Lest We Forget

As I write this, it’s approaching that time of year where we take the time to remember the large number of Canadians who gave their lives, (as well as those who served and returned), so that we can enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.

I include those who returned, because any veteran of a war paid a price for having served. Personally, I am the son of a man who volunteered and headed overseas about 8 months before I was born, and when he returned, he was a very different person according to my mother, and not necessarily a nicer one. War takes its toll.

Every year, around Remembrance Day, we hear many people lament the fact that so many people just don’t seem to care and look upon November 11 as just another holiday or a day off. This is understandable, since many of the events are so far back in history, and we have lost most of the veterans of these wars; so many of the younger generations have lost the reason to know or care.

I applaud recent attempts to try to rectify this situation. I know my grandson’s school was involved in “No Stone Left Alone” last year – an event where along with members of the Canadian Armed Forces and community members, they placed poppies on each and every veteran’s headstone in a Winnipeg cemetery. I thought that was wonderful.

However, we have a long way to go.

That’s why it pleases me to see the way Selkirk and district go out of their way to commemorate those who made the supreme sacrifice, and those who served.

You only need to drive down Eveline Street, or “Veteran’s Way” as it has been dubbed, and you are made aware of the feelings of so many residents of this city. There are banners hanging from light standards from the side street around the corner from the Selkirk Legion all the way down Eveline to Heap Avenue. Each of the banners bears the picture, name and rank of one who died in World War II.

Selkirk Legion Branch #42 offered families of veterans an opportunity to personalize their military family member by sponsoring a banner. It is obvious that many families took advantage of the opportunity to remember their relative. We only need to visit the Veterans Memorial Park on Eveline Street near the Eaton Street bridge to find records of the human sacrifices made so we can be free. The names of 156 residents of the area who made “the supreme sacrifice” in World War I are engraved on the monument, along with those who died in World War II and the Korean War.

The monument was unveiled on November 11, 1925 and has an inscribed plaque which reads: “A memorial to the men of Selkirk, St. Andrews, and St. Clements who fell in the Great War. Know all ye who pass by that for your tomorrow we gave our today”.

Veterans Memorial Gardens is a peaceful little park with well-tended flowers, courtesy of the Selkirk Horticultural Society, and a beautiful view of the Red River. There are several benches where you can relax and enjoy the view in addition to visiting the monument.

And of course, there is Red Feather Memorial Park, which I have talked about in earlier blogs. Located on Edstan Place, just off Eveline. The park has significant military history, having been a temporary military barracks during World War I. It features gardens, benches, interpretive signage, and a memorial dedicated to the officers and men of the 108th Selkirk and Manitoba Battalion. In the summer, the park is awash with beautiful flowers, thanks to the efforts of the Selkirk Horticultural Society, making it a beautiful setting for remembrance of veterans of World War I.

One only needs to stroll through the cemeteries at St. Clements, St. Andrews, St. Peter Dynevor, or Little Britain churches, and read the names of those who served our country so valiantly and paid with their lives.

A mural on the north side of the Selkirk Legion, titled “2005 The Year of The Veteran”, and featuring a warship, soldiers in action, and a squadron of planes, very clearly demonstrates that Selkirk remembers.

And then, there was “The Dufferin Gang”. 31 Selkirk men and women, all who lived on Dufferin Avenue who volunteered to join the Canadian Armed Forces during World War II. Every September onward, banners showing each of them are hung up along Dufferin Avenue to commemorate their courage in time of war.

This September, 2022, a special dedication ceremony was held at the Legion Grounds. A memorial was unveiled that honours those 31 men and women who answered the call to serve in defense of their community and country, and many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice. This project was the result of 11 years of hard work by a large number of volunteers, with support from the provincial and federal governments, and the MMF, the City of Selkirk, and the Selkirk Legion. It is a very fitting tribute. The inscription on one of the beautiful benches at the monument sums it up: “Thank You Veterans for Our Freedom.”

As I said earlier, we must not only be thankful for those who gave their lives for our freedom, but also those who returned alive from the war, many bearing physical, mental, and emotional scars that remained with them to the end of their days.

So, if you don’t take in the Remembrance Day ceremony at The Selkirk Recreation Centre on November 11th, Selkirk and the surrounding area provides you with plenty of opportunity to reflect on those who served.

And as you reflect, notice the wide range of ages, with some as young as 17, the wide range of ethnic backgrounds, including many Indigenous and Métis, and the wide range of economic backgrounds of those brave people.

Finally, you can be thankful, as I am, that Selkirk and district have done such a fine job of ensuring that the sacrifice of these people is not forgotten.

And with a slight twist on my usual closing…

“Whatever the season, there’s always a reason, To REMEMBER in Red River North,”