With the sun bravely trying to provide a semblance of heat to offset a buffeting wind that tugged at the ceremonial flags, several hundred people participated in this morning’s Service of Remembrance at Veterans Memorial Garden in St. Thomas.
A much-shortened service again this year due to the coronavirus with a small number of wreaths already in place.
Rev. Nick Wells led the prayer and scripture reading.
As has become tradition, a fly past in missing man formation had heads turned skyward shortly after 11 a.m.
The presence of the sun and above normal temperature was in stark contrast to the cold and snowy weather that chilled participants two years ago.
“Pray for those who wish us harm,” urged Rev. Nick Wells in his scripture reading.
Unlike last year, attendees were invited back to Royal Canadian Legion Lord Elgin Branch #41 to enjoy a light lunch after the ceremony.
The service opened with a short history of the 100th anniversary of the poppy as a symbol of the sacrifices of war.
Anna Guerin of France is credited with first proposing the red flower as a Remembrance Day symbol in the aftermath of the First World War. The Great War Veterans’ Association of Canada — precursor to the Royal Canadian Legion — adopted the poppy symbol in 1921.
Also symbolic during the service is a reading of the poem In Flanders Fields, this year undertaken by Mark Cosens.
Immediately following the ceremony, dozens of individuals laid their poppies at the base of the Cenotaph.
