Banners in Alberton and Bloomfield celebrate soldiers and their sacrifice
Each banner features a soldier from either Alberton or Bloomfield
The banners on Main Street in Alberton and in the aisles of the Foodland grocery store in Bloomfield reveal communities ready to celebrate Remembrance Day.
Each banner features a soldier from either Alberton or Bloomfield in an effort commemorate their lives and sacrifices.
'Difficult decision'
A total of 46 photographs were used of different soldiers from either the First or Second World War.
About eight or nine of the young men on the banners did not return home, said Alan Curtis, service officer of St. Anthony's Legion Branch 27 in Bloomfield.
"We had all this information and we thought because it was the 100th anniversary of the Armistice it would be good to create a display of some kind to bring it to people's attention," he said.
Over 250 soldiers volunteered for service from the region, said Curtis, making it a difficult task to decide which veterans would be featured.
"It was not an easy choice but we did the best we could to represent the people who still have family here," he said.
'Community support'
An important factor in the selection process was the quality of the photos and how well they had aged over time.
Community support was not difficult to come by and each banner was sponsored by a community member or local business.
"Nobody turned us down. Every business I went to agreed and some even offered to pay for them all," said Curtis.
For Curtis, what makes Remembrance Day special is the idea behind it.
"What makes it special I think, not the magic number 100, but the fact that we're still occasionally going to war and we've got to try and think of peace rather than war," Curtis said.
"That's what Remembrance Day celebrates. It celebrates the peace, not the war that produced the peace."