With Remembrance Day only three days away, Kelowna, B.C., has been honouring local soldiers who lost their lives fighting for our country with the Field of Crosses.
However, someone has committed a disrespectful act of vandalism by removing most of the flags from the crosses.
Rick Potter was at Kelowna’s City Park Tuesday, cleaning up some of the damage left behind at the Remembrance Day display.
On Sunday night, Potter discovered that the majority of the 237 flags had been removed or dismantled at the Field of Crosses.
“Why somebody comes along here and feels this is something they want to do? Would’ve taken them probably an hour to do all this, there are 200 crosses that they’ve yanked off,” said Potter.
Some of the flags were damaged prior to 2020’s Remembrance Day ceremony, but this year further damage was done.
“It’s very disappointing. I don’t know what kind of pleasure they get out of doing that sort of thing,” said Kelowna Legion member Jim McCaffrey.
Local students were brought out to the Field of Crosses not only to learn the history of local fallen soldiers but to repair some of the damage that was done.
Putting the flags back on the crosses gave the kids their own chance to honour those who sacrificed their lives. Local students were disappointed to see the damage done.
“I just don’t think that was the right really thing to do, because we’re representing people that passed away in the war. But I was also very glad to help put back the flags and all,” said Anya.
The legion looks forward to inviting local students to the Field of Crosses each year and teaching them the significance of the display.
“It’s nice to see the kids have an interest or show an interest because today’s kids have no idea that the kids, whose names are on the cenotaph, they were only 18 to 20 years old a lot of them,” McCaffrey said.
The Kelowna Rotary Club will monitor the display until Remembrance Day, hoping to prevent further vandalization.