Every Remembrance Day is special, but this one carries with it added significance.
This November 11 marks 100 years since the World War 1 guns fell silent and people began coming to terms with the devastation that it caused all over Europe.
Over the course of the next few weeks, cadets will be setting up crosses of remembrance at churches and cemeteries throughout the Cowichan Valley.
Mike Bieling of the Old Cemeteries Society says the crosses will be placed at All Saints’ Anglican Church Cemetery to start this year’s cross placements.
“I think in this case we’ll have a group of Admiral Navy Sea Cadets out, possibly with a piper, and representatives from the community there to place the white veterans remembrance crosses that we put on veterans graves for the month of November,” said Bieling.
Cadets will be going around to nine churches and cemeteries in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day and Bieling said World War 1 had a major impact on the Cowichan Valley.
“The Cowichan Valley was noted for having a really high rate of participation, pretty well all the men in the valley going off to that war,” said Bieling. “It made a tremendous impact on this area, you look at the cenotaph and you can see the high rate of losses for the small community it was at that time.”
Bieling says placing these remembrance crosses on the graves of World War 1 veterans has been ongoing since 1926.
Scheduled cross placements
Saturday, October 27:
All Saints’ Anglican Church Cemetery, Westholme – 10:30 am
Sunday, October 28:
Mountain View Cemetery, Duncan – 1:30 pm
St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Duncan – 1:30 pm
Saturday, November 3:
St. Andrew’s Anglican Church (2475 Koksilah Road) – 11 am
Shawnigan Cemetery, Shawnigan Lake – 1 pm
New Heritage Museum (Mill Bay Methodist/United Church) – 1 pm
St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, Mill Bay – 1 pm
Sunday, November 4:
St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, Cobble Hill – 11:15 am (following 10 am service)
Sunday, November 11:
St. Peter’s Quamichan Anglican Church, Duncan
