'Lest we forget': Moving Remembrance Day ceremony in Charlottetown
Remembrance Day was first celebrated 100 years ago
The cenotaph in Charlottetown was the gathering spot for a moving Remembrance Day service on Monday.
Held to commemorate Canadians who fought and died in armed conflicts the last 100 years, Remembrance Day is a tradition that began in 1919, one year after the end of the First World War.
"Today we stand and remember the courage and sacrifice of Canadians on D-Day," said Maj. Rev. Dr. Tom Hamilton, the legion padre.
He told the crowd about P.E.I. soldiers who landed on the beaches at Normandy during D-Day on June 6, 1944. They were among 14,000 Canadian troops who had trained for two years to regain control of Europe by sea, land and air.
Lance Cpl. Francis Trainor and Warrant Officer Daniel Yeo of P.E.I. made the ultimate sacrifice that day, along with many others, he said. The remarkable military and political achievement of D-Day led to the liberation of France and freed Europe from the grip of fascism.
"May we ever be mindful the legacy of those who have fallen is ours to carry forward, lest we forget," Hamilton said.
'Heroes in our midst'
Dignitaries and politicians laid wreaths at the foot of the war monument in front of Province House, as did veterans organizations, police and others.
Tannis Arsenault of Cornwall laid the memorial cross wreath in memory of her husband Warrant Officer Keith Arsenault, a physician's assistant with the Canadian Airborne Regiment who was killed in a plane crash while training in Alaska. He was 33, and a father of two.
Then the public laid wreaths and left red poppy pins at the cenotaph.
"We give thanks to the heroes in our midst who have given of themselves," said Rev. Paula Hamilton, padre for the Charlottetown fire department, in closing prayers.
"We remembers especially those who paid the supreme sacrifice, and laid down their lives for us. May we never forget the great debt we owe."
The crowd applauded for several minutes as troops marched from the ceremony.
People were invited to greet veterans at Veteran's Affairs Canada's Daniel J. MacDonald building in Charlottetown, as well as at the Charlottetown legion, after the ceremony.
The military museum at the Charlottetown armouries is also open to the public until 4 p.m.
A recording of a livestream of the event can be found on CBC Prince Edward Island's Facebook page.
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