This is a town that never forgets.
On Wednesday, residents again showed how much they care.
A dashing, white-haired gent, his green Canadian military beret angled just so, his right hand shaking as he salutes — again and again.
Parents with babes in strollers, preschool-aged children and others a few years older. Teenagers, young adults and numerous millennials.
Veterans in uniform, their medals proudly worn, some marching, others dotting the crowd, on hand to pay their respects.
And a battalion of seniors, many using walkers or canes, some dressed formally for the occasion. A generation of well-turned-out folk, in their late 80s or older, mere children during the war years 1939-45, but they can’t forget the sights, sounds and fears of those days.
For these Canadians, Nov. 11 is a time to officially honour the selfless sacrifices made by so many.
All don poppies as they assemble on Queen Street on Wednesday morning because this is the day the people of Niagara-on-the-Lake remember even those they never knew.
Some arrive an hour or more beforehand, milling about, chatting, waiting patiently as they line a near-empty street that is usually abuzz with visitors. Soon, hundreds more join them.
At the appointed hour, 10:45 a.m. sharp, the ceremony begins. Under the command of NOTL Legion president Al Howse, legionnaires, cadets, veterans, RCMP, regional police and fire personnel along with Polish First World War re-enactors march in and take their place below the clock tower cenotaph.
This is a ceremony that is thankfully short on speeches but long on solemnity, as residents take an hour or two out of their lives to quietly commemorate those who died in two world wars and numerous conflicts since.
In keeping with that theme, Howse reads out the names of NOTL natives who gave their lives.
With cadets standing sentry at the cenotaph for hours before the service, the newest generation’s contributions are among the day’s highlights.
Air cadet Flight Sergeant Teia Epp reads “In Flanders Fields” and bagpiper Callum Sanderson, a Grade 7 student, plays a heart-warming rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
And in a brief speech, Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli adds some perspective to the day.
“Some we lost long ago. Some are still here with us to share their stories. Others continue to live with and overcome the physical and emotional wounds of their service.”
“Every one of them is owed a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay.”
“They sacrificed their tomorrows so that we could enjoy the peace, freedom and opportunities of today.”
He pays tribute to the Royal Canadian Legion, which this year marks its 100th anniversary, and he urges the crowd to also honour the Canadian soldiers who died tragically last month in Wainwright, Alta.
As family members and representatives of various organizations lay wreaths in recognition of relatives lost, in many cases, generations ago, those in the crowd of nearly 1,000 ringing the cenotaph stand silent in respectful acknowledgement.
When Howse calls the troops into formation for a final march past the cenotaph, few in the crowd have left.
The hundreds who remain break into spontaneous, sustained applause in a genuine show of respect and admiration.
People then deposit their poppies in a tall urn as suggested by Legion padre Sheldon Kofsky and the legionnaires head off to Queenston for NOTL’s second Remembrance Day ceremony.
Downtown, by the time the bells chime at high noon, the road blockade has ended and cars are rolling along Queen Street again. The crowd has dispersed and the hum of life returns.
Customers start trickling into stores and restaurants. Commerce resumes, replacing the solemnity and gracious quiet that had blanketed the downtown core.
But those 60 or so minutes have left an indelible mark on the lives of those who gathered, no matter their reason for being there.
Because Niagara-on-the-Lake remembers those we lost.
This is a town that never forgets.
