Thousands of people were at the cenotaph in Maple Ridge to honour the nation’s war dead and fallen on Saturday, Nov. 11.
A parade of veterans, legion members, cadets, RCMP officers, firefighters and others marched to the cenotaph in Memorial Peace Park for the annual rites of remembrance.
“They died for Canada. The meaning of their sacrifice rests with our collective national consciousness,” said legion president Judy Ballard. “Our future is their monument.”
Maple Ridge has one of the largest Royal Canadian Legion branches in the country with more than 2,000 members who ensure the ceremony is a memorable event each year.
The sound of bagpipes rang out at 10:30 a.m. as the highland band and legion colour party led a large procession from the legion on 224th street to the cenotaph in Memorial Peace Park.
The Poppy Flight, a group of civilian pilots who do formation flyovers at cenotaphs across the Lower Mainland, passed overhead just as the ceremony started at the cenotaph.
The ceremony included reading the names of soldiers from the community who have died in wars, the laying of the wreaths by individuals or representatives of organizations, a blessing, a reading of the poem “In Flander’s Fields” by John McCrae, and the playing of the Last Post.
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