub to get together. That’s what it was in the old days for the old boys - let’s do it for the new guys too.”
In Blyth, the community found a rather different way to honour its fallen. Instead of a conventional monument, residents chose to build a gathering place - a living memorial where the community could continue to celebrate life.
The cornerstone of the Blyth Memorial Community Hall was laid in July 1920, and the building opened the following June before a crowd of approximately 1,500. When acclaimed comedian Ron James came through town last month, he noticed something particularly profound in that decision. “When everybody else was putting up a statue, they thought - ‘no, no, let’s build a theatre, where we can celebrate life, and the triumphs and tragedies of life, rather, in a room with people sitting shoulder to shoulder,” he mused. “‘Lest we Forget’ being over the archway to the entrance reminds everybody walking through that theatre that life is precious. That we should embrace all the bumps and bruises, and smiles, and affections that come with it.”
These are just three reminders of the way remembrance can take many forms. Whether carved in marble, cast in bronze or built in brick, each cenotaph represents a promise made by one generation to another - that the sacrifices of the past will not be forgotten.
Wreath-laying ceremonies will take place at all three locations on Nov. 11.