The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #104 is honouring war veterans that lost their lives during the First World War with a Remembrance Day service next week.
The memorial service will be open to everybody in the community and will begin with a 10 a.m. service held by Rev. Jeanne Hunter at the legion auditorium on Nov. 11. Afterwards, veterans will march in a reflective procession from the legion auditorium down to the cenotaph.
“The service starts at 10 a.m. and if you want a seat, you better be here by 9:30 a.m., and then there's a parade that forms up,” said Richard Black, Innisfail Legion manager. “We want to be at the cenotaph at 11 a.m. because it's all about (honouring) the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month.”
Remembrance Day is a memorial day on Nov. 11 that marks the end of the First World War. It is widely recognized around the globe as Poppy Day or Armistice Day, and reminds several countries about soldiers who died in the line of duty.
Hostilities during the war ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and officially ended with the Treaty of Versailles being signed in late June.
“Remembrance Day was made not necessarily to glorify the end of the war, but to remember what sacrifices were given by people to have our freedom,” Black explained. “There could be 500 people here who are related to someone who went to war somewhere along the line, and that's why we read the Roll of Honour off during the service.”
Their lives will be celebrated in a prayer service filled with reflections about that date in history led by Hunter. The service is a national day of mourning that signifies the importance of freedom.
