Beaconsfield holds Remembrance Day ceremony in Heroes Park

BEACONSFIELD – Each year, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canada stops to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service of this country. In Beaconsfield on Sunday, people gathered in Heroes Park to honor the fallen.

“We can’t forget what they have done for us,” said Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle. “We can’t forget the sacrifices that they’ve made. And once a year, we remember.”

Representatives of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP, the Montreal police, and the Royal Canadian Legion were among those in attendance .

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“It’s always an honor to be representing the branch and those of the legionnaires that have given their lives to the support of the country,” said Harry Baggott of Legion Branch 57.

Wreathes were laid to recognize the service and sacrifice of over 100,000 Canadians who fought in the name of peace, and who never made it home.

“I think it’s important because these are the people who brought us here, and we are living in freedom today because of these people,” said Beaconsfield resident Monica Holtgrev.

After the national anthem and two minutes of silence, speakers shared thoughts, poems  and stories. Geoffrey Kelley, Quebec’s minister of native affairs, told of a recent trip he made to the battlegrounds of world war one; he encouraged others to do the same.

“We ended up at my great uncle’s grave site,” said Kelley. “He was a 26-year-old McGill lawyer who just graduated, and he was killed in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. I think it’s a kind of pilgrimage all Canadians should do once in their life.”

The ceremony took place under a blue November sky, which one speaker acknowledged was “free from the shadows of war”.

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Many who looked on were children. One couple brought their nine-, seven-, and two-year-old sons hoping the ceremony would help them understand the price that was paid for their freedom.

“It’s the first experience for our boys, at this point in their lives, to really understand what’s happening with remembrance day so we thought it would be a neat way to introduce them to the experience,” said Ian McJannet.

MP Francis Scarpaleggia noted the strong presence of youth at the afternoon’s ceremony. He hoped they would walk away with a better appreciation of the rights and freedoms they enjoy today.

“They came from the sacrifices and the efforts of millions of people who have done extraordinary things,” said Scarpaleggia. Things he hopes will continue to be honored every November for years to come.