An effort to make sure no Canadian soldier is forgotten has made its way from a cemetery in Edmonton all the way to Poland.
A ceremony for the No Stone Left Alone Foundation was held in Krakow early Friday morning, after which poppies were laid on 15 Canadian headstones.
The proceedings were similar to what happens in canada in the days leading up to remembrance day, with a moment of silence, the playing of Reveille, the reading of “Flander’s Fields,” and speeches from dignitaries.
Foundation chair Randall Purvis, who was on hand for the ceremony, said they worked with a Polish school to ensure this could become a reality, and the students played a big part in it.
“One of the most important and wonderful moments was those beautiful Polish children singing the Canadian national anthem in English, and then the Polish anthem. That was spectacular.”
The school has promised it will continue the tradition in the years to come.
“This is not a one-time deal,” explained Purvis. “We want this No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation to keep going here for decades, so we went to great lengths to make sure that this school has the commitment. We’re very confident that they do.”
This is the first such ceremony for the foundation outside Canada. The plan is to expand to other countries in the future, but Purvis said they’ll have to go slow because they’re not a big organization.
“We’ve had interest from South Africa, England, Alaska, we’ve had interest from Hong Kong, but you know, each organization has to be organic and have people on the ground that share our mission.”
No Stone Left Alone started at the Beechmount cemetery in 2011, and now takes place at more than 100 locations across Canada.