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Resurgence
of interest in Remembrance Day continues among the young A chilly drizzle of rain yesterday couldn’t stop thousands of Peterborough residents from honouring Canadians who gave their lives in war.
It was also a time to reflect on the importance of avoiding the horrors of future wars, according to those interviewed at the Cenotaph across from City Hall. “Along with honouring the fallen, that is part of the message of Remembrance Day,” said Wally Smith, a veteran of the Second World War, an active member of the local Legion executive and master of ceremonies for the moving ceremony at the Cenotaph. A large crowd was on hand including aged veterans and youngsters, many under umbrellas, paying their respects to the fallen. A resurgent interest in Remembrance Day among the young was much in evidence as hundreds of school children turned out and placed poppies at the Cenotaph. “In times like these, with the United States at war, there is a very real chance Canadian students might be called upon,” said Laura Gilchrist, a Grade 12 student at PCVS and president of the school’s student council. “We are more aware of what is happening and we don’t want war to have to happen again.”
Laura laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on behalf of the youth of Peterborough. “We come to remember the veterans who gave up so much – including for some, their lives – to give us the chance to have the freedoms we now enjoy,” she said. “It is important for us to be here.” Pat King brought her eight-year-old son Alex to the ceremony for the first time. Letting her emotions show, she remembered her grandfather who served as a machine gunner in the First World War. “I’m just thankful we’re able to stand here now,” she said, wiping away tears. Alex said he was there “to remember all the soldiers who died for Canada.” “The turnout of young people in recent years never ceases to amaze me,” said Smith. “We have had a lot of support from the local boards of education.” Smith was carrying a poster covered with poppies and dedicated to veterans from students at Keith Wightman School. “Thank You” was written in large letters on the poster. Letters from school children have been pouring into the local Legion branch expressing appreciation to the veterans, said Smith. “We pass them along to veterans,” he said. Jeff Leal, newly-elected MPP for Peterborough who laid a wreath at the ceremony, also remarked on the interest in Remembrance Day shown by youngsters. “The veterans delivered the freedoms we enjoy today,” he said. Leal said he was talking with MP Peter Adams about finding an opportunity to send two children from the riding annually to the Juno Beach Memorial, opened in June in France. Juno Beach was the beach Canadians landed on during D-Day, June 6, 1944.
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