Eighty-eight-year-old Robert Smith of Kingston, Ont., may not be a veteran himself, but he has dedicated time and money to give back to his local legion.
That legion is Branch 631 in the Collins Bay area of Kingston, and his work includes commissioning a full wall mural painted on the west side of the building, which was completed in 2020.
Smith’s contribution carries on a tradition of service in his family — his great uncle died in the Battle of Passchendaele in the First World War, and another uncle served as an RCAF pilot in the Second World War.
His own father, Maj. William B. Smith, was a commissioned officer who survived the Second World War.
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Smith can still remember, at age 11, greeting his father at Lansdowne Park football stadium in Ottawa when he returned from the war in 1945.
“Sure enough, they bussed them in,” says Smith.
“And sure enough, my older brother spotted my dad in the ranks, and he was over the fence very quickly.”
Many of Smith’s earliest memories, he says, were shaped by the Second World War.
Now in retirement, Smith hopes that his contributions will continue to teach children and new Canadians about the sacrifices made for their freedoms.
“I want the young people to understand it and to understand the sacrifices made on their behalf, so they can enjoy the lifestyles and the freedoms that we have in this country today,” he says.
It’s not just sacrifices made in the two world wars that Smith never wants forgotten.
He also purchased and donated a memorial wall commemorating the 158 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives fighting in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2011, including the branch’s namesake, Capt. Matthew J. Dawe.
“Matthew Dawe was from Kingston and he was killed in Afghanistan,” says Smith.
Now, the legion is recognizing Smith for his contributions.
After 45 years as a Royal Canadian Legion member, Smith was made a lifetime member recently.
“I’m very, very pleased and honoured, I’ll be quite frank,” he says.
Smith’s contributions aren’t over yet.
He is preparing to read “In Flanders Fields” during the Remembrance Day ceremony this Friday at the legion — an honour for the veteran’s veteran.