Remembrance Day ceremonies held in county
Silver Cross Mother Judy Klages found warmth and comfort in the faces of those who attended the damp Remembrance Day ceremony in Simcoe on Friday.
“It’s bitter-sweet,” Klages said of the ceremony. “Every parent who has ever lost a child knows how painful it is.
“But my son was involved in a lot of activities, Boy Scouts, karate and it’s heartwarming to see the faces of those he grew up with attending the ceremony.”
Her son, Petty Officer Douglas Craig Blake, was killed in action in Afghanistan on May 3, 2010. He was sent to Afghanistan as part of a bomb-disposal unit.
Blake was raised in Simcoe and graduated from Simcoe Composite School, located next to the Norfolk War Memorial Carillon Tower. A plaque honoring Blake’s sacrifice has been added to the tower.
“It was so nice to see so many people attending the ceremony this year especially considering the weather,” Klages, now a resident of Woodstock, said.
Klages placed a wreath at the tower on behalf of Silver Cross Mothers and placed a poppy on the plaque honoring her son.
Hundreds of people gathered on Norfolk Street and Wilson Avenue around the Norfolk War Memorial Carillon to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve Canada’s way of life and freedoms. They gathered to pay their respects despite the rain, which began about 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony and continued into the afternoon.
“It was a good turnout,” Bryan Robertson, the president of Branch 79, Royal Canadian Legion in Simcoe, said. “I got a few calls from people this morning who wanted to move the ceremony inside but that’s not our practice.
“We want to honor those who went through all kinds of hardship and had to endure far worse conditions than we’ve experienced today.”
G. Robin Cooke, who spent more than 25 years in the Canadian Armed Forces including a year in Afghanistan, was glad to see so many people at the ceremony.
“It’s good that the community is here, that they participate and they remember,” Cooke said. “I had the privilege of standing post distributing poppies in our community four times over the past seven days.
“Our community is generous and they are sincere in their remembering.”
Cooke placed a wreath at the tower on behalf of the Soldiers’ Aid Commission of Ontario. He was appointed to the commission, which provides financial assistance to eligible veterans and their families in Ontario who are in financial need. The commission supports the work of the legions and Veterans Affairs Canada.
Cooke was appointed to the commission late last year.
Wreaths from numerous community organizations were laid at the Carillon Tower prior to the ceremony, which began with a march of dignitaries and military representatives to the Carillon Tower.
The Remembrance Day Ceremony was one of several to take place in the communities that make up Norfolk County in recent days. Ceremonies were also held in Delhi, Port Dover and Waterford on Friday.
The rainy weather didn’t keep people from gathering at the cenotaph on Main Street in Waterford.
“The last time we had an assembly like this was November of 2019. So it’s been a long couple of years since we’ve been able to hold a service like this,” said Ian Simpson, president of Legion Branch 123 – Waterford.
Simpson acknowledged the number of young people in attendance, explaining it will be up to them to keep the memory alive.
“It’s so good to see so many people, so many young people as well,” Simpson said. “It’s important that the torch is passed.
“As it said in the poem, In Flanders Fields, the torch has to be passed.”
And the reason the torch needs to be passed, is so that people don’t forget.
“We always remember,” Simpson said. “So it’s good to see the youngsters here; pass the torch along.”
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with files from Postmedia
