A public ceremony will be held this weekend to commemorate new name additions to the St. Albert cenotaph.
The ceremony is slated for Sept. 11 and it will recognize the addition of the Afghanistan plaque and the updated First World War plaque to the cenotaph.
“The rededication of any cenotaph is a significant event especially for the legion and I would say for the city,” Doug Delorme, poppy chair, said. “It is the place we go to remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifices for our country.”
The ceremony will commemorate the replacement of the First World War plaque, which has been updated to include names of five fallen soldiers that were missed when the plaque was originally installed.
“Even though these people died a hundred years ago it is our function as a legion not to forget them,” Delorme said.
St. Albert soldiers Pte. Moise Beausoliel, Pte. Wilfred Chevigny, Pte. Hector Duroche, Pte. Daniel Flynn and Pte. William Laurence will now join the five original soldiers on the plaque commemorating their sacrifices to the country. Pte. Duroche and Pte. Beausoleil have no known graves. A new plaque was added in February to include them.
The first plaque included Pte. Albert Goodman, Pte. Daniel Kennedy, Sgt. John Kennedy, Pte. Clarence Maloney and Pte. Harry Maloney.
“The names that we added are local St. Albert citizens who have died in the service of their country and we feel that this rededication is an important event for the city,” Delorme said.
Delorme is not sure how five names were missed when the original plaque was put up, but notes that new technology is what helped them discover the missing names.
Along with honouring the veterans, the ceremony will also feature a remembrance ceremony by the fire department. Every year the St. Albert Fire Department normally holds a private service to remember their fallen comrades who lost their lives on Sept. 11. This year the ceremony will be combined with the public cenotaph rededication.
“We thought September 11 would be a good date especially for the Afghanistan plaque,” Delorme said. “It’s basically 15 years from the start of the Afghan campaign.”
The day’s events will include speeches from Mayor Nolan Crouse and fire chief Ray Richards, along with appearances by veterans of the Second World War, the Korean War and Afghanistan.
Two St. Albert service members who were at the liberation of Holland will lay a wreath for the Second World War veterans.
The ceremony will take place Sunday Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. at the cenotaph and will last around 45 minutes. Unlike the Remembrance Day ceremony, this service will not include a parade. All members of the public are invited to join the ceremony and seating for 50 people will be provided.
An open house at the legion will follow the service.
