St. Albert veterans gathered downtown Monday morning to pay tribute to their Queen.
About 60 veterans and dignitaries took part in a memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, Sept. 19 at the cenotaph on St. Anne Street. Organized by the St. Albert branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the service was one of many similar ones held throughout the Commonwealth to coincide with the Queen’s funeral.
Arranging the service was just the natural thing to do, St. Albert Legion past president Douglas Delorme said in an interview.
“[Elizabeth] has been our sovereign for 70 years,” he said, and every veteran and police officer swore allegiance to her.
“It’s only fitting with her passing that we take time to recognize her service.”
The ceremony opened beneath cloudy skies upon streets still slick with rain. Accompanied by the red coats and stirring sounds of the RCMP Pipes and Drums band, parade marshal William Dickson led the flag party across the rainbow crosswalk in front of St. Albert Place to the cenotaph.
Musician Jamie Tallmann played The Last Post on a trumpet, followed by two minutes of silence, the recitation of the Act of Remembrance (often spoken at Remembrance Day events), and a prayer from the Venerable Lee Bezanson.
“We pray with the King, King Charles III, and members of the Royal Family as they mourn the loss of a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, as well as a friend and monarch,” Bezanson said.
Addressing the crowd, Delorme noted how Elizabeth was the last British monarch to have served in uniform in war. Like many mothers, the Queen doubtlessly spent many sleepless nights worrying about her children and grandchildren as they, too, served in conflict.
“She loved Canada, and she loved its people,” he said.
“The Queen felt at home in Canada, as if she was walking the hills of Scotland.”
Delorme said it was difficult to imagine anyone dedicating 70 years of their life to public service as the Queen did, adding that Elizabeth’s unfailing dedication to tradition, service, and care for others endeared her to millions around the world. He was glad to hear that her son, King Charles III, had pledged to follow in her footsteps.
Delorme laid a wreath in the Queen’s honour at the cenotaph with the help of St. Albert veteran Malcolm Simmons, who was the sole armed police officer protecting the Queen at Buckingham Palace for part of the 1960s.
In an interview, Simmons said he was proud and happy to help lay the wreath, saying it was the best he could do for the Queen at the moment.
“She was a lovely lady, and we’re going to miss her.”
The service closed with a mass salute by veterans and the singing of God Save the King.
