Just a few Second World War veterans remain in Sarnia, says the president of the city’s Royal Canadian Legion branch.
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“It’s solemn. . . it’s important to remember,” said Ron Realesmith of Legion Branch 62. “That’s why we exist, because the act of remembrance is so very important.”
The branch will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings June 6 at the Front Street cenotaph outside the Legion hall.
The day in 1944 marked a turning point in the Second World War, when Allied forces successfully invaded Nazi-occupied France at Normandy.
About 14,000 Canadians were among the nearly 150,000 Allied soldiers involved, according to the Canadian War Museum, landing on a beach code-named Juno and or parachuting in inland.
Canada also contributed 110 ships and 10,000 sailors in support of the landings, and had 15 fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons in the skies over Normandy.
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Canada suffered 1,074 casualties on D-Day, including 359 killed, the museum’s website says.
It’s unclear if any of the “handful” of Sarnia Second World War veterans will await June 6, Realesmith said, for the ceremony that emulates annual Remembrance Day proceedings, honoring those who fought and died.
“It’s also a reminder. . . that these things have happened in the past and if we’re not careful, they could certainly happen again,” he said.
The First World War and Second World War “were both said to be the wars to end all wars, and yet we haven’t.”
Public ceremonies for events like D-Day are held every five yearsbut anniversaries are also marked annually with toasts by Legion membership, Realesmith said.
The 11 am ceremony is expected to last about 30 minutes, and refreshments will follow at the Legion hall, he said.
The hall recently received a $150,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant to replace its heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, Realesmith said.
The money helps with a $350,000 campaign underway to repair the 1980s-vintage building’s brickwork and facade, he said.
Branch 62 plans to mark its 100th anniversary in 2025, Realesmith said.
“We’re well on our way to reaching our $350,000 goal,” he said.
With files from Paul Morden
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