West Island-wide commemoration to follow at National Field of Honour, Nov. 11
By Robert Frank
Pointe Claire will hold its ceremony to commemorate Canada’s war dead on Sunday at the municipal cenotaph beside city hall.
The annual event has a strong youth presence. This year, the city’s Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Guides, Sparks, Brownies, Army Cadets and Air Cadets will again be joined by soldiers of the Royal Montreal Regiment.
As an additional treat, this year horses and riders from the Montreal Police equestrian squad based on Mount Royal are also expected to participate.
The ceremony will commence at 10 a.m. and the city is reminding visitors that they ought to turn back their clocks before attending, since Nov. 4 is also the day that marks the change from daylight saving to standard time.
The following week, Nov. 11, the Last Post Fund will commemorate Remembrance Day at the National Field of Honour, off Elm street in Beaconsfield.
Until recent years, the main Remembrance Day ceremony was conducted at the downtown cenotaph in Dorchester Square. However, due to popular demand, the Last Post Fund inaugurated the West Island ceremony, after citizens began conducting impromptu commemorations at the National Field of Honour each year.
The National Field of Honour is—by far—Canada’s largest veterans’ cemetery. More than 22,000 Canadian and Allied veterans and their loved ones are buried there, making their resting place Canada’s closest counterpart to Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.
The site is a virtual repository of Canada’s war history, and was recognized as a National Historic Site. The oldest graves pre-date Confederation and belong to soldiers who fought in conflicts dating as far back as the Fenian Raids.
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