Maritimers gather to mark Remembrance Day, honour veterans

HALIFAX -

Thousands of Maritimers gathered at ceremonies across the region Friday to mark Remembrance Day and honour the veterans who have fought for our country.

This is the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that in-person ceremonies were held without restrictions. There were no limits on the number of attendees, aside from building limits, and masks and social distancing were not mandatory.

A large crowd of people gathered under the warm sun at Halifax’s Grand Parade to honour Canada’s soldiers past and present.

Members of the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force stood at attention in front of the cenotaph as the ceremony began with the mournful sounds of the Last Post.

Rev. Canon David Fletcher and Rabbi Yakov Kerzner led the crowd in prayer before the laying of wreaths at the cenotaph.

"Memory is not a given. Remembrance Day is a time when we create those memories. G.K. Chesterton so beautifully remarked, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him,'" said Kerzner.

"We remember with pride and gratitude those who fought on the land, the sea and the skies to make this possible," said Fletcher.

Charlotte Smith, who was the National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother in 2003, laid a wreath in memory of her son, Pte. Nathan Smith, who died in Afghanistan on April 17, 2002.

"For my personal sake, we remember our son, but also to remember all those others who have sacrificed for the country, men and women both," said Lloyd Smith, Nathan Smith's father.

For veterans who attended Halifax's ceremony, remembering is emotional.

"Over the past year, a lot of my friends who I was in with are no longer with us," said Moe Carver, a veteran of the Air Force.

Hundreds of people also gathered at Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park for the 40^th HMCS Scotian Remembrance Day ceremony and at the annual service at Sullivan’s Pond in Dartmouth, N.S.

In Cape Breton, people marched along the streets of Glace Bay to the Savoy Theatre, while a crowd gathered at Centre 200 in Sydney for a service hosted by the Ashby Legion.

In New Brunswick, hundreds of people gathered at the provincial cenotaph in Fredericton as gun salutes boomed at 11 a.m. to mark the day. Among the first to lay a wreath was New Brunswick Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy.

The Moncton Coliseum and Saint John’s TD Station also hosted services Friday morning.

Retired Lt. Bernard J. Cormier was the Master of Ceremonies at TD Station's ceremony Friday. He estimates about 2,500 people both attended and took part in the service.

"We were keeping our eye on what was going to happen with Public Health. We waited until the last possible moment and when we put the team together, there were some challenges there," he said.

"We kept seeing the numbers go up with cases of COVID and people getting sick, even on our team, but we made the decision and said, 'We're going to do it.'"

Cormier calls the 2022 ceremony a rebuilding year.

"But it will build up over the next few years again because Saint Johners come out to this service," he said.

Saint John artist Norman F. Jackson was happy to return to the ceremony, which hasn't been held indoors since 2019.

"You have people clapping and saluting. It's really powerful to be here," said Jackson. "I was here to remember my father from the First War, my brothers from the Second War, and my brother was in Korea."

Lt.-Gov. and Honorary Colonel Graydon Nicholas was proud to be the Saint John ceremony's first Indigenous reviewing officer.

"Because they had really difficult treatment when they returned from war because they weren't being given the full benefit, nor the respect," he said. "So, it's slowly coming about now, which is wonderful and great. The different roles that they played, it's been a deep honour for me to be in this capacity."

A number of streets were closed in Charlottetown for a parade from the legion to the provincial cenotaph. Islanders crowded the streets surrounding Province House to pay their respects.

William Toussaint comes from a military family. He helped organize the ceremony at the Charlottetown cenotaph Friday and says it was an emotional day for him and all veterans.

“I think about my sister who was a nursing sister in the armed forces. I think about my brother who was in the armed forces,” said Toussaint. “I think about my first cousin, who was in the Devil’s Brigade and comrades that I know that died.”

Toussaint says he’s proud to be part of the Remembrance Day service.

“It’s important to remember these people because they did give their lives for our freedoms and rights,” said Toussaint. “It’s good to pass on to our younger children that they did do this, so they can have what they have today.”

Ray Arsenault, who also comes from a military family, spent 33 years as a reservist in Charlottetown, making Friday among the most important days of the year for him.

“It means a lot to me today to remember my family, along with many, many friends,” said Arsenault.

“My father was in the First World War and the Second. He was too old to go across for the Second World War, so they gave him home duties,” said Arsenault. “I had two brothers in Korea, a brother and a sister in the Second World War.”

Remembrance Day is a day of mixed emotions for veterans. It’s a time to reflect and remember all those who came before them, and the comrades they served with.

“Friends you make in the military are lifelong friends,” said David Miller. “You can go your separate ways, but you’re never too far away, so no, always thinking about them.”

With files from The Canadian Press

 

 

 

 

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