Master-Sailor Brian Vyn (left) and Sailor 1st Class Zack Saarloos, members of the Royal Canadian Navy in attendance at the Remembrance Garden ceremony
All across London today, Remembrance Day ceremonies have been taking place to honor those who gave their lives in service to the Canadian Armed Forces, and the veterans who were able to come back to Canada. One such location was the Remembrance Gardens, a memorial garden located on the corner of River Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway, where a crowd gathered for a ceremony to honor the holiday.
The event was hosted by Jim Kelly, from FM 96 London’s ‘Taz and Jim’ radio show and the director of the November 11 Association, Sean Wilson. Two events were held at the garden: the first at 11:00 AM, which was attended by nearly one hundred Londoners, and again at 2:00 PM, which was attended by a smaller group. In attendance was Silver Cross Mother Carolyn Wilson —mother to trooper Mark Wilson, who was lost in The Afghanistan War— and Margaret Ruth, whose father, Pilot Officer Albert Dorey, was lost during World War 2.
During the event, Sean Wilson lead the ceremony through The Last Post, two minutes of silence, Lament, and Rouse. Additionally, Wilson brought
with him his own writings to read in remembrance:
Who am I going to remember on this Remembrance Day? I will of course remember my uncles and my grandfather, and the many veterans that I know who have recently passed away. I remember our elderly veterans, who are suffering in facilities like Parkwood Hospital, and all of our local veterans that come out to events like this. I will also remember our fallen in Afghanistan and their families, most of whom are still in turmoil from the loss of their children.
I will also thank and remember our youngest veterans who fought in Afghanistan and who are still suffering from that battle. I will never forget the brave men who went to Korea when nobody else seemed to care. I can also never forget our silent majority: Canada’s Peacekeepers. They serve Canada with valor and dignity, and most Canadians do not know who they are or where they have been. Our country has sent them to the worst places in the world and they came back home without recognition.
We will remember them.
Wreaths laid at the memorial in Remembrance Garden
Also in attendance was London-Fanshawe MP and MPP Lindsay Mathyssen and Teresa Armstrong, who laid wreaths at the memorial in the garden after Rouse had been played. Mathyssen praised the Remember November 11 Association for their work in creating and maintaining the Remembrance Garden, which is done strictly through volunteer efforts by Londoners.
It’s the men and women who are
serving in the armed forces that are those front lines. And so this
ceremony and seeing everyone out from the from the community just
warms my heart so incredibly and I’m so grateful that that a place like
this exists.
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