Blind River and area residents packed the local Legion branch to mark Remembrance Day today and the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
Branch 189 hosted a service at the Legion before those attending made the short walk to the service held at the cenotaph and the laying of wreaths.
The inside service started with the March of Colours by the Legion Colour Party, while cadets and other military personnel stood at attention along one wall.
Legion president Gerry Green was the master of ceremonies. Legion 189 chaplain Roberta Wilson-Garrett, held the invocation.
The chaplain told the story of the rescue of more than 330,000 British and Allied troops stranded on the beach of the French coastal town of Dunkirk by advancing German forces in 1940. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill appealed to the British people to make available every kind of seaworthy vessel to help in the rescue.
The chaplain noted that a converted cruise liner, that had taken aboard rescued soldiers, was bombed by a Nazi plane and disabled and on fire. In the forward hold of the ship about 200 soldiers were trapped. At that point, she said, a navy chaplain joined those below and his makeshift congregation sang hymns as the vessel sank.
“Survivors later told how the only thing that gave them courage to survive so that passing ships could rescue them was hearing the strong, brave voices of the men in the hold singing hymns,” she said. “This true story testifies to the courage and compassion of one faithful Christian who gave his life to provide comfort, courage and ease suffering.”
Wilson-Garrett said with no known survivors of World War I and survivors of World War II diminishing, some are asking how long we should remember. The chaplain noted that in a response to that question in a Niagara Falls’ newspaper the author wrote, “as long as those guys in war graves stay dead and I am free… Lest We Forget.”
Mayor Sue Jensen acknowledged the Mississauga First Nation (MFN) for its involvement in the territory the Legion stands on. She noted that she was too young to experience war but acknowledged the efforts of those who fought in the great wars gave her the freedom she now enjoys.
“I have not sacrificed anything for my freedom,” she said. “It was given to me by those who came before me and sacrificed so much.”
She said we should continue to remember the sacrifices given by those who have fought for freedom in the past and continue to serve to this day.
“We will never forget, we will always remember.”
MFN Elder Elva Morningstar told the gathering that she represented her community and the laying of a wreath in remembrance.
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes brought greetings from the government and from local MP Michael Mantha who was attending the Remembrance Day ceremony in Bruce Mines.
Hughes also noted the significance of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I which was originally known as Armistice Day and is now celebrated as Remembrance Day.
“We do appreciate all that you do to ensure the celebration is going on today,” she told those attending the service.
“Let us promote the values of peace and justice for which our soldiers have given so much,” she added.
Legion president Green told those attending that the church bell at St. Saviour’s Church will ring 100 times at dusk today to mark the 100th anniversary.