Hundreds gather for Remembrance Day ceremony in St. John's despite change of location

For almost 100years, the Remembrance Day ceremony in St. John's has been marked at the National War Memorial on Duckworth Street.

But this year,the ceremony took place at the Sergeants' Memorial on Queen's Road, due to ongoing renovations at the National War Memorial in preparation for its 100th anniversary. A tomb of the unknowns is being installed at the memorial, among other repairs and changes.

Despite the change in location, hundreds still gathered to remember the sacrifices of fallen soldiers. Members of the military, politicians and the general public crowded both Queen's Road and Garrison Hill forspeeches, prayers and performances from the CLB Regimental Band.

"To all the men of whatever description who gave their life and left their bones in a foreign land, nor saw again this island home that they loved, the fathers and mothers of the dead do not forget them,"said Perry Grandy, chair of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council, in a speech that quoted Sir Charles Alexander Harris's remarks made at the unveiling of the Sergeants' Memorial in 1921.

"These men who gave their lives are the sons of all of us in real fact."

Grandyhosted the ceremony,beginningthe event with a reading of thepoem In Flanders Fieldsby John McCrae, before sharingthe history of the Sergeants' Memorial.

WATCH |Sights and sounds from the Remembrance Day ceremonyon Saturday:

Remembrance Day marked at Sergeants' Memorial in St. John's

11 months ago

Duration 2:13

For the first time in nearly 100 years, the Remembrance Day ceremony in St. John's was marked at the Sergeants' Memorial on Queen's Road.

"This was the original location of Memorial Day ceremonies," said Mike O'Brien, a history professor at Memorial University, in reference to the Sergeants' Memorial.

He was impressed with the turnout despite the wet, cold and windy weather.

"This means a lot to Newfoundlanders," said O'Brien. "Crowds tend to be growing now year to year."

'An era passes'

O'Brien noted there are fewer and fewer Second World War veterans at the ceremony every year.

"We're seeing the last of the World War Two veterans now," O'Brien said. "An era passes."

Saturday's ceremony also featured several laying of wreaths, including one from Lt.Gov. Judy Foote. Her wreath-laying represented her last major function in advance of the appointment of a new lieutenant-governor this Tuesday.

Remembrance Day was also marked in several other ceremonies across the province.

While the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Band usually performs at the ceremony in St. John's, this year the band performed in Corner Brook. More than 200 members of the Newfoundland Regiment marched in Corner Brook's Remembrance Day parade this year.

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