Posts Tagged ‘Remembering The Fallen’

For the first time, Canadians commemorated Remembrance Day without a Canadian First World War veteran. With the passing of John Babcock, Canada’s last surviving soldier of the Great War, so passed the live memories of those who served in uniform during that time. Yet Canadians do not forget; at the National War Memorial, more than 30,000 came to honour the service and sacrifice of all the generations of servicemen and servicewomen who have fought to win, preserve or maintain peace. It was the same story elsewhere across Canada, where huge crowds paid their respects in big cities and small towns.

It was the first time 91-year-old Arthur Dewar of London, Ont., had worn his medals, and the first time he had attended the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa. No one had ever shaken his hand or thanked him for his wartime service until today. And the first one to do so was the Prince of Wales. “He thanked me. Oh my, I don’t think I have the proper words for it,” said Dewar, who served with the 43rd General Transport Company during the Second World War campaigns in Sicily and Italy, and in northern Europe at the end of the [...]