Prince Rupert pauses ... and remembers 2017

The crowd began to arrive for prince Rupert's 
Remembrance Day Ceremony shortly 
before the 10:45 march of the parade to the Court House

The 2017 Remembrance Day Ceremony in Prince Rupert became a somewhat damp affair by the time the final member of the parade had marched away from the steps of the Courthouse, yet while the inclement elements accelerated through the course of the 45 minute ceremony, the majority of those Rupertites in attendance held their places along both sides of the Cenotaph walkway.

At precisely 10:45 the Captain Cook Sea Cadets Honour guard took up their positions around the Cenotaph, that as the parade worked its way from the staging area along 1st Avenue West to the Court House roadway.

With residents of the region assembled in front of the Court House as the 11 o'clock hour arrived, the singing of O Canada began the morning's commemoration of the fallen, as the Last Post sounded and the Benedictions were delivered, the Court House flag was lowered to its half staff position.

The annual laying of the wreaths began with a solemn moment, as Jarod Lamb, son of Mike Lamb the long time organizer of past Remembrance Day events made the first walk of remembrance on behalf of the Legion,  leading the assembled representatives to their duties of commemoration.

The Legion had asked the younger Mr. Lamb to represent and honour his father who had passed away last month as the final preparations for this years ceremony were being completed.

Among those that also made the walk down the Cenotaph walkway were Federal MP, Nathan Cullen, North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice and Mayor Lee Brain, representing the three levels of government.

The District of Port Edward was represented as well, with Mayor Dave MacDonald laying a wreath, along with members of the Port Edward Volunteer Fire Department.

The members of the Prince Rupert detachment of the RCMP, Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue Service, Department of Fisheries, Border Services, Canadian Coast Guard, Sea Cadets, Paramedics from the BC Ambulance Service, North Coast Search and Rescue volunteers, Canadian Rangers and area First Nations were among those who participated in the Prince Rupert Court House ceremony, with many representatives delivering wreaths, as did a long list of organizations, unions, and individual citizens.

As those delegations made their journey of Remembrance the wind picked up significantly, providing for a driving rain at times, which did serve to give some, though not many in attendance cause to drift away from the Court House lawn.

Still, as the final wreath was put in place and the band struck the final notes of God Save the Queen, a strong representation of the original participants was still in place, waiting as the official party and the parade took their exit from the 2017 ceremony.

The Guard of Honour and the Parade exited the
2017 Remembrance Day Ceremony
into a building wind and an increasing rain to
bring this years commemoration to an end

Best estimates of the crowd at its peak was towards 200 or so, maybe a shade above, the turnout this year perhaps affected by the arrival of Remembrance Day on a Saturday, with many in the community having left for the weekend.

The Prince Rupert event was just one of many that took place around the Northwest, with Port Edward also hosting their own Remembrance Day ceremony prior to the Prince Rupert ceremony.

A growing collection of photos and thoughts on this years Ceremony can be found from the #PrinceRupert twitter feed

For some background on Remembrance Day we invite you to review our item from Friday that offers up a number of links to background information and video features.

Below, we highlight some of the accounts of those ceremonies from across the region, as well as some of the interesting features of note around Remembrance Day that the Northwest media has assembled for 2017.

Prince Rupert/Port Edward

A day that Prince Rupert takes time to remember
Rangers restore hidden monument to fallen WWII Soldier


Terrace

Remembrance Day 2017 photo gallery
Terrace Cenotaph Stone work mystery solved




Cross posted from the North Coast Review

We pause in Remembrance this Saturday, as Prince Rupert residents gather at the Court House

Canadians will pause at the eleventh minute, of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November, many gathering tomorrow to reflect on the sacrifice of those through the last century who have sacrificed their lives in service for their country.

As well, those pausing to remember at 11 AM, will be providing a salute those that have served the nation both in the wars of the past and for those who today uphold our military commitments and perform our law enforcement services across the nation.

Ceremonies of Remembrance will be held both in the national capital and in cities and towns, large and small across the nation tomorrow.

The Ottawa ceremony, will be nationally broadcast on all of the major network and news channels starting at 7 AM British Columbia time.

In Prince Rupert, the local Remembrance Day ceremony will take place at the Court House cenotaph, with the march past to the Court House starting at 10:45, the wreath laying ceremony should start at 11 AM.

For local participants in the annual remembrance Day events, Saturday will hold a bit of extra significance, marked as it is by the first Remembrance Day ceremony not led by Mike Lamb, who had been one of the key organizers for many of the past Prince Rupert events and a long time fixture at the front of the parade to the cenotaph each year.

Mr. Lamb passed away last month as the final touches for this years ceremony were being put together, leaving a lasting legacy in the community for his involvement and commitment towards the annual gathering of remembrance.

On Thursday, students of Charles Hays Secondary School gathered to commemorate those who have served their nation in the past, with CHSS Principal Sandra Pond making  note the school assembly of yesterday.

Other schools in Prince Rupert both in the public system and the Independent School Annunciation also observed the nature of Remembrance Day for their students.

Those looking to spend some time this weekend to reflect and review the sacrifice that Remembrance Day provides for can make use of a number of online resources for their journey.

Veterans Affairs Canada has been profiling some of the historical moments of the nations military heritage, making available a number of links for Canadians to explore.

A Closer Look
Heroes Remember
A Day of Remembrance
Canada's Military History
Postcards for Peace
Profiles of Courage

One important historical feature to take time to review is the online version of the Books of Remembrance, the moving listings of Canada's War Dead that can be found in the Peace Tower of the Centre Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

The Virtual War Memorial an online reference provides the opportunity for Canadians to search the books or to seek out information through a search engine.

You can explore that resource page here.

The National Film Board is also providing a number of their films and documentaries on Canada's past war efforts, peace keeping missions and other areas of interest related to Canada's military.

The front page of the NFB site offers the links to a variety of options that can add to your awareness of Remembrance Day and why we pause to reflect.

Social media is also marking the Remembrance Day observations, with #CanadaRemembers a good place to start your search on relevant items of remembrance for the weekend.

2017 marks another milestone to be remembered at this time of Remembrance, marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele of 1917.



That pivotal military battle for Canada's First World war contingent has been observed through a number of ways, the Veteran's Affairs website makes for a good starting point.

The twitter feed #Passchendaele100 also provides for links and more background on the First World War engagement by Canadian troops.

YouTube also offers up a range of background material to learn more about the battle,

And for those that haven't seen it yet, the 2008 feature film Passchendaele from Canadian film maker Paul Gross, available through iTunes, puts the battle into focus through characters both home and on the field of battle.

If you're in the downtown area tomorrow, stop by the Cenotaph either during the commemoration ceremony or later in the day to provide for your own tribute.

On Remembrance Day the Prince Rupert Court House Lawn makes for a very special place for reflection on the sacrifice of those of the past, so we can enjoy our freedoms of today.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow 

Between the crosses, row on row, 

That mark our place; and in the sky 

The larks, still bravely singing, fly 

Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the Dead. Short days ago 

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie 

In Flanders Fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe: 

To you from failing hands we throw 

The torch; be yours to hold it high. 

If ye break faith with us who die 

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

In Flanders Fields.

John McCrae

 Cross posted from the North Coast Review