A special Remembrance Day ceremony was held Friday in Georgina to recognize Canadian soldiers – past and present.
The third annual event was held by York Regional Police at the District 3 Headquarters and gave officers a chance to honour soldiers.
“For us at York Regional Police – every year is the year of the veteran,” says York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe.
With flags at half-staff – police, servicemen and civilians remembered those Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Veteran Jim McPhee’s aircraft was shot down while on a bombing mission over Germany.
“I had quite a rough time in Germany as a prisoner of war and I was on the death march and saw a lot of my buddies freeze to death, so this has always been an emotional time of year.”
It’s an emotional time for John Trotter too. His father - known to many as “Tie Trotter” was a Canadian soldier who was fortunate enough to survive the war. And although he’s now gone, John says he always feels closer to his father during this time of year.
“He would absolutely say that he did what he did so the world could be a better place and it keeps getting better.”
More than 122,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in wars and peacekeeping missions around the world. And as amazing as those number are says retired RCAF officer Joseph Arthur Gault, amazing is also how he describes this day of remembrance – a day he cherishes.
“What a pleasure to be here meeting all the different people. I’m sure glad I came.”
Here's a look at other Remembrance Day ceremonies being held in York Region on Monday:
- Keswick Cenotaph - 11 a.m.
- Woodbridge Annual Parade - Woodbridge Avenue - 11 a.m.
- Markham - Flato Markham Theatre - 10:30 a.m.
- Stouffville Cenotaph - 150 Mostar St. - 11 a.m.
- Unionville - Crosby Arena Cenotaph - 10:30 a.m.
- East Gwillimbury - Civic Centre - 10:30 a.m.
- Schomberg - Tristan Centre - 10:30 a.m.
- Sutton Cenotaph - 11:00 a.m.
