Remembrance Day Services

The Last Ghost

By: Ruby Wells

I wandered once, through empty land, The earth damp not with water

And the broken remains of bone and gun alike.

The whispers of the fallen had long since gone silent, Leaving only the sound of a crow’s harsh caw

As they gather ‘round the deceased. Past the battleground, a forest lay, With trees barren and leaves brown. Wandering along a well worn path, There, the last ghost

A shallow husk of soul. He turned to me slowly,

Face bleeding into the void to which he truly belonged, Uttering the echoes of phrases long forgotten.

The maple-leaf flag etched onto his jacket was torn, His complexion gaunt and faded,

Like a fabric left in the sun for too long.

Yet the ghostly red that dripped steadily from his fingers Stained the ground with its vibrant hue

Somehow brighter than the real thing.

From the puddles he left behind, flowers sprouted, Petals as deep as the liquid,

The first poppies.

This selfless ghost, the last ghost from the poem, is but one of countless others, who sacrificed their lives for our futures. They gave us the chance to be here today to gather and commemorate the ultimate sacrifice one could make for others, giving one’s life and humanity for the greater good. Not only do we commemorate those lost lives today, we also honour and give our deepest gratitude to those who came back from the battlefields, with their physical and emotional scars that returned with them. Tender yet gracious hearts, hurt yet incredibly strong minds. This act of courage, for the worst of us, and the best of us. So this morning, we stand in silence; to think about them. To thank them.

We Remember

By:  Jessica Harrison

Hello, my name is Jessica Harrison. I am a Warrant Officer with the 2659 - Royal Canadian Army Cadets - 56^th Field Regiment.

Being here today brings back the memory about when I was thirteen years old guarding the cenotaph for Remembrance Day as a new cadet.  I stood there thinking about those who have served for our country, the fallen soldiers, the injured and how their friends, families and supporters must have felt.  I thought about the sacrifices they made for our safety. Our freedom. Our future.  We remember.

Many incredible, heroic, and unexpected stories can come out of war. My great, great grandmother, Ellen Batchelor in the early 1900s was shipped from England to Canada as a British Home Child to work on a farm, never to see her family again.

Later in Ellen’s life, she had her own children and carried out life happily, now living in Canada. One of her daughters, Evelyn, while serving as a Nurse in England during WWII saw a parked work truck with her mother’s maiden name “Batchelor” written on it.

Evelyn had found her mother’s family she lost at such an early age. To Ellen and Evelyn and all other families who lost and found loved ones due to war, we remember.

To my Great Great Uncle Orville who served with the Royal Canadian Air Force for 12 years as an Instrument Technician.  To my Great Grandmother, Nancy Jarvis from England who served in the Women’s Air Force Auxiliary.  To my father who joined the reserves at 17 and served with the 705 Communications Squadron in Hamilton.  We remember.

To those standing here today who have served and those who continue to fight for our freedom, we remember.

On the behalf of everyone standing here today, we remember.