As the world marked the 69th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy during the Second World War on June 6, roughly 100 people gathered at the Bowden Cemetery for the dedication of a new monument indicating the final resting place of many of the community's veterans.
After a trio of planes from the Innisfail Flying Club completed a flyover and several prayers and songs were shared, a curtain was pulled back from the monument, which stands before the cemetery's Field of Honour and depicts a single soldier, flanked by poppies, standing over a grave.
The crowd included members of several local legions and Royal Canadian Air Cadet squadrons as well as representatives of Bowden council and the Bowden Cemetery Association.
Bowden's Brenda Beecroft designed the monument and said her inspiration for the piece came from imagery from the Remembrance Day ceremonies she attended as a child in school.
“From years of that, you have all these pictures in your mind,” she said, adding she hopes the monument will stand at the cemetery for years to come to help young people understand why that section of the cemetery has special significance.
Shirley Adams, president of the Bowden Cemetery Association, said the idea for the monument came from an association member who felt the cemetery needed something to highlight the area where many community veterans are buried.
The cost of the project, which took two years to complete, was shared by the Town of Bowden and the association and Olds Iron Works built the monument.
Bowden mayor Robb Stuart said the monument will “immortalize” the Field of Honour area and added that small Canadian flags were placed at the graves of other veterans in the cemetery.
