Strathmore Remembrance Day plans

Times Contributor      

 

Remembrance Day is around the corner and members at the Strathmore Legion are hard at work preparing for the duties surrounding Strathmore ceremonies.

“It is our busiest time of year,” said organizer Irene Knappe. 

She said the ceremony will continue to be held at the Civic Centre, with a request that those who attend will be seated by 10:40 a.m., so the program can commence at 11 a.m. The RCMP and Air Cadet squadron 903 will parade colours and a moment of silence to show respect for the fallen soldiers will follow.

There is a new padre for the Legion. It is Bryan Beveridge, who has recently moved to Strathmore to take over ministry to the Anglican congregation. 

The theme this year salutes the veterans of the Korean War and Aboriginal servicemen.

Knappe said the Korean War was called ‘The Forgotten War’. It went from 1950 to 1953. The soldiers from the United Nations fought with South Korea and Chinese soldiers fought with the North Koreans. Knappe said the largest proportion of soldiers to serve were Canadian. There are 378 Canadian soldiers buried in the United Nations memorial cemetery in Korea. The cooperation effort in this war led to peacekeeping and peacemaking efforts worldwide.

There are special speakers for the event,  which include  Strathmore’s new Mayor Michael Ell and Clarence Wolf Leg.

After services, the public is welcome to make their way up to the Strathmore cemetery Field of Honour, by about 12:30 p.m.  for placement of the wreaths. The Legion has the names of servicemen placed on crosses outside the Legion Memorial Hall next to the commemorative monument as well.

“After the ceremonies, people can come back to the hall for some comradeship and the sharing of stories. We owe it to our veterans to keep the memory of their service alive,” said Knappe.

She encourages anyone interested to come and a member will sign them in.