The 2015 Remembrance Day ceremony in Vancouver was held at the Victory Square Cenotaph, located at 150 West Hastings Street.
Thousands gathered around the Cenotaph for the 91st Remembrance Day service.
A short parade started the event at 10 a.m. with the ceremony starting at 10:30 a.m.
At 11 a.m. the Last Post was played, followed by two minutes of silence and then a 21-gun salute by 15th Field Artillery Regiment at Portside Park.
The Royal Canadian Air Force also flew overhead following the salute.
About 400 veterans live in B.C.
The song Sands of Kuwait was performed in honour of those who served in Afghanistan and those who died by their own hands or other means, upon return to Canada. Between 2001 and 2014, more than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served there. One hundred and 58 members lost their lives.
In the Prayer for Remembrance, the Reverend spoke about the toll on those who came home. “We pray for the members of Canada’s Armed Forces,” he said. “Past and present, serving at home and abroad. May their families and friends be strengthened by our support. May we faithfully embrace the sacred task of care for those who have been wounded in war – in mind, body or spirit.”
Students from Shaughnessy Elementary School in Vancouver paid a special tribute to our war vets by placing more than 200 red poppies on the grounds of City Hall.
They were created out of recycled pop bottles. The project was inspired by an art installation at the Tower of London in 2014, marking the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.
Photos by Sergio Magro:
St. Patrick Regional Secondary School in Vancouver also held a ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and shared some images with us of their River of Poppies. Credit: St. Pat’s School.
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