For the first time in several weeks, Ontario and Union Jack flags were raised at Kingston’s Royal Canadian Legion Limestone City Branch 560 on Montreal Street.
Thanks to community support, flagpole ropes that were stolen from the branch last month have now been replaced.
“They stole the ropes from these two flags, two of these flags and four flags out back,” said Allan Jones, branch president, pointing to flags outside the building.
The theft left legion members saddened and upset.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the flag ropes or whatever, they’re stealing things from what the veterans deserve,” Tracy Gray, second vice-president of the branch, told Global News.
Jones said it was a complete act of disrespect and that the flags were “sacred” to members of the legion.
But he said the community came together after a local businessman, who wants to remain anonymous, stepped up and worked with several other businesses to cover the legion’s loss.
“He owns Black Bear Gear and he’s a veteran and there’s just some parts of Canada that just shouldn’t be touched and that’s veterans, the legion,” said Josh Witteveen, friend of the donation organizer.
Jones said “so many people have donated.”
“There’s a fellow called the ‘rope man’ — he donated 600 feet of rope and the clasps,” he said.
He said local business Eskerod Signs even donated their time Tuesday morning to put the ropes up.
After fully raising the flags, the honour guard then dropped them to half-mast.
“We recently lost another member last week so the importance of taking the flags to the top is a signal of understanding and then bringing them down to half-mast to recognize his death and they’ll stay at half-mast until his burial,” said Paul Carnegie, sergeant-at-arms for the local branch.
Jones says the legion will now be installing security cameras to hopefully curb any further thefts.